I grew up in the South. Where I was from, men cursed only in their own company. Put a group of men together, and all manner of obscenities spewed forth. However, it would have been unspeakably crude to say “fuck” in front of a woman. And it would have been shocking indeed to hear a woman say “fuck” at all. (Of course, maybe they were only cursing in same-gender gatherings themselves.) Now, granted, there is an element of sexism to that approach.
I am no prude. I appreciate the utility of a well-rendered obscenity myself. There are times when nothing else will do.
On the other hand, I hate to see the continued Quentin-Tarantino-ization of our culture. Seems like everybody is using “fuck” or “fucking” at least once in every, uh, blasted sentence.
(Incidentally, the phenomenon does seem more pronounced since Tarantino came along. Ever try counting the number of variations on “fuck” in a typical Tarantino movie? I was watching Reservoir Dogs last night, and I don’t think 20 seconds passed in the entire film without someone saying “fuck”.)
Why use the word so much? Hasn’t over-use ruined the shock value the word used to carry? It’s a good word, when used sparingly. And yes, call me old fashioned, but it sounds pretty trashy to me when I hear someone who uses the word indiscriminately.
Imagine that you’re in an argument. The other person says “Fuck you”. You reply, “May the curse of Mary Malone and her nine blind orphan children follow you so far over the hills and seas that the God Almighty couldn’t find you with a radio telescope.”
What happens? Hopefully they laugh. Usually they look at you funny and walk away. Either way, tension is eased.
It really does make a difference. When my dad yells “Cocksucker!” from the kitchen, I know he’s stubbed a toe. But if my mom says “son of a bitch”, I’m looking for a phone - 911, CNN, information - all I know is that there’s something unknown to man or Goddess going down.
When a landlord sent me only a pittance of the deposit he owed me claiming reasons that were totally made up, I was tempted to mail a note with “fuck you bastard” back to him, but I figured he would pitch it in the garbage before it really even stuck in his sensibilities. So instead I sent a note that said “I curse the money you took from me and may you lose that amount ten times over”. Instead of cussing, I used cursing.
In fact, the only times I’ve heard him say “oh, shit” was just before something REALLY bad happened. So now, when he says “oh, shit,” I duck, grab something, or run like hell.
– Sylence
I very rarely cuss myself. Whenever I do it I’m either really really mad or something major has happened. When I have enough time to think fo what I’m saying though I usually say something from the sci-fi novels I’ve read. Like “Muhlah!” or “Frag it” in place of fuck or something else to replace the other various swears.