# I must be getting old: swearing on film & TV **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 5, 2011, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-getting-old-swearing-on-film-tv/577213 "2011-04-05T00:32:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-getting-old-swearing-on-film-tv/577213/1 "2011-04-05T00:32:00Z")
These days, I really don’t like excessive (in **my** opinion) swearing on film & TV. It just grates and takes me out of the scene. I must be getting old. Now get off my lawn! ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-getting-old-swearing-on-film-tv/577213/2 "2011-04-05T00:52:23Z")
There’s not nearly enough swearing in movies and especially on TV, certainly not considering how bad everything sucks! ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-getting-old-swearing-on-film-tv/577213/3 "2011-04-05T01:10:24Z")
What TV show were you watching? They barely swear on the shows I watch. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-getting-old-swearing-on-film-tv/577213/4 "2011-04-05T09:02:08Z")
I’m 26, and I don’t hear much swearing at all on TV. If you want swearing, go to the INternet. That said, I am surprised when I hear bitch and ass on old TV shows. You old guys had convinced me that that didn’t happen. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-getting-old-swearing-on-film-tv/577213/5 "2011-04-05T09:49:20Z")
Swear words don’t bother me, but the potty humor annoys me. I record most of ABCs Monday night block, but find that _Two and a half Men_ is mostly juvenile humor - potty humor and sexual innuendos. I don’t think of myself as a prude, but I just find this show over the top - and well, not funny. ---
**Author:** ![Double\_Foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Double\_Foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Double_Foolscap)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-getting-old-swearing-on-film-tv/577213/6 "2011-04-05T11:19:23Z")
Most people I know swear, so I don’t think it detracts from realism. I do get amused with how “The C-Word” is treated on occasion. UK TV has started using it a bit more often in a few shows, but in America there seems to be a much bigger taboo against it (my experience basically being that episode of _30 Rock_). It’s not ubiquitous in UK parlance by any means, but it’ll show up on occasion, sometimes as a term of affection. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-getting-old-swearing-on-film-tv/577213/7 "2011-04-05T17:48:09Z")
Depends on what you mean by “excessive” swearing. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-getting-old-swearing-on-film-tv/577213/8 "2011-04-05T18:04:47Z")
I agree with the OP. When I first got Call of Duty, I was more bothered by the swearing than by the fact I was setting guys on fire with a flamethrower. That’s just wrong. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-getting-old-swearing-on-film-tv/577213/9 "2011-04-05T18:11:35Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > I record most of ABCs Monday night block, but find that _Two and a half Men_ is mostly juvenile humor - potty humor and sexual innuendos. I don’t think of myself as a prude, but I just find this show over the top - and well, not funny. I completely agree, except for the not funny part. It’s one of the few shows that make me LOL. But it’s amazing how much they get away with. “You’ll meet a girl, fall in love with her, and break up with her before her hoo-ha gets five o’clock shadow.” Wow. The first time I saw it, it was with my mother. That was really uncomfortable. So we changed the channel – to Family Guy. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-getting-old-swearing-on-film-tv/577213/10 "2011-04-07T03:52:11Z")
When I saw this thread I immediately thought of the fairly recent move with Drew Barrymore and Justin Long called Going The Distance. Not a great movie anyway; but it was ruined because of all the gratuitous bad language. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-getting-old-swearing-on-film-tv/577213/11 "2011-04-07T15:49:31Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > These days, I really don’t like excessive (in **my** opinion) swearing on film & TV. It just grates and takes me out of the scene. > > I must be getting old. > > Now get off my lawn! I walked out of a movie (_Knocked Up_) because of all the swearing. There’s a scene where the curly-headed guy is yelling and cursing at the blonde chick’s OB/GYN and that was my breaking point - I was like “Dude, you’re talking to a professional who is going to deliver your baby. Stop acting like a dick.” I also prefer some movies edited for TV because the swearing is removed. _Independence Day_ is an obvious example - watching the DVD after seeing it on TBS/USA/etc and I was amazed at how many “shit’s” and “fuck’s” were sprinkled throughout the film. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-getting-old-swearing-on-film-tv/577213/12 "2011-04-07T15:58:47Z")
I thought 48 Hours with Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte was ruined by the non-stop swearing. I made the mistake of taking a date to the theater. An occasional swear word is fine. That non-stop filth was just embarrassing and unnecessary. ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-getting-old-swearing-on-film-tv/577213/13 "2011-04-07T17:39:52Z")
It’s always interesting to me to hear different takes like this on mass culture. Pretty much everyone I spend time with cusses so casually that most television seems unrealistically clean-mouthed to me. I can honestly not imagine salty language ruining a show or movie. But to each their own. Not passing any judgement, just enjoying noting differences in opinion. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-getting-old-swearing-on-film-tv/577213/14 "2011-04-08T20:50:08Z")
What the fuck is wrong with you cocksuckers? ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-getting-old-swearing-on-film-tv/577213/15 "2011-04-09T06:48:41Z")
> [@filling\_pages](#): > > Pretty much everyone I spend time with cusses so casually I swear, but not casually - swearing means \. So a barrage of bad language is kind of stressful by association. Rather give it a miss. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-getting-old-swearing-on-film-tv/577213/16 "2011-04-09T07:07:19Z")
I don’t mind swearing per se, but there’s a time and a place for it, and TV and film need to respect that. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-getting-old-swearing-on-film-tv/577213/17 "2011-04-09T07:20:49Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > I don’t mind swearing per se, but there’s a time and a place for it, and TV and film need to respect that. Can you be a bit more specific? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-getting-old-swearing-on-film-tv/577213/18 "2011-04-09T07:49:05Z")
I find a lot of quality film and television works are ruined for me with the amount of swearing that goes on. I know those words, yes, thank you, you don’t need to remind me every 2 minutes. And don’t give me crap about that’s how people really talk. If I wanna hear people really talking, I’ll listen to myself. I want to hear witty and amusing dialogue, not streams of words that I say too much already anyway. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-getting-old-swearing-on-film-tv/577213/19 "2011-04-09T08:37:40Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > I also prefer some movies edited for TV because the swearing is removed. “[Yippee-ki-yay, Mr. Falcon!](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=yippee%20kay%20yay%20Mr.%20Falcon)” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-getting-old-swearing-on-film-tv/577213/20 "2011-04-09T09:33:29Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > I also prefer some movies edited for TV because the swearing is removed. _Independence Day_ is an obvious example - watching the DVD after seeing it on TBS/USA/etc and I was amazed at how many “shit’s” and “fuck’s” were sprinkled throughout the film. I’m not sure what movie you were watching, but _Independence Day_ is rated PG-13. The word “fuck” is never uttered once, let alone sprinkled throughout the film. The characters do say “shit” on occasion, but most of the movie’s swearing is confined to a two-minute sequence near the end when they’re escaping the mothership. Also, the idea that excessive profanity in movies and TV is something that happens “these days” is laughable. Does everyone forget that Scarface is nearly 30 years old? [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_films\_that\_most\_frequently\_use\_the\_word\_“fuck”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_that_most_frequently_use_the_word_%22fuck%22) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-must-be-getting-old-swearing-on-film-tv/577213.md?page=2)