# The good old days: less profanity? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 8, 2026, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-old-days-less-profanity/1027504 "2026-02-08T19:11:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-old-days-less-profanity/1027504/41 "2026-02-17T11:23:00Z")
I’m guessing she was reaching for the word “fartknocker” (as heard on _Beavis & Butt-head_? But yeah, it makes you wonder what’s going on in her brain if the n-word comes out in a brain fart. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-old-days-less-profanity/1027504/42 "2026-02-17T12:53:01Z")
Too bad she didn’t read the SDMB. She might have come across “moon cricket,” and it would have been completely forgotten. 😄 ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-old-days-less-profanity/1027504/43 "2026-02-17T13:36:21Z")
There’s this… > **[Coprolalia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coprolalia?wprov=sfti1)** > > Coprolalia (/ˌkɒprəˈleɪliə/ KOP-rə-LAY-lee-ə) is involuntary swearing or the involuntary utterance of obscene words or socially inappropriate and derogatory remarks. The word comes from the Greek κόπρος (kópros), meaning "dung, feces", and λαλιά (laliā́) "speech", from λαλεῖν (laleîn) "to talk". > Coprolalia is an occasional characteristic of tic disorders, in particular Tourette syndrome, although it is not required for a diagnosis of Tourette's and only about 10% of individuals with Tourette's e... ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2026, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-old-days-less-profanity/1027504/44 "2026-02-17T15:38:16Z")
I thought of that, too. But in all fairness I’m not sure someone with that condition is suitable to work in television. ---
**Author:** ![Ancient\_Nerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed655f/32.png) [@Ancient\_Nerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ancient_Nerd)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-old-days-less-profanity/1027504/45 "2026-02-18T04:28:45Z")
Funny how things your mother says can stick with you. Anyway, mine drew the line between dang and darn. Darn was okay but dang was taboo. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-old-days-less-profanity/1027504/46 "2026-02-18T17:02:11Z")
My Mom didn’t swear most of the time but when she was pissed she did not hesitate. “Cock-sucking sonofabitch” was a favorite. I use profanity pretty liberally but not really like that. I’ll throw “fuck” into just about any sentence if I feel the situation calls for it, but I don’t swear differently when I’m mad. It’s gotten me in trouble on this board a few times when people thought I was angry during a disagreement, but the reality is it’s just how I talk. _Talked_. I’ve had to tone it down with a child. I still swear in front of him sometimes, unintentionally, but generally try to take it easy. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-old-days-less-profanity/1027504/47 "2026-02-18T18:21:55Z")
My Brooklyn born parents swore and so do I. People who take offense can fuck off. Intensifiers have been part of language since forever. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-old-days-less-profanity/1027504/48 "2026-02-18T18:24:41Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > My Brooklyn born parents swore and so do I. People who take offense can fuck off. I knew a guy from Brooklyn who used the word fuck all the time. He was told by a doctor that he had to watch his language whenever he called in to make an appointment, because it unnerved the staff. “That’s just how I talk!” ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-old-days-less-profanity/1027504/49 "2026-02-18T19:06:37Z")
Or. . . “Dat’s jus’ how I twock!” ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-old-days-less-profanity/1027504/50 "2026-02-18T19:33:49Z")
The first rule of effective profanity is “Know your audience.” ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-old-days-less-profanity/1027504/51 "2026-02-18T21:42:35Z")
This is sage advice. I don’t use profanity in everyday conversation. I save it for when I need to make an impact. Words are impactful. I’m no prude, but if you have fuck this motherfucker etc. etc. in just about every sentence you use, then I question your intelligence. It dilutes the conversation. It makes me not want to take you seriously. So it may be “how you talk” but it definitely colors people’s opinion of you. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-old-days-less-profanity/1027504/52 "2026-02-18T23:11:02Z")
And I think that opinion is primarily rooted in class constructs about what kind of people use that language and what kind don’t. My profanity is actually a part of my identity. I grew up in rural Michigan where profanity in everyday speech was not uncommon. Why would welders, mechanics, and truckers - the people who populated my community - need to moderate their speech? Who’ve they got to impress? I am far afield of home now. I’ve got the elite liberal education, I’m in a different tax bracket. It’s not like I wanted to live in rural Michigan - I couldn’t wait to get out of there and into a more cosmopolitan environment. But where I came from is still a part of me. And I guess it informs my language. And it gives me a way to relate to people who probably can’t relate to me at all. I still remember when I was attending a wealthy university, a well-bred friend sniffed at me and said, “You have such undesirable qualities in a woman.” At the top of his list was my profanity. I told him to go fuck himself. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2026, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-old-days-less-profanity/1027504/53 "2026-02-19T01:15:17Z")
As a litigator, I often joke that I use “all the words”. Often, the evidence in my cases includes witness statements, and witnesses frequently use profanity. Sometimes I get to quote that in official court hearings. One of my proudest moments was shouting “Shut the fuck up!” during a closing argument, as I recreated a scene that had been testified to during the trial (the issue was the roommate never heard that statement, despite the claim that the defendant was yelling this as he attacked the victim). Lawyers - especially trial attorneys- have absolutely filthy mouths. People say _fuck_ in my office _all the time_. It’s _conversational_. (Admittedly, I’m in a satellite office, and one of 2 attorneys, along with 4 staff. The main office is much more stuffy) I mean, I can code switch and turn it off when I need to be formal, but I often will drop some mild profanity (this case is bullshit!) when first meeting with a potential client. It tends to relax them, helps them open up, and makes them more likely to want to hire me. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2026, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-old-days-less-profanity/1027504/54 "2026-02-19T01:20:17Z")
I have thought about this before and I think profanity has a special way of: 1. Creating intimacy 2. Signaling that you’re an honest person Seems like both of those would be pretty helpful when working with a client. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2026, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-old-days-less-profanity/1027504/55 "2026-02-19T01:21:41Z")
When I got my first real job, in 1982, I was appalled by the language my boss used. I thought it was grossly unprofessional to swear in an office setting. It just seemed juvenile and low-brow. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2026, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-old-days-less-profanity/1027504/56 "2026-02-19T08:33:35Z")
I have posted this elsewhere - I did scan this thread, but anyway. Being something of a bastard of a language - Dutch, Indonesian, German, English, and more - Afrikaans has inherited swear words from most of them, which makes for a rich vocabulary. Most of my early Afrikaans lessons came from “taxis” - Toyota Quantums reconfigured to hold as many as 15 to 20 people (very uncomfortably) for short distances along major routes in town. There are usually two staff, a driver, who is typically silent, and a “gaatjie” - who drums up business and handles the money. The gaatjie in particular is fluent in a dialect of Afrikaans known as Kaapse Taal, in which incredibly colorful insults are very much a feature. So much so, that my Afrikaans is quite poor in general, but having traveled in those taxis for years, I have, what our friend @octupus might describe as a “potty mouth”. Also I am a software engineer, a male dominated field- swearing is practically as common as drinking coffee, just more frequent. ---
**Author:** ![themapleleaf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/themapleleaf/32/14349_2.png) [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2026, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-old-days-less-profanity/1027504/57 "2026-02-19T10:05:57Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I still remember when I was attending a wealthy university, a well-bred friend sniffed at me and said, “You have such undesirable qualities in a woman.” At the top of his list was my profanity. > > I told him to go fuck himself. Using profanity would be a _desirable_ quality for me in a woman. Then I wouldn’t have to watch my language around her. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2026, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-old-days-less-profanity/1027504/58 "2026-02-19T13:23:39Z")
> [@scudsucker](#): > > Also I am a software engineer I’ve been working on software for almost 30 years and it is my understanding than sometimes the fucking thing _will not fucking compile_ until you’ve sweared at it for a good while… (and then discover that it was your fault) ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2026, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-old-days-less-profanity/1027504/59 "2026-02-19T14:23:53Z")
> [@themapleleaf](#): > > Using profanity would be a _desirable_ quality for me in a woman. Then I wouldn’t have to watch my language around her. It never bothered my husband, and he was kind of an innocent very recently ex-Catholic boy when we met. I think I may actually have taught him how to swear. The first time he really let loose, people were shocked. I don’t mean to give the impression that every word out of my mouth is a curse word. I’m just not afraid to use it for emphasis and I do code-switch. And I do really have an affection for certain curse words, linguistically. Look at the incredible versatility of fuck. It has so many meanings depending on context. It’s kind of beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-old-days-less-profanity/1027504/60 "2026-02-19T18:21:40Z")
I was a manufacturing engineer who worked in factories. What the Fuck is Good Morning. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-old-days-less-profanity/1027504.md?page=2)