Let's Talk About Swearing...

Do you swear? And is it immoral to do so?

  • I swear alot, and don't believe it's wrong

    Votes: 28 30.4%
  • I swear alot, but do believe it's wrong

    Votes: 3 3.3%
  • I swear some, and don't believe it's wrong

    Votes: 35 38.0%
  • I swear some, but believe it's wrong

    Votes: 10 10.9%
  • I never swear, but don't believe it's wrong

    Votes: 9 9.8%
  • I never swear, and believe it's wrong

    Votes: 7 7.6%
  • Radioactive monkeys swear:D

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    92
I hate those disrespectful little spuds who spout off about how "its just words" and "ots not hurting anybody" and then use it as an excuse to go around cussing around people who will clearly be offended and act like they have some kind of superior standard about cussing. You guys all know the kind of people im talking about..........
 
I only curse in front of impressionable young children and prudish grannies. :p

I curse, but i don't do it that often. Not because i find it offensive, but because i find people that curse a lot annoying. When you drop the f-word 6 times in a sentence you're not effectively communicating what really needs to be said.

example:

1. she is such a blankity blank blank blank

2. I don't like this person because i think she is untrustworthy and has a bad attitude.

the first one doesn't really tell us anything other than how well you can string together colorful language, the second one actually tells us something.
 
I find it incredibly stupid how "vulgar" speech has been turned into a sin, and a morally bad thing by some people. Perhaps it's uncouth to use such words, or as other people have noted, the product of an uneducated or lazy mind, but, with the exception of the Lord's name, they are simply words or phrases the "upper" classes have deemed "uncivilized." What's more, I find it stupid that we call it "vulgar" langauge and use that word offensively; after all, if we can't use the vulgate, then what is our language worth? Not everyone is some posh, hoity-toity noble who gets driven around in his Jaguar wearing a white tuxedo and a top hat and cane.
 
I hate those disrespectful little spuds who spout off about how "its just words" and "ots not hurting anybody" and then use it as an excuse to go around cussing around people who will clearly be offended and act like they have some kind of superior standard about cussing. You guys all know the kind of people im talking about..........

It doesn't change the fact that they are right. They are merely words.
 
If its "just words" then why do people get offended by them? People like to downplay words, but words can hurt just as bad if not worse tha physical pain
 
If its "just words" then why do people get offended by them? People like to downplay words, but words can hurt just as bad if not worse tha physical pain

Of course. But said pain is ultimately mental, and can be gotten over. It's a matter of social conditioning - the words are bad because you are taught that they are bad, not because of some inherint magic. If you arn't a native english speaker, an english curse word isn't going to mean anything to you. And considering the fact that you can't stop people from cursing in public, ultimately the only thing that you can do is get used to it and shake that mental pain off.
 
It doesn't change the fact that they are right. They are merely words.

And words still hurt people......at least some people.

Of course. But said pain is ultimately mental, and can be gotten over.

Ah...people do die of such mental pain each and every day....particularly teenagers.
 
And words still hurt people......at least some people.
Of course they hurt, but it doesn't mean they should, especially since it's all in the mind in the end.

Ah...people do die of such mental pain each and every day....particularly teenagers.
Yes, and to die from mental pain is pretty lame.
 
in fact, i try to get creative and combine curses with each other and other words.

The way he swears is so creative and unique that it's quite hillarious.

This is my favorite type of swearing. It's too bad I can't give examples of the stuff we come up with, but it's always so much fun. :D

I hate those disrespectful little spuds who spout off about how "its just words" and "ots not hurting anybody" and then use it as an excuse to go around cussing around people who will clearly be offended and act like they have some kind of superior standard about cussing. You guys all know the kind of people im talking about..........

What does "use it as an excuse" mean? I don't know whether I'm a potato but I'll spout all day that it's just words and that adults should know better than to be hurt by some sailor-talking idiot's loose tongue (yes, Lucy's the sailor-talking idiot). That doesn't mean it's okay or decent to cuss at people when you know it will upset them. That's a buttvoid of the most vulgar sort.


By the way, anyone know any sailors? Is there any truth to the saying?
 
I find it incredibly stupid how "vulgar" speech has been turned into a sin, and a morally bad thing by some people. Perhaps it's uncouth to use such words, or as other people have noted, the product of an uneducated or lazy mind, but, with the exception of the Lord's name, they are simply words or phrases the "upper" classes have deemed "uncivilized." What's more, I find it stupid that we call it "vulgar" langauge and use that word offensively; after all, if we can't use the vulgate, then what is our language worth? Not everyone is some posh, hoity-toity noble who gets driven around in his Jaguar wearing a white tuxedo and a top hat and cane.

Right on sir, I do so hate the bourgeois attitude towards swearing. I'm a proletarian, damnit!:cool:
 
Right on sir, I do so hate the bourgeois attitude towards swearing. I'm a proletarian, damnit!:cool:

It's even worse when people call it "low-class". I remember when I was younger, when I cursed and my mom said to not do it, because it's low-class, I accused her of being a bigot. :lol:
 
I do swear some and don't mind it. I find it annoying, though, when people are unable to speak a complete sentence without at least one curse in it.
 
I do swear some and don't mind it. I find it annoying, though, when people are unable to speak a complete sentence without at least one curse in it.

Are you kidding? Swear words are so flexible!
 
I think that swearing can be the most honest way expressing yourself - but NOT when you over-use your swearing vocabulary.

What is really silly, is that in USA broadcast media, swearing is not allowed, but lying is. From those two, lying is far worse than swearing.
 
Are you kidding? Swear words are so flexible!
nope, I am not kidding. By using swear words in every sentence you're lowering their importance, limiting your spectrum of emotions.
After all, how can you tell that a guy who uses curses in every sentence is truly pissed off?

By using these words too often you're lowering their value :p
 
nope, I am not kidding. By using swear words in every sentence you're lowering their importance, limiting your spectrum of emotions.
After all, how can you tell that a guy who uses curses in every sentence is truly pissed off?

By using these words too often you're lowering their value :p

My point was that I know of at least one curse word in which an entire semantically correct sentence can be formed. :p

You can tell a guy who curses in every sentence is truely pissed off by the large amount of curses that they use (that is, every word is a curse word) as well as voice.

More seriously, I agree that you're lowering the value, but in the end, value isn't needed in the first place. Curse words can become non-profanity over time, and there's nothing that can be done about it.
 
Why should I rule out the use of a powerfully charged aspect of my language for myself?

As with everything, if you end up cussing constantly it just becomes a rather tired mannerism. No point.

I never swear in English, in French neither, even if social interaction means I by now have a rather good knowledge the normal flora. It just does nothing for me. I have to swear in Swedish to feel something.

I intellectually know "that's a bad word inappropriately appropriate for this situation" in my secondary languages. It's only in my mother tongue I really feel the "nasty" about it. String up any number of English f-words in front of me, and I might get a little tired over the repetitiveness, but never about the word being "bad". It's just a word.
But I have real trouble getting my mouth around the Swedish f-word (female genitalia, one of many), and can't quite bring myself to use something as crude as all that. Certainly not in normal speech.

I think this indicates what an important visceral part of language it is. These words have meaning and usefulness well beyond the lexical stuff.
 
It is uneducated and stupid to swear. Swearing takes the place of words that could be much more descriptive. We curse most of the time for the same reason that people say "uhhhh" during a sentance - because they cannot think of the word that describes what they are thinking and they cannot bear the thought of the conversation having a 1 second pause (after all, someone else might start talking!). Just as I do not fill my speech with an "uhhhhh" every few words, I do not curse (well, I try not to). If I can't think of the word I want to use immediately, I take a second or 2 and think of the word that best conveys my thought - I don't just fill the space with a swear and move on. People that say "uhhhhhh" or "like" alot are uneducated and/or stupid. So are people that swear alot.

To add stress to a statement, try voice and tone variation.

I know it is difficult, especially for people with a limited vocabulary, but try to take a second and think of a real word the next time you stumble in a sentence.

Of course, if you are doing it to be funny (and mimic dumb people) - that's ok :)
 
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