This Sunday night, McKay Hatch will be visiting Mobile to talk about his “No Cussing Club.” That’s right; the kid that started the No Cussing Club in California will be here encouraging teenagers and their parents not to cuss. This “regular kid,” as he calls himself, has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and with Dr. Phil, calling for all kids and their parents, to stop the foul language. I find it amazing that one person can have such an affect on so many people. His whole challenge is inspirational.

McKay Hatch has challenged all who hear him to take this no cussing challenge and “change the world, one word at a time.” A pretty lofty ideal but it seems to be working. The creed from the website says: “We promise that taking this challenge will have a powerful affect on your life. Your words become your thoughts, your thoughts become your behavior, your behavior becomes your character and your character becomes your destiny.”

There are chapters of his club in over 30 different countries around the world and there are officially over 50,000 members in his club. His ideals are more than just no cussing as he has included no bullying and online email abuse in his website. He has drawn the attention of his Congressman, Rep. Adam Schiff in California who has entered a statement in Mckay’s honor in the Congressional Record. As Rep Schiff says: “Mckay’s efforts serve as a reminder to both public officials and private citizens to be more civil toward one another and to elevate the level of discourse in both public and private life.”

I wish the entertainment world would take note of Mckay Hatch’s challenge. Our whole system of radio, movies, books and magazines have been spiraling downward. What was considered taboo 30 years ago is now okay for adults to hear and see. As Rep Schiff has said, we should elevate the level of discourse in our lives. It means not dragging ourselves into the gutter and then comment how wonderful it all has been. I am so tired of hearing what “artists” consider true life art as extraordinary. Call a spade a spade. What we consider entertainment in bad taste should be in bad taste. In actuality this behavior is an excuse to write and film the dredges of our low life existence. This excuse for printing and filming uncivilized behavior has had such a tremendous affect on our children and it’s not getting better.

So let’s stick to our guns. If we know we should not swear or cuss, then take the high road and don’t do it. Even better, take a tip from McKay Hatch and encourage others not to join in as well.

Loxley resident Valerie J. Steimle is now the author of four books. Her latest, “Dogs, Blogs and Hobbits: Writings from a Widow’s Perspective” is available on Amazon.com. Contact her at valeriesteimle@yahoo.com, visit her website at www.stregthen

yourhome.com or www.valeriesteimle.blogspot.com.