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CBS/ March 2, 2010, 2:33 PM

The Kid Behind "Cuss-Free" Week

McKay Hatch has a surprising agenda for a 16-year-old: He wants you to watch your mouth.

Hatch is on a crusade to stamp out cussing. Two years ago, the California teenager founded a "No Cussing Club" at his school after all of his friends started swearing.

"This bothered me. And I challenged them," Hatch said on "The Early Show." "And another reason is because I saw a lot of my friends that were cussing just because they saw other kids doing it. They thought it was the only thing that they could do to be cool."

His Web site now has thousands of members, and he hopes to make the "clean language" trend global.

So far, Hatch has established "Cuss-Free" weeks in his city and county. His "Cuss Free" week effort made it all the way to the state level, but just missed being passed Monday in the California Senate.

Now he hopes to find a sponsor for a national tour.

For more on Hatch's efforts, click on the video below.


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9 Comments Add a Comment
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shannondoah101 says:
Omgsh i finally found a teenager just like me. I'm a teenager who does not cuss either, good job to you! you are so awesome! God bless and keep it up!
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melodylady says:
Wow! I didn't think this topic would bring about such negativity. Just as people have the constitutional right to cuss, if they choose to, this young man has the right to speak out against it, if he chooses to. You can't have it both ways. I applaud the young man, because I absolutely abhor cussing, and I find it to be very distasteful. Apparently many others agree with them, he has a website with over 1000 followers. He's doing a good thing, and I hope he continues to speak out against cussing.
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aztecdakota says:
Well I may let out a cuss work a half dozen times a year, more or less. Felt stupid each time. I was a construction worker and during those years, said plenty of cuss words on the job, it was part of the common language. But I never brought it home with me , to my family, and social friends. And dat's dat!
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manitee72 says:
I love what this kid is doing. Sure you may not want to keep a "clean mouth" but come on dude not everyone likes to hear the vulgarity every waking hour of the day. Believe me I work as an Armed Security driver. I say you go little guy, may your poofy hair wash the mouths of all americans!!!
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tastypaper says:
Ha, looks like CBS is already "cuss" free. How un-American of them.
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tastypaper says:
First Amendment, *****! What is clean or dirty language anyway? Texting is dirty language, cusses are ENGLISH. I would love to know what the detrimental effects are of arbitrary phonic groupings.
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brianbwb2011 says:
Poor little misinformed child.

Perhaps his parents should have instructed him that "cussing" has no meaning whatsoever, "swearing" means making a promise, and it is the intent of communication, rather the words used to achieve it, that determine obscenity.

And perhaps his teachers should have taught him that the US constitution establishes the right of free speech, and perhaps they should inform him that it includes speech which he may not understand, agree with, or simply finds to be in poor taste.

So we can attribute his attitude to dysfunctional parenting, and education.
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rfp1959 says:
He should take his crusade to South Central LA. I'm sure he'll have a lot of luck there.
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ilyaquiss says:
what a little turd. This kid needs to be studying and worrying about other things in life rather than policing other people's words.
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