I am not offended, but I tend to dismiss people who swear constantly as intellectually lazy, just as I do when I see IM shortcuts (b4, etc.) in email or on a message board.
I find “f***” far more annoying than “fuck”. It’s not like anyone can’t figure out what “f***” means in context. Have some balls and type out the word.
My reaction is generally that I view the speaker as someone with poor selfcontrol. I.e., it’s a character flaw like being a drunk.
In a “boisterous discussion”, when the other person resorts to crude language, that designates I’ve won. If you have sound arguments, you never need to curse.
The only one I can’t stand is the C-word. I ended a nearly four year relationship when my ex called me that. (Insert disclaimer that relationship was already headed for doom here.) But for whatever reason, to me that is just the worse thing you can call someone. Worse than Nigger, in my opinion. I mean I can write nigger, but I can’t even bring myself to write the C-word!
I don’t curse all that much myself, and it doesn’t really bother me when others do so (except in specific situations, such as an office setting where we’re all supposed to be professionals). But I’ve always wondered at the insistence by some that such language is an indication of lower intellect. To be sure, it can be one (of many) indicators, but it is not automatically so.
“Cigar Aficionado” published an interesting piece on profanity entitled “The Right Word”, and quoted Mark Twain: “In certain circumstances, urgent circumstances, desperate circumstances, profanity furnishes a relief denied even in prayer.”
Personally, I swear all the time. On the other hand, I find swearing around kids to be extremely offensive, and I’ve kicked people out of my store for swearing around kids.
I tend to use certain curse words quite a bit when in adults-only company, but I don’t use that kind of language around my kids, or around anyone else’s kids, and it bothers me to hear it in public-type family places (the grocery store, Wally World, Pizza Hut at lunch time, etc.) In fact, I’ve been known to (politely) ask people to curb their language around my kids; I try to make it humorous (“I’m sorry, but would you mind cleaning up your language a little bit? My 4-year-old picks up new words like crazy, and her pre-school teacher probably wouldn’t appreciate her giving the class a vocabulary lesson tomorrow”).
I agree with what others have said about people who swear all the time. I’ve known people that can’t seem to communicate without those kinds of words, and it makes me think less of them.
I’m just old enough (30s) to remember when, in my neck of the woods, the F-word was generally considered worse than the C-word and the N-word. Now it’s the other way around. I have no problems with the shift (and I admire the politics behind it), but the net effect is that I don’t worry my own ears too much about which words are “bad.”
With that out of the way, I can get on to the real reason for my reply: to share with you the song that popped in my head when I saw the thread title. Remember that great hit by Heart?
What about "f**"?
Don’t you want someone to care about you?
What about “f***”?
Don’t let it slip away…*
Just to clarify my previous post- when I encounter the word pussy, as in draining wound, it’s almost always in the form of a written message… i.e. " patient complains of pussy wound". It doesn’t sound bad at all if you hear it, but to see it written like that always makes me sigh. Plus I was taught in school that if you ever go to court with that you’ll be made a laughingstock.
Completely off topic, but all I could think when reading the title of this thread was a scene in my favorite comedy series ever: Reno 911!
I agree. Using asterisks and the such annoys me to no end. We all know what the word is, we’re all adults here, why don’t we just write “fuck,” “cunt,” “nigger,” and all the other words? What the hell is the “P” word? Pussy? Prick? Paki? Piss?
Why the heck would “f*ck” be any less offensive that “fuck”? It’s still the same word. I can’t see how an asterisk replacing a “u” makes it any less vulgar.
Back to the OP. The only word I find somewhat difficult to say is “nigger.” I hate expressions like nigger-rigged, or nigger ball, or any variation thereof. I can and will use the word from time to time, but it takes an effort to use it.
“Cunt” I have no problem with. Having lived in Scotland for awhile, and spending many years with Brits of various backgrounds, “cunt” has become almost a punctuation mark, although I predominantly when speaking of men, not women.
I don’t get offended by any curse words that I can think of. Actually, I lose a bit of respect for people who do get offended, or who try to hard to cater to other peoples sensitivities when it’s not called for.
The only obscenity that offends me is ‘fuck’ when it’s directed at me (IE, “Fuck you”, “What the fuck are you doing?”, etc…) But that’s most likely because I reserve ye olde F bomb for situations most deserving of an obscenity (and whenever it’s humorous to throw it in).
Really hate the S and C words as mentioned above. The s word just sounds like what it is, slimy, icky, something you don’t want to just have spread out on the table in front of everyone. But yet so many people think nothing of using it in every day conversation as if it were uuummm, or uuuuhh, or you know. And about as many times in a sentence too.
The C word is intended to be a seriously insulting putdown. And it has that really ugly sound to it as well.
And as Frank says, I don’t mind F**k so much if it’s used for it’s “intended purpose”. Kinda sounds a bit sexy then.
But, if it’s used against someone, I find it a really mean ugly, and nasty way of speaking toward someone. I think that the current practice of using these words several times in a sentence, just as “filler” words is both offensive and lame.
For occasionally empahsis? Sure. But, if they’re used as often as you know, um and uh, they kinda LOSE that property, don’t they?
Oh yeah, can’t stand over-usage of that, either.
I’m not offended here by swearing at all. Content, and not the parts, is usually more offensive if I’m gonna get offended by words.
I do get annoyed when an adult is extremely offended by cursing. Here’s a situation that happened a number of years ago.
ME: “This whole program hasn’t been working for days. It’s really fucked up.”
OFFENDERATI: “What did you say?!”
ME: “I said ‘This whole program hasn’t been working for days. It’s really fucked up.’”
OFFENDERATI: “I don’t like hearing that word.”
ME: “Then why’d you have me repeat it if you don’t like it so much?”
OFFENDERATI: “…”
Yes, I was being immature, but for crying out loud. Grrr…
Okay, I’ll be the first to say, yeah, I get offended by swearing. I was taught not to use language like that, and I don’t. In my family, cursing or swearing wasn’t reserved for adults - it wasn’t done at all. I remember the time when some moving men came to pack up my parents’ house and move the contents. One of the guys appeared drunk and cussed like a sailor in front of my mother. The other guy was very nice and apologetic, but my father kicked them out and called the company to complain and request a new guy. My father was a construction executive and heard far worse language on job sites, but he didn’t feel it belonged in the home. I’ve also been taught that people who can’t think of a better way to express themselves haven’t the intelligence or vocabulary to say what they mean.
StG
I don’t get offended by swearing when it’s used properly. Some of those words are the right one for the situation. When used sparingly and for effect, fine. If your language is so peppered by obscenities that people look at you strangely, that’s improper use of profanity. I say those words, probably every day, but not in such a way that I could be accused of having potty-mouth or insufficient intellect to make myself understood without them. There’s a time and place for everything, and in polite company is not one of the places. Also in stores and around children.
Other than “hell” and “damn” and “shit”, I never heard truly obscene language in my home. I only ever heard either of my parents say “fuck” one time apiece duriing their lifetimes.
I am offended by racial slurs and never use them.
As others have said, it’s not the words that offend, but their context. The harshness of an insult is intentionally offensive and it does offend me. But using “offensive” words in casual conversation isn’t offensive. I find it a bit childlike, i.e.-I can get away with it, therefore I should do it. But, it ends up diluting the message of anything you say. Also, the hard sounds of these words (fuck, shit, cunt) break up the rhythm of what you’re saying. So it can make an otherwise intelligent conversation sound bumbling.
Having said that, I do curse. Shit, fuck and damn are regular players in my vocabulary. I’m trying to relegate them to exclamatory statements, but once you get used to using them, it’s hard to even notice that you’re doing it.
I don’t use cunt or pussy or nigger. I’ve just never found a need for those words, in my language or anyone else’s.
I love cursing. A lot. People who don’t curse are stange and weird to me. Like aliens with three heads and four breasts.
Cunt is one of my favorite words. Once you embrace it, you disarm anyone who calls you one.
I never curse around the kids and can’t stand it when I hear people, especially parents (!!!), cursing at or around kids.