I had no idea that people of my age are so aggressive in physical and in verbal ways. I myself am a passive, quiet and sort of a home loving guy from the hills. I suppose I did not really have a chance to have an argument with the cows or to curse the horse on a daily basis. My high school was ten miles away, but again the chance of their ever being a playground fight was maybe a once a year special. The chances of cursing in class or in the playground was extremely rare thanks to the teachers. I do not really think that the school or I was ultra-religious, but we all led a polite life with each other.
Now I am at college in a completely different state and I am horrified of what I have now become art of. As my taxi pulled in for the very first time I witnessed hundreds of people talking and shouting at each other. The noise was deafening and nothing like the controlled silence of my old school.
I met a few guys as I unpacked in my new room. They were all very friendly but they all seemed to be cursing at me. At first I was shocked and a little intimidated, but I soon realized that the cursing was just a way of speaking and not meant to be an insult. However, if my mother had heard some of these words being used in jest she would have pulled me by my ear and taken me away from here within seconds.
It has taken me a few days but I am sort of getting use to the real bad language and the constant play fights in the corridors. I am also a little jealous that I cannot yet join in as I am not really sure of the boundaries yet. I suppose I am a little naïve and have had a different sort of upbringing than the majority of these people. I am beginning to really like these people too.
In class it is still full of aggression and crude words that the teachers just seem to accept and ignore. Even when the staff set essay editing homework and are cursed by the whole room-nothing happens. It seems that the only way to communicate is to have a curse word in each sentence. It also seems that if you are in a discussion or disagreement you have to push and play slap somebody to get your point across.
If I had shouted out a crude word at high school when having an essay editing assignment there would have been aggression against me from a teacher. I suppose college makes it our turn to be aggressive?
About the Author
Martin Hime is now very use to the swearing and the ways of city life, although he yearns to go home soon for the eace and relaxation.
