LOS ANGELES — Notice an eerie silence from the Mojave desert, where it gets hot as $&in the summer, to the Pacific Ocean, where on a winter’s day it can get nastier than %$!, and it might simply be the sound of 10 million people not cussing.
At least that’s the result teenager McKay Hatch hopes for once his campaign to clear the air is recognized by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
On Tuesday, the board is scheduled to issue a proclamation making the first week in March No Cussing Week. The motion carries no penalties.
Not that 15-year-old Hatch expects complete compliance. When his No Cussing Club meets at South Pasadena High School on Wednesdays it’s not unusual for a nonmember to throw open the door and fire off a torrent of four-letter words.
“Next year I want to try to get California to have a cuss-free week. And then, who knows, maybe worldwide,” said the 10th grader, who believes if people treat each other with more civility they can better work together to solve bigger problems.
He said his campaign began to form about the time he hit seventh grade when he noticed his friends beginning to swear, something his family didn’t allow.
He formed the No Cussing Club and invited others to join. Soon the group had a Web site, bright orange T-shirts, a hip-hop theme song and inquiries from all over from people interested in joining. He estimates 20,000 people have formed similar clubs.
“It’s not about forcing anyone to stop, just to bring awareness,” he said. “If you can do a week without cussing, maybe you can do two weeks. And then maybe a month.”
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