Poll: What is so bad about swearing?

[Farther than stars]

Well, a very biased poll, but I'll answer none the less. I will make no individual accusation because of swearing but I will say this: of course it doesn't matter if people swear too much. It's just words, but it are the connotations that people attach to those words that give them meaning. If someone is offended then that is because of social stigma and not because of the actual words being used.
That said, if someone is offended it remains to be seen how the swearer acts further depending on his or her civility. However, since the social stigma is already commonly in place, it is often regarded to be less trouble not to swear in the first place.
Further more, the negative connotations associated with such profanity loose all meaning when contrued on a regular basis so that the person swearing no longer has any lingustical phrases to express anger, where as a person who never or almost never swears has a bigger ansenal to express their discontent.

 

[Jodah]

I'm pretty open minded about swearing. Hell I swear all the time. The thing is, many people cannot control themselves at the appropriate times. For example, you don't go to court and start swearing in front of the judge. Well, not unless you wanna get fined for contempt.

My general rule: Swearing during conversation go for it. Swearing AT someone, don't do it.

Then again anyone who goes through a decent Criminal Justice degree will have at least one Professor that will "deaden" you to the effects of swearing. You can't be giggling at some thug when he starts saying "fuck" if you are a cop.

 

[Odbarc]

Grandma used to say swearing is only for people who aren't intelligent enough to think of other words to say.
I told her I was too stupid to think of other words to say and I substitute swear words so I can think of them while I'm speaking. Then I called her a **** and threw her out of my room.

 

[babinro]

I dislike swearing as it takes away from someone's point and makes them out to be childish.

Comedic swearing is fine as it can actually enhance the experience. Swearing as a means of elevating the importance of something or portraying an extreme emotion is fine as well.

 

[omega 616]

I think it sounds rude when used casually. My brother has a tendency to say 'fucking' every other sentence; not as a curse but... you know... one of those words that exaggerates- oh never mind. Anyway, I think it sounds tasteless.

With just cursing, that's fine. I often let out a 'crap' when something goes wrong.

saying "fuckin'" instead of "er" or "erm"?

In casual conversations it's perfectly fine to say it.

I think teaching kids "swear" words is a good thing, like you said it stops the "it's naughty so I will do it" and they learn to use them appropriately 'cos either way they are going to learn them, there is nothing you can do to stop it.

They will learn them the same way you did, you don't know when and you don't know how but one day you learned the words.

So you can either have a kid calling the teachers "cunts" or you can have a kid who grows up thinking "it's just swearing".

 

[theheroofaction]

It's cool unless somebody does it for the purpose of swearing instead of for emphasis or their original meaning.

 

[GeorgW]

To dislike swearing is fucking ridiculous, why in the hell are certain words simply forbidden? It just adds to the damn stigma of it, the only thing making it a fucking issue in the first place.
It's like saying that from now on you're not allowed to say 'banana bread'. Why? Because I fucking told you so, that's why! (You all want to say it now, don't you? That's the whole problem with swearing.)

 

[the.gill123]

I think most swear words are adjectives, and fucking good ones at that.

 

[SD-Fiend]

i'm ok with it I guess but I never let a swear word fully cross these lips. it annoys me a bit though because the kids at school can't go one sentence without it.

 

[XDravond]

I do mind people who swear in every sentence or for the sake of it. Even more when they try to be offending because theres no reason.

Myself am no angel so I swear, but I don't swear all the time because then (to me) the "force" behind the swearing (or curse) is kinda lost. And when I swear people react and understand that I'm serious, and or hurt... Although occasional "f*ck, sh!t, etc does get used... but they are more of "soft" ones and I don't really mean to be offensive most of the times.

Swearing IS sometimes useful as you gain "strength" from it.. But doing it in public in normal language I find more offensive to their selves than anything else...

 

[CannibalCorpses]

I don't have a problem with swearing but i do infront of children. As an adult i can make an appropriate decision as to when and where to use them and i don't feel children can. They tend to use words that get the strongest response and nothing gets the juices flowing quite like telling grandma to fuck off. It's bad form.

I used to work with a guy with 4 children that he regularly called 'little cunts' to their faces. I was disgusted to say the least. When i found out that 2 of them were excluded from normal lessons for swearing i can't say i was suprised.
I remember once when i was a teenager and my mother sat on a chair with my foot under it. I shouted bastard really loud because it hurt like hell and she slapped me straight across my face and called me a foul mouthed little wretch.

So yeah, anything but infront of children and really excessive sentences with more fucks than a porn-flick gangbang

 

[bootz]

1)
Except for religious reasons(which I understand and respect), is there any good reason to be against swearing?

What religious reasons? Taking the Lord's name in vain? because that would prohibit (In my opinion) "Oh, my God!," but leave "shit piss **** fuck cocksucker ************ tits" free to use.
Thank you, George Carlin.

The whole "taking the Lord's name in vain" thing always bothered me. So the god's name is God? That's like naming my butler Butler... confusing and kind of stupid. And if God is the god's name, then no one should have a problem with me saying "Oh my god" as long as I don't believe in your god whose name is God.

Oh religion... full of silly things for me to make fun of.

OT: There is nothing wrong with swearing! The whole concept is idiotic. Why should "shit" be less offensive than "crap" when it means the same thing? Words shouldn't be bad, it should be the meanings of our sentences that can be deemed "good" or "bad".

I always thought people didn't get the whole using the lords name in vain. I don't think it means swearing. It makes much more sense when you take it to mean don't use Gods name to profit from God. Or use it to start wars. I think those words were twisted to mean swearing.

 

[azurine]

It depends on the scenario.

someone swearing constantly for no adequate reason (such as saying "*****" instead of someone's actual name) pisses me off.
I think the only reasonable example of good swearing that everyone on this site is familiar with, would be every episode of zero punctuation ever.

 

[liveslowdiefast]

i think it has far to much stigma attached to it. but anyway heres stephen fry in favor of swearing, I WIN http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_osQvkeNRM

 

[default]

I've changed the context of my swearing. I use it to emphasise these days more than anything else.

But in general I do swear a hell of a fucking lot. They are only words, after all.

 

[Monkeybald]

I'll swear a cuss to blow off steam, but not gratuitously.

Also cussing is not something I can do without sounding like a chump. It's definitely a form of art if done right.

 

[Death God]

I don't mind swearing all too often just so long as it isn't a continuous thing that somebody says with every sentence. But I don't swear around family, during or in a church, or at a serious event.

 

[aashell13]

why don't you swear? why don't you walk around stark naked all the time?
because society has decided that it'd be more convenient for everyone if you didn't.

 

[CM156_v1legacy]

I don't mean the annoying or insulting kind, swearing for the sake of swearing or hurting anybody and stuff like that, I just mean an occasional "shit" "fucking" here and there when you are angry at something, like accidentally tripping somewhere etc., in short: To actually express anger or emotions in general.

2 Questions:
1)
Except for religious reasons(which I understand and respect), is there any good reason to be against swearing?

2)
What's so bad about children hearing it? If you hide it from them, they'll just do it more, because of their "forbidden stuff is fun"-mindset. If you responsibly tell them what it means, let's say from 6 upwards, wouldn't that be better? You can teach children that "punching people is not nice", so it's not a stretch to say you can teach them that "insulting people also isn't nice". Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions, but it worked fine for my parents when they told me all this stuff. Of course, I can't say "it always works" because it worked with me... It's just that I might not be that far off.
Is there any definite psychological evidence that this is bad for children? Thanks in advance.

Personally, I don't swear much. For religious reasons. I follow Postel's Law on this. If people swear around me, that's fine. Their choice. I just don't do so often myself.

"Hellfire and damnation" or "Blast it" are about as far as I go personally

I will say that these words have only as much weight as we allow them to.

 

[Ensiferum]

I also try not to swear because of "religious reasons" as people like to call it, E.G. it's dishonoring to God. Of course that doesn't mean I think I'm perfect and they don't slip out occasionally but I've found that as a whole there's nothing endearing or uplifting about them.