A sign outside a bar in Iowa City that reads “Skinny people are easier to kidnap, drink more beer” couldn’t have come at a worse time. After ISU student Tong Shoa was reported missing, the Iowa City bar hit below the belt with this statement after Shao’s body was found in the trunk of a car in Iowa City. It may be true that Iowa City did not intended to comment on the loss of the Iowa State student, however the timing of the statement made it seem like a jab at a student’s death, which is never something that should be taken lightly.

It is all too common that people make inappropriate comments in attempts to be funny. This comment left people thinking that it was making fun of the kidnapping and death of Tong Shao. Whether the comment was meant to reference Shao or not, the comment in general was wrong.

Too many times we find ourselves saying things that are offensive but have become socially acceptable. Issues such a rape, death or in this case kidnapping, are not subjects that should be joked about. It is easy to stumble upon a conversation walking around campus where a student may be talking about “being raped” by an exam or saying that the extra calories gained by drinking beer makes you harder to kidnap. Although our generation finds these jokes funny, in reality they are jokes that should not be made.

It comes down to being more conscious about the words that we choose to use on a regular basis. The bar in Iowa City that made the comment may not have meant any offense — it was simply trying to make a joke to attract people to its establishment — however, when Ames residents heard about the sign and saw it, we took it as a joke made about a student who had attended our university and died, which caused us to be offended.

On the chance that the comment may have been created to purposefully be offensive, we resort back to a rivalry going too far. The language that people use toward each other, whether directly or indirectly, can truly hurt someone. While it is doubtful that the kidnapping comment was made with offense toward Iowa State, it was still taken that way by many of students both here and at the University of Iowa.

The same goes in the case of using the words “rape” or “gay.” Living on a campus so large, when people say derogatory and offensive statements, they never know who may overhear the conversation and whether or not they find the comments hurtful.

We should watch our mouths. We are fully capable as adults of knowing what comments would be socially acceptable and which would not. Saying something behind a closed door with your closest friends is one thing but saying something inappropriate on campus, or writing it on a chalkboard outside of a bar, makes your audience much larger.

Words can hurt, and we should all be aware of the influence our words have on other people. Consider the people around you when you are talking about things that may be offensive and hurtful to people. The power of words can go a long way, and we should be using it to bring people up, not to hurt or tear anyone down.