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Best friend Quote by Colleen Hoover

“Sorry,” Kiersten says to Lake and I. “Mom says the FCC is responsible for inventing cusswords just for media shock value. She says if everyone would just use them enough, they wouldn’t be considered cusswords anymore and no one would ever be offended by them” This kid is hard to keep up with!…” quote by Colleen Hoover
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““Sorry,” Kiersten says to Lake and I. “Mom says the FCC is responsible for inventing cusswords just for media shock value. She says if everyone would just use them enough, they wouldn’t be considered cusswords anymore and no one would ever be offended by them” This kid is hard to keep up with! “Your mother encourages you to cuss?” Gavin says. Kiersten nods. “I don’t see it that way. It’s more like she’s encouraging us to undermine a system flawed through overuse of words that are made out to be harmful, when in fact they’re just letters, mixed together like every other word. That’s all they are, mixed up letters. Like, take the word “butterfly” for example. What if someone decided one day that butterfly is a cussword? People would eventually start using butterfly as an insult, and to emphasize things in a negative way. The actual WORD doesn’t mean anything. It’s the negative association people give these words that make them cusswords. So if we all just decided to keep saying butterfly all the time, eventually people would stop caring. The shock value would subside…and it would just become another word again. Same with every other so-called bad word. If we would all just start saying them all the time, They wouldn’t be bad anymore. That’s what my mom says anyway.” “Kiersten?” Eddie says. “Will you be my new best friend?” Lake grabs a french fry off her plate and throws it at Eddie, hitting her in the face with it. “That’s Bullshit,” Lake says. “Oh, go BUTTERFLY yourself,” Eddie says. She returns a fry in Lakes direction.””

Colleen Hoover

About This Quote

Source Novel: It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover, 2016

Language gains power from collective perception; redefining taboo words through frequent use can erode their shock value.

In simple terms: Words are neutral until society assigns meaning.

Key Takeaway

Use language intentionally to reshape meaning.

Themes

language societal norms taboo communication

Mood

playirative thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

  • online forums
  • school debates
  • media criticism
  • personal conversations

Key Concepts

semantic relativism social constructionism

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does repeated exposure alter emotional impact of words?
  • Can we ethically neutralize harmful language?
A Different Perspective

Changing perception may meet resistance from entrenched cultural attitudes.

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