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Re: At Competition
Im all for the constructive ideas presented here (ok we get that there are different levels of chivalry, old-fashionedness, real-worldedness, etc among all of us). I think K-dawg did the right thing in asking the teams around their team as well as perhaps a friendly reminder on the announcements. Ideas like presenting to your team to set an example, or like Elgin's hanging signs in the pits, or even the quarter jar are easy ways to try to extend the FIRST culture and professionalism.
So to the topic, yes we are all human, and many of us, I included, have generally let something slip. However, we can encourage it not to be an every other sentence practice, as we know that it might offend others around us. It is about respect. Saturday there were so many little kids coming through our pits to ask for buttons or to see our robot, that our students were constantly tapping eachother on the shoulder to be on our best behavior.
What I am amazed that I havent seen yet in this thread is the whole concept of GP: "to act as if your Grandmother were watching" or "to make your Grandmother proud". Now I know that many grandmothers may be "cooler" these days, and not stick a bar of soap in your mouth for saying a swear word, but many of us still wont purposfully swear infront of our parents or grandparents. Heck, I still feel weird swearing in front of my dad, and Im 27! He never swears in front of me... in fact I dont think I've ever heard him swear.
Does that mean I never do? No. Have I slipped in front of my students? Yes. Do I ever swear at work? Nearly never. Its not professional, and while some places may "swear like dockworkers" I guarantee if you go to any big engineering companies, its not commonplace. Its not professional and it doesnt gain you respect. I've not once heard any of our contractors swear in front of us. They want to retain our business, so they treat us with respect. Do I think swearing should be banned? or teams witchhunted? No, definitely not. Do I think teams should try and act more professionally at competition? Of course. FIRST is lightyears away from any major sporting event. You would NEVER see the Patriots give the Giants a timeout in the superbowl. So we should continue to act like it.
So going back to constructive ideas, i want to Steal Elgin's and modify it. Don't just make signs, make buttons! Do something like "I make my Grandmother Proud" or "My Grandmother IS watching (don't swear!)" or something like that, hand them out at events, or even give awards to teams for improving once you mention something to them. Perhaps stay away from things that are outside the FIRST culture (no-swearing zone may make your team seem goody-goody, but sticking with the Proud Grandmother theme is part of FIRST culture). Come up with a list of "20 reasons not to swear" or "20 things to say instead of swears", make it funny and catchy and hand those out at events. People will laugh but see your point.
But in the end, realize that some people wont change, that some students arent brought up to respect the wishes of others or to consider swearing wrong, or perhaps its commonplace on their teams to swear. Everyone is different, and in the end, we all have to accept eachother for who we are. I would like to think that if asked in the right way all teams would respect others, but often its either dismissed or ignored, if its not presented in a convincing manor. So figure out the motive for these teams that bother you, look at it through their eyes, they obviously dont see anything wrong with it (which each of us is entitled to), but figure out how you can convince them. Whether its through something funny, some cute buttons, or by talking to the right person on their team...
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