Poll: What is your stance on swearing?

[Diddy_Mao]

Living in Utah I've grown accustomed to biting back my proclivity for casual cursing which usually results in weird mumbles or breaks in my dialog.

What gets on my damned nerves though is the horrible word replacement that goes on around here.

No less than a dozen times a day do I hear a coworker say "What the frick?" "Look at this shizz!" or "This customer's being a wicked B."

I hear less goofy ass baby talk when I'm playing with my dog.

Everyone knows that you're just saying Fuck, Shit and ***** so just say the god damn words.

 

[Casual Shinji]

As long as it doesn't reach juvenile levels I really don't care.

I try not to swear in the company of other people who aren't close relatives though.

 

[jklinders]

With a sufficient command of language and inflection, anything could be made to be rude and offensive. Swearing is just easier.

I work in a kitchen and it's just par for the course in the hospitality industry (away from guest ears) but I try to avoid it in situations where folks might get offended (IE mother or girlfriend's mother).

Frankly I think it's silly to focus on the words without putting context to the meaning behind them. But then again, I tend to think too much.

 

[RustlessPotato]

Well, it depends on context. A word on its own isn't offensive or bad in my eyes.The intent of a word when you use it can make it bad. "Nigga" used between friends and the same word used by a redneck. The same reason why a racist joke or anything like that isn't offensive if its just used as that: a joke.

I swear because sometimes there are situations where swearing was invented for, and no other word will cut it to ease the frustration. Swearing, when done right, can be quite melodic . What I also don't see the point in, is exchanging some swear words into others. Instead of Fuck people will go Fudge. What's the point if we all know you're saying Fuck ? Same as people typing F*** or B***. I find it silly.


You can hear it from the man !

 

[Agow95]

They're just words, they don't hurt anyone and what else am I meant to do when I hit my head on something?

 

[Old Father Eternity]

Along side some other vids and lines posted, I present you these
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl2vX229e1A&feature=related - A small bit starting from 0.52
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qffCXkhodks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0cJBEMiN1c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXk9EPxZw48

There is nothing inherently wrong with swearing, sure in some situations some words may be inappropriate but that same *clause* can be extended to none swear/smut words.
Heck, I have heard that the French Canadians have more or less got a swearing dialect or something of the sort.

 

[A.A.K]

I don't like swearing...It's something a gentlemen shouldn't do. I also don't see much value in swearing.

I do it though. I do swear. I don't like it, but I do it regardless.

 

[AngloDoom]

I see nothing wrong with swearing, but I know other people do so I try to keep a respectful restrain on my swearing. That and I don't want to say "SHIT!" in the workplace when something goes wrong, so I might be implementing some sort of swear-jar or similar to help me break bad habits.

That, and my father swears so often (counted 43 'fucks' in seven minutes, yo) and I realised it makes him look like a thug: I want to be an approachable person.

 

[BeeGeenie]

Swearing is not "just words." You ever notice that some people with Tourette's Syndrome (about 10%) infamously say offensive words (coprolalia. it's a separate condition. google it). You ever wonder why they use swear words rather than other words? Because swear words are actually stored in a separate part of the brain: the part that regulates inhibitions, not the part that involves regular vocabulary.

"The common denominator of taboo words is the act of forcing a disagreeable thought on someone, and it's worth considering how often one really wants one's audience to be reminded of excrement, urine, and exploitative sex. Even in it's mildest form, intended only to keep the listener's attention, the lazy use of profanity can feel like a series of jabs to the ribs. They are annoying to the listener, and a confession by the speaker that he can think of no other way to make his words worth attending to... None of this means that the words should be banned, only that their effects on listeners should be understood and anticipated."
- Steven Pinker, "The Stuff of Thought" (emphasis added)

So yeah. Only swear if you are hurt or are genuinely angry. If you swear in daily conversation, it just means you don't really have anything important to say.

Swear rarely, so that when you swear, people know you mean it.

 

[Daniel_Rosamilia]

I'm a soldier in the Australian Army... If I haven't sworn 3 times, it's not a complete sentence.

^This.
As a true Australian, it's customary to swear in every fuckin' sentence we speak or write, list this one.
So yeah, I swear like a sailor, and if you don't like it, deal with it. Ya *****.
EDIT: Please note that's sarcasm. I don't want people quoting me tearing me a new one. So sod off.

 

[theblindedhunter]

So, I'm a fan of very precision f-bombing. And other munitions as well.
Swearing freely and without discretion reduces the impact of those words and makes other people uncomfortable. I don't like to put other people off, so I usually don't swear in public, and I think swears have a very particular purpose in our vocabulary, so I reserve them for emphasis or letting off steam.
If I swear all the time, then the cussing that litters my speech after I've smashed my toe on something loses effect, in my mind. And if I swear all the the time, how will I emphasize exactly how pissed I am at something? Not with swears, certainly.

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

I am in the military... it is impossible not to be around swearing, and I have no problem with it myself... I do swear, but only for emphasis. Some of the squaddies and infantry guys pretty much fucking swear every fucking other fucking word!

 

[pilouuuu]

I can't f***in' stand it!

Now seriously, I think it's fine if you don't use it very often. Just leave it for moments when you're really upset and you need some catharsis or for humourist reasons. I almost never swear, so when I do my friends get all surprised and find it funny for some reason.

 

[WaysideMaze]

I work in a warehouse full of blokes. Everyone there swears. A lot.

 

[Karhukonna]

I'll talk like a pissed sailor whenever I feel the need to do so, but I'd never swear in the presence of my mother, or when inside a church. Just the way I was raised, is all.

 

[mrhappy1489]

Being a proud Australian citizen, I take it as a duty to swear whenever possible and in the most unnecessary swear even more. It's just a fucking tradition.

 

[wottabout]

I swear, but I would prefer to do it less. I'm fine with swearing with my friends, but sometimes I also swear when I'm with family or whatever. For example, when I was babysitting my five-year-old cousin, he almost knocked over the computer tower and I shouted, "Fuck!" He deserved to be yelled at, but I don't think his parents would appreciate me cursing around him. I need a better reaction to bad things happening.

 

[Combustion Kevin]

in the netherlands we gat ad-campaigns that tell us to stop swearing.
from tax-payer money, mind you.

so I just do it to prove a point.