Yeah, but the new series made it even more transparent with constructions like “motherfrakker” and “frakked up.”
Incidentally, I’m 34 and I still don’t use profanities in front of my parents. The funny things is, that they have no problem saying “fuck” and “shit” in front of me, but give me a Look if I do the same. Parental privilege, I suppose.
I told my kids (5&6) that they should never cuss around grown-ups. They learned the words, most from me, some at school, and I know kids are gonna cuss. But if Great-Gramma or the teacher hears, they’re in deep shit. Sometimes one will come to tattle on the other, “Sister/Brother said the f-word!”, and I say, “So? I didn’t hear it.” If they let slip a ‘dammit’ or ‘shit’ when they break something, or get hurt, and I don’t say anything. They know they’d get their asses handed to them if they started cussing at people, though. And racial slurs are absloutely forbidden under any circumstances.
We never gave cuss words power by banning them or making them special.