Watch your words, forget about opinions

Some people have suggested that I should back off of talking about events in the country, in the world,  that affect our lives.

I shouldn't offer opinions about political matters, even though a major election is coming up in just over a year.

I shouldn't talk about religion, even though faith is a binding tie among six billion people on the planet. I should speak my mind in neutral voices about topics relevant to FGCU, her student body, and the staff.

I agree. Let me back off of the historically significant items, such as the death of a 40-year dictator, to talk with you today about the way you may talk.

I beg you to think about the words you will use the next time you speak to anyone.

Please stop describing everything you encounter as "amazing." You do the word disservice when you describe the truly amazing sunset next to the amazing pop tart you just ate.

Not everything you encounter evokes a feeling of great wonder or surprise, which is exactly how Websters defines the term. Once something has reached amazing status, it has no where to go but down.

Please also refrain from using the word "like." If you are not expressing how much you "like"  something, you are probably overusing it.

Dictonary.com even says that like is habitually used out of context in conversation most often as fillers of gaps in the thought process.

Find other space fillers. I miss the days of "um." By interjecting the word like as many times as you can, you prove how little you contemplated your response and how sporadic your thought process is.

I very often hear "like, ya know" at the start many sentences. I will tell you what I tell my children when they try to talk this way. No. I don't know. If I did I wouldn't need you to tell me, would I?

While "ya know"  is a slang term itself requesting corroboration of an idea and many people use it, it's preferably after the statement or question. To presume I know what you are talking about before you have said it means that you think I'm psychic, and that's impossible, ya know?

One last thing, please check your profanity. Now, anyone who knows me can testify that I have a vocabulary that could make a sailor blush, but there is a time and a place for its usage.

When you walk around public places dropping F-bombs and female dog references, I guarantee you that  more people than not see you for the child you try so hard not to be.

Cursing is something your parents usually made you avoid, even if they used it. They said those were adult words and now that you are an adult, and they are far away from you, they flow like water from a faucet.

Note the proper usage of like. For your own sake, your own image, curtail the proliferation of profanity, pretty please. 

In closing, let me sum up our little chat. "Ya know, it's amazing that like we don't ef-in talk like this more, ya know!" This is what many of you sound like, even when in class.

Now, I return you to my thoughts on politics, religion and other topics that have no place in a college paper.