No Cussing Club: 30,000 Members

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Watch your mouth
PATRICK THATCHER Staff Writer
January 23, 2009 - 2:44PM
VICTORVILLE • Trying to raise a G-rated family in an R-rated world is not an easy task, said the 15-year-old founder of a club that encourages people not to cuss.

Profanity is everywhere — on TV, in movies and easily heard on most middle and high school campuses, said McKay Hatch, a sophomore at South Pasadena High School. So he is doing something about what he feels is a huge problem: kids cussing.

McKay visited Sixth Street Prep School in Victorville on Friday morning, presenting his message to about 200 kids from kindergarten to sixth grade. It is an entertaining and engaging multimedia program of his own music videos, slides and props, and he brings kids up on stage to participate in the program that goes beyond no cussing.

Hatch founded the No Cussing Club almost two years ago at his middle school and it has grown to 30,000 members worldwide.

“This whole club is more than just about don’t cuss, it’s a lot bigger. It’s about being clean all around — no drugs, no bullying, no violence. The whole idea of this club is just to be nice to people,” Hatch said.

Unfortunately there are a lot of people trying to sabotage McKay’s message and have sent hate e-mails and threats to his Web site, nocussing.com. The site is locked down and the FBI and the Pasadena police are investigating, said Brent Hatch, McKay’s father.

“So far we have had 60,000 e-mail threats and profanity filled e-mails since Jan. 4 of this year, and what these people are saying: Let’s attack this kid because what he is doing is stupid,” Brent Hatch said.

McKay is unnerved by the threats and says the more that detractors attack him on the Web or on blogs, the more popular he becomes among the people who follow his example and the more the media seeks him out as a guest. He has been on the “Tonight Show,” “Dr. Phil,” “Good Morning America” and a few dozen other programs talking about positive attitudes for kids.

In fact, a crew from “Inside Edition” was at the Sixth Street Prep School taping McKay’s presentation for airing at a later date.

“You don’t have to be an adult to make a difference. You can make a difference at any age,” McKay said.

To learn more about the No Cussing Club and to read reactions from students and staff at Sixth Street Prep School, read Sunday's edition of the Daily Press.