Thoughts on swearing...
| Submitted by kathycf on Wed, 2007-06-27 01:03 | ||
So there is a discussion going on at my literature forum about swearing. Of course, like here, there are rules against posting swears, in addition to a software filter that catches the obvious culprits. Some people are completely against it, to the point of not finishing a book that has profanity in it and others are completely the opposite...not that they are pro-swearing but more that "those are just words, and any word could have the potential to be harmful..." I am sort of on the fence about the issue. Excessive swearing makes me uncomfortable (especially sexually explicit terms) and also, when every other word out of someone's mouth is profanity it leaves me with the impression that they aren't too bright. However, in the right context and used minimally I am fine with it. I swear a little sometimes myself occasionaly...(shocking!) especially in traffic because I really hate to drive. Someone expressed that they didn't even care if their children swore because swearing was not a big deal to them. Words don't have the power to offend as they are only a collection of letters....I found that to be rather disingenuous as words are the very essence of communication...they convey specific ideas. I think some words are by association far more "loaded" than others...words can convey degradation and contempt, especially misogynistic terms and also racial epithets. It was suggested to me that I was naive, and that I was afraid of swearing which I found somewhat amusing since I had stated two pages prior that I can get quite heated in traffic. ( I did mention I hate driving, right? I grew up in a pretty rough household and was subject to some pretty strong language and verbally abused ( in addition to other abuses that are not relevant to this topic) and I got pretty annoyed because um, "naive"? Give me a break. A person who has dealt with verbal abuse may be naive in other areas (possibly) but not about the power that language has, especially to a vulnerable or impressionable person. So...what are your thoughts on swearing? Do you swear a lot, just a little or not at all? Is swearing ever appropriate? If a parent, how would you feel about your child swearing? Feel free to chime in with what you think, but mind your language! ^^ blogs: |
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) The phrase "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me" was bandied about. *rolls eyes*
Comments
Hello, my name is Sara, and I have a problem. I curse like a sailor.
I try not to do it in front of my son but it does occasionally slip out. Bu t he has been taught that they are grown up words and he can't say them till he is grown up. I personally don't have a problem with curse words. Though I probably do drop F BOMBS more than i should. Bu t for me it is just like any other thing. If you wanna curse that is on you. If you are gay that is your right. If you wanna walk around town with pink fuzzy bunny slippers well that is up to you.
What if the hokey pokey really is what it is all about????
Ok, i swear sometimes, i try not too but it happens. i believe most people in general swear, in fact its becoming more common in school age children, after all they bus the high schoolers with the elementary at some schools so they bound to pick up stuff. and when they in hallways or on lunch they are sure to curse!
i do must of my swearing when mad. ever drop a hammer on your finger, what do ya say? and that sure hurts!
i do have 2 situations where i think swearing is wrong. -
In public, i dont think people should swear especially around children.
my biggest gripe about swearing however is the tv and movie industry.
it use to be tv didnt say b words or @$$ words, but its now on about all shows, including cartoons, why do they persist on doing this, cant they find other words to use?
Movies, how many times have you went to the movies and they are rated R for swearing, i mean what is the purpose of throwing in a f word to get a r rating. i would rather they delete the word and do some interesting things in the movies, besides swearing.
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So it has been written, and so it shall cometh to pass! Quothe The Darkelf, forevermore!
Once upon a time, those words weren't swearing, just a regular part of everyday speech (assuming that was what you were talking about!) Then the Victorians invented the concept of "bad words" mainly so they could get a thrill from breaking the taboo they had just created.
There are topics that small children aren't ready to understand and the words involved are inappropriate for conversation with those kids; whether short words are used or long scientific ones makes no difference. Religious topics will offend adults and they'll have special words that trigger that, even (or especially) when not used in a religious context. Some persons of African ancestry get offended by a large number of words that just imply "dark".
But pink bunny slippers are just unforgivable. "Pink" is a color reference offending all African-Americans, "Bunny" is a sexual reference (implying over-eagerness to breed) and "Slippers" are offensive to Muslims.
Abstraction site
Dungeon Raider
Ummmm why would slippers be offensive to muslims?
What if the hokey pokey really is what it is all about????
I think ghastley forgot to mention that the word "Ghastley" is offensive to any creature that has a pulse....
(^^) (;))
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Total absence of humor renders life impossible.
Colette
Shoes of any variety are "unclean". Do you remember the time the statues of Sadam were toppled? Everyone was hitting the statues with their shoes as the ultimate insult.
Abstraction site
Dungeon Raider
When I was younger I used to swear a lot (but never around autority figures, like my parents, teachers...). If I hit the goal post in ball hockey
, on would come the four letter words. 
As I grew up and expanded my vocabulary I learned other (more socially acceptable) words to communicate such anger / frustration... I use such words now, almost completely removing the "naughty" words from my vocabulary. I'm not saying that I never swear anymore... sometimes I get caught in the moment and don't care to censor myself, but that happens very very rarely.
What do I think of others swearing? It doesn't offend me and I understand it in certain (heated) circumstances, but if every other word out of someone's mouth is "#$%@!*&" then that affects my opinion of the person. I see such behaviour as being illustrative of (one or more of the following):
- the impression that swearing is completely socially acceptable (which may be the case in certain environments / social circles).
- a lack of an adequate vocabulary to communicate without swearing.
- a lack of impulse control.
- a carefree attitude to the image being projected.
- a purposeful intent to illicit a certain response (shock, anger, indignation...).
...
Each one of these things tells me a different story.
I try not to swear, (especially in front of children) but still let it slip on occasion. Did not start cursing until my late teens and then every other word out of my mouth was #!%/*$. As I hit mid twenties with a child to raise, I learned some control.
Interesting, and thank you for sharing your thoughts everybody.
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Total absence of humor renders life impossible.
Colette
I am really bad about this, I swear at least 20 times a day....
That's a lot. ^^
I probably swear quite often myself but it is mostly "softer" swear words. I used to drop the heavy words before though.
I remember back in second grade when we were talking about people who swore a lot. I was among those who said I would never swear.
I remember back in the old days that swearing was something the "big kids" did, and the big kids were scary. Now I guess I am a really big "kid".
*cough* birthday in a couple of weeks *cough* ^^
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Total absence of humor renders life impossible.
Colette
I use "colorful metaphors" (as they were called in Star Trek IV) a little more than the average bear, and I feel that censorship only adds to the general frustration already existing in society. On top of that, if we examine the origins of the attitude towards these words in English, we find that the attitude grows out of socio-economic and cultural prejudice (see Normans vs. Anglo-Saxons) and what can only be termed puritanism. That's enough for me right there to carry on using such words.
~~~
Giovanna