Do you swear only in front of friends, and not in front of your family? Or do you swear only in front of your family or significant other, and not with friends?
Do you swear at work?
How “severe” is your swearing? Are there certain words you refuse to say? Or do you modulate your swearing based on the situation (these words okay at work, these other words okay at home)?
Do you do most of your swearing on these message boards?
Do you think you swear more or less than the people around you? Are you bothered by other people swearing?
If you have children, how do you feel about them swearing?
Do you remember the first time you used a “bad word”? (I do.)
These are just suggestions for discussion. No need to meticulously answer every question, survey-style. The bottom line question is still:
I swear all the freakin’ time. However, for decorum’s sake I shant here. I’ve often considered how long after I wake up before I utter the F word. I think usually it’s around 5 minutes.
If used properly, vulgarities add a refreshing spice to conversation.
I don’t swear in professional situations, nor when it just isn’t warrented, e.g. when children are present, but swearing is time honored tradition in my family.
And I might add, I actually find myself swearing much less on the board than I do IRL.
I’ve developed sort of a potty mouth, and I need to clean it up. I went over the edge when I started using cuss words casually - ie, not when I was angry, just using them as verbs or nouns in sentences. Sometimes I wonder how I sound to other people.
That said - cussing is only around friends/peers. Not at work, not in front of family. I caught myself using bad words a few times when little kids were around and I’ve stopped that (I hope).
I have (for the present) made a policy of never using any words that are even remotely considered profanity. This is not a moral or value judgement, just an assignment I’ve given myself to express myself as vigousously as anyone else, without resort to profanity. I find that this requires me to put a lot more thought into my speech than I would otherwise, and I feel it’s good exercise.
This doesn’t mean I only say nice things. Heh. Not remotely.
I’ve discovered an added benefit: when I am speaking on a subject or with an emotional charge that would engender profanity in most people, my words tend to have more of an effect - possibly because the differences in my vocabulary. I find that an insult delivered without profanity carries more weight.
I try to avoid swearing around my parents and people that I know will be offended, but for pretty much everyone else I know reasonably well, I just let it fly. Not that this is a good thing. I really should cut down.
I pretty much use them all, even “motherfucker.” My fave is “goddamnit.”
I don’t think I remember the exact first time, although I used to wonder if I said, “shi-” before I went to sleep, and “tiger” when I woke up, if that would “count” as swearing.
Interesting assignment. I’ve tried to incorporate “smeg” in its variations instead of “fuck”, but your plan seems much harder to implement. Could you give a fer’instance of a truely irate statement??
I was suspended from school today for swearing, does that answer your question?
Still, I don’t swear around family. (now if they could only do the same…)
I swear more that I should, which is really shouldn’t at all. No favs, but when I’m really mad “whorebait motherf*r” will fly out. I guess if you want a quantifier, I’d have to say I’m a moderate cusser. The more wound up I am the more colorful metaphors I use.
I try to seriously watch around kids, 'specially mine. Bout the worse would be “hell” “damn” and occasional “GODdamn.” With my parents, I temper my language to the “hell, damn, shit” class and control the blastomy. Work is based on who I’m with. Friends are where I’m relaxed and let things just flow.
I don’t find people who are truely profane bothersome. I just chalk it up to a lack of a large vocabulary.
The first dirty phrase I remember is the “digit” followed by “fuck me” I was in 7 or 8th grade (this was the early 70’s) and couldn’t understand how me doing you was so hurtful to me. You doing me made you look like the freak. I have since gotten the syntax right.
I rarely swear. Only when I’m really angry, or possibly really drunk.
I used to swear a fair amount. A couple of things changed my attitude on it. One was having kids. Nothing uglier than a 2 year old using the F word. Another one was working in the bar. At first, I swore more because of my environment. After a while, I started really noticing how ignorant it made one sound. You can have a lot of intelligent opinions to offer, but if you swear a lot, I find it makes you sound like a two bit moron.
As a result, I usually only let a swear word slip under extreme stress.
I swear quite a bit. Probably a little less than I used to. My favorite is “Jesus Fuck!” When My p’s were alive, I would not swear around them. Around my kids, I try to avoid anything much worse than damn, but they’ve heard my whole vocabulary. Just the other day we had a discussion - they crack me up, “Daddy, is this a swear?” They think some pretty benign words count as “swears.” I guess the 7th grade girls are big on the use of “bitch” right now.
I swear quite a bit at work, tho not in court as you might imagine. Again, probably ;ess than I used to, and more behind closed doors.
I tell my kids they should be aware of who they are around when using various words. For example, my sisters are all Catholic, and I’ve encouraged my kids to not say “Jesus!” “God!” or “goddammit” around them out of courtesy.
Working out, doing martial arts, our instructor discourages any profanity.
Is it better to say something like “frigging” when it essentially means “fucking”?
No, I try not to swear that much. Especially since I trying to live more for the Lord. And when you cuss you don’t look like that great of a witnes. But they still come out when I am angry, tired or fustrated.
I really don’t consider shit to be that bad of a word. I guess because I am from texas and we have alot cows down here. It is kinda of like “ain’t” the word is used so much it has come to be an acceptable word.
I think cussing has a lot do with who you associate with. I remember I went fishing on a island with a bunch of guys for 4 or 5 days and they cussed alot which made me cuss alot. When I came back the “f” word was popping out of my mouth every 2nd or 3rd word.
And I will never forget the look and what my wife said to me. She lowered her sunglasses on her nose to look over them and said “my aren’t we the potty mouth.” Then I realized what I was doing and started pinching myself everytime one came out and I finnally got in under control again.
Nope, but I did see your thread after I created this one, and nodded with faint chagrin, muttering, “Damn synchronicity.”
I came up with this notion several days ago, in fact. I spent the intervening period mulling it over and looking into back threads to make sure it was a reasonably fresh topic, and that I wasn’t inadvertently duplicating something recent (e.g., the regular return of the “where did your username come from” question).
Good thread though. Another thing I don’t do is take the Lord’s name in vain. I have to be honest if I get real real make say the GD word. And I don’t why cause normally would not. I never say Jesus or Jesus Christ unless I need him or taking about him.
Matter of fact I think I will start a thread on that.
Well, being a former sailor and all, I do tend to swear like one. How much depends on the situation–at home, around my parents/siblings, not much; at work or at school, usually quite a bit. It can depend on how much the people around me swear. I try to restrain my language when there are children around, or anyone I think would be offended by profanity.
I only swear when I have a fucking good reason to.
Ok, well actually…
When merely annoyed, I do what I can to keep my utterances to a Yosimite Sam-esque “rassafrakabrackafrassa” mumble. Only in rare cases of severe stress have I let loose with a very audible “goddammit!”
I only swear when I’m pissed. Some dumb bitch (See? She pisses me off!) told me it was unbeliveable that a college student like me would swear. WTF has that got to do with swearing? Oh, yeah, I really don’t count hell and damn as swearing. Too mundane.
