Let me share a funny story. The first time I came across the word *mazdoor* (mercenary/hired hand), I looked it up in a translator to see what it meant. When the translator provided the definition, I was completely shocked! I quickly looked up from my phone, terrified that my parents might be nearby and see the definition—which would have gotten me into serious trouble—and I deleted it immediately.
In our family, even the slightest offensive word was punished by having one’s tongue burned with chili. We never used offensive language; we were raised to be extremely, exceptionally polite. But there was one problem: whenever we went out and heard foul language, we would burst out laughing.
For instance, once someone said something insulting to me, and I just laughed. He looked at me, bewildered, and asked, "What are you laughing at?" I laughed again and walked away. He didn't understand me; he stood there in astonishment, his mind filled with questions. Meanwhile, I found myself wondering what my father would have done to him had he been there.
These contradictions are very problematic. Children shouldn't be raised to be *too* polite; otherwise, they won't know how to behave in society. I remember secretly listening to rap songs that contained offensive lyrics—I would laugh so hard my stomach hurt. I found it amusing and funny.
It is truly wrong that words which others say with ease result in punishment for us; I don’t like it.
