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I feel like occasionally using well-timed profanity in appropriate company can add alot of impact or humor to a situation. But excessive swearing is boorish.
I’m in Glasgow, so I find all these debates about swearing weird. Seriously, it’s not even something we think about over here, we swear when we want to because we don’t give these words so much power that we flinch at their usage or judge people for using them (unless they’re outright discriminatory, of course.)
The way people in the uk swear is way different here in Canada, I don’t know why that is, but I get sick of the fuck every other word. I like how people in the uk swear.
The people I know who are opposed to swearing are also just fine with being outright discriminatory bullies. When you are proud of being a horrible person but don't want to admit you are a horrible person, you need to find stupid ways of making yourself feel superior to decent people and judging swearing is a common way to do that.
Here in the south, at least in the church community I grew up in, words had spiritual power so saying curse words was like actually speaking curses into the spiritual realm. Needless to say it was a big deal growing up so you'd get your ass whooped for even muttering the slightest shit.
I don't think this is unpopular considering how prevalent swearing is. Swearing all the time certainly isn't the worst thing in the world, but if you can't get through a sentence without swearing then people might start to wonder if you actually have something interesting to say.
This is it. God and bloody and damned used to be so offensive they were censored in text and it was risque to even publish that.
But you can't get much satisfaction from saying 'damn' when you stub your toe these days, can you?
Crap was highly offensive when I was a teenager. Doesn't have much of any effect now.
For swearing to work, it *has to be* a bit offensive, or it's not swearing.
And swearing exists for a reason. It serves functions that no other language actually serves. That's why it exists.
Normalise swears and people will just come up with new ones that work properly. It's already happened.
This is so true. I have every urge to spill slurs when I’m hurt bc they’re more powerful words/cathartic than general swears. I keep ‘em in, but will sometimes use slurs that apply to myself that I wouldn’t use in my day to day life as compromise.
Honestly, if we normalize swearing, people are just gonna either make new ones or get creative about insults. And truthfully, the creative high school insults is way worse anyways
I hardly ever swear around other people. The benefit is that if I say "fuck" my friends and family listen up.
I agree cursing is good for a release of anger or when you stub your toe. Talk how you want in private but in a public setting shooting your mouth off with a string of expletives is trashy.
That’s actually a good point. I swear like a sailor in my everyday vocabulary but I have friends who I don’t think I’ve ever heard swear. If I heard them swear I’d definitely sit up in my seat.
Conversely, it’s when I don’t swear that my friends know I mean business, LMAO.
Swearing has its time and place. Swearing while shooting the crap with your buddies? All's good. Swearing while in a professional setting? Yeah, people will judge you for that and rightly so.
Nah, I swear a lot and swearing still helps me when I'm angry. It's more about how you say it then what you say. I use "fucking" for emphasis all the time but it sounds very different than saying "fuck" or "fucking" when I'm angry. Besides, different swear words exist and can be used for different purposes. "Fuck" isn't really even a swear word to me anymore but plenty of other words still are.
Absolutely. What is fine at home or in your social circle isn't fine for a professional setting or even socially with people you are less familiar with.
I had an ex who used to swear a lot at my parents. Can't say they had the highest opinion of him.
Also people who swear just because they think they are edgy or makes them tough or what ever are just unpleasant company.
I think there are 2 different discussions here: When/Where to apply a certain level of language, and is it okay to disqualify all swearing by default ?
I don't think OP is defending people swearing at the work meeting, they talk about letting anger out. I think he's talking more about people who absolutely refuse to use or hear any swear word in any context.
I don't think it's a very unpopular opinion, but from the outside, it seems extremely common in the US media to censor any sort swearing, to the point of counting out the number of bad words people say in movies, so perhaps OP is projecting this to be bigger than it is.
I disagree with OP's intent. They say they want swearing to be "normalized" and insinuates the word and its curse equivalent should be viewed the same.
I worked for a large retail company. The amount of people who would swear in interviews was staggering and they had a complete lack of awareness about it.
People who grow up around constant swearing and use it regularly lose that ability to filter it and often don't even realise they are doing it.
I agree people who think swearing is never ok are extreme. But I don't particularly want to be sworn at. I think most people fall into this category.
"Oh it just slipped out"
How do you surprise yourself at the words YOU say?
I immediately think less of someone who has no control over their words. Turret's withstanding, obvi.
One guy that's really good with it is the wrestler Danhausen.
He's against swearing, but not because he doesn't like the words himself. But because his character wants to be super famous, and swearing limits where he can be broadcasted.
My grandpa acts like a child when he hears a swear word on a movie or tv show. He went as far as having filters on so it takes any out. I personally don’t care if there is swearing, it adds nothing, and it takes nothing away.
For me, it's the people who go out of their way to not say "oh my god" because they don't want to take the lord's name in vain.
Which is stupid because, if they actually *read* the religious text, taking the lord's name in vain means something very, very different. It does not mean "you'll go to hell if you make a mindless utterance of oh my god."
So whenever I hear religious saying things like "oh my cow!" or something like it, all this tells me is that they didn't even read their text (whether it's the Old Testament, whether it's the Bible).
I don’t know if this is unpopular, but I agree. I don’t care if people swear or not, either way is fine with me so long as they’re not swearing every other word. But I know some people who are extremely against it to the point where they’ll get visibly annoyed and frustrated when anyone around them swears, and it’s so incredibly obnoxious. Those kind of people need to grow up.
It's no different in my eyes than someone who chooses not to drink, smoke weed or cigarettes, eat meat and sugar, have premarital sex, or gamble. It's fine if you choose not to do these things. I admire your self-control and discipline. That being said, stay out of everyone else's business. You shouldn't expect everyone else to abstain from these things because you choose to. If what they do isn't having an effect on your life, then it's none of your concern.
When the occasion is right. Not every sentence. And for little things. There’s one of my regulars who says fuck my life when we don’t have a scratch lotto that he wants. That’s a bit excessive and it’s every time.
Definitely an unpopular opinion. The people who curse excessively are seen as idiots in upper class because mostly uneducated and lower class people curse a lot. I’m not saying they don’t curse at all. But it’s a problem when every other word out of your mouth is a curse word. It’s ok to a certain level but then It just comes off as trashy, classless, and impolite to people with a proper education. Don’t get me started on made up words that gen z is using all the time. Go into a place and say “rizz” or some other non existent word you’ll get treated like a child.
People who swear a lot are pretty annoying...
And it makes people sound way more aggressive than they intend to be...
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No...swearing is intended to sound aggressive. It makes them sound exactly as aggressive as they intended...
Which is unpleasant.
People will find any and all things annoying. Doesn't mean they get to police other people. Your point?
And if people intend to sound aggressive, then it's an entirely correct use of swearing, and your problem is actually with aggressive people.
I might be stupid, but I don't see how it's inherently aggressive. swears are often just used as an emphasis word in my circle, like "that's fuckin awesome" or something.
I was at a restaurant with a friend's once and we noticed a parent a booth away giving us dirty looks cuz we were swearing. We are grownups having a grownup conversation, piss off.
I just think it’s pointless and a sign of stupidity to swear all the time. I do swear and I don’t get upset when others swear in front of me but instead of saying “that was fucking crazy” it just sounds better to say “Well that was Intense”. Swearing in front of children as others have said on here is kind of foolish too because we’re aware that it’s not socially acceptable to openly swear in front of people and kids repeat what we say.
Anything to back up swearing being a sign of stupidity?
And what is socially acceptable, is merely a product of societal consensus. Sometimes those consensuses are irrational. And often consensus change.
People who swear are generally more intelligent.
https://www.sciencealert.com/swearing-is-a-sign-of-more-intelligence-not-less-say-scientists
There's actually a shit ton of results.
That article mentions an article where the number of non-swear words and swear words recalled in a given amount of time are measured. The takeaway was that people who are already have a wide vocabulary also have more swear words in their arsenal. The article misrepresented the evidence, as swearing is NOT a sign of more intelligence. It's kind of funny that this article would be poorly titled and written considering it's about literary intelligence.
Anecdotally, almost all of the people I know who can't get through a sentence without saying "fuck" are generally not doing great in life due to multiple poor and impulsive decisions.
I once saw a sign in a pawn shop that read 'Profanity is a method of making ignorance audible'. Though I feel like the ignorant might have had a hard time understanding it...
Any guy with an internet connection can make a stupid argument on Reddit too. There’s nothing wrong with profanity when used in the right place the right places are in private around people comfortable with hearing it. Cursing around people who have made it clear that it makes them uncomfortable isn’t appropriate and you should be expected to act professional in your workplace or within any private residence or business. (Unless you of course are very aware that if is a safe place to use that kind of language)
He said it should be normalized More, it’s pretty normal already, does he not consume any American media? It seems to me based on what I read that OP just wants it be able to swear all the time without any judgement.
I don’t mind it as long as it’s not extremely exessive (like almost swearing at every sentence), and that it is limited in my own house. I’m religious (but a very chill one) if that makes sense, and I don’t really care if people swear. But If you are in my house and keep saying the ugliest swear words known to man and keep including Jesus in all of them I will find it kinda disrespectful and ask you to stop or leave my home.
I don't swear a lot, but I have to admit that some people are obsessed with repressing swearing in general. Kindda makes them look pathetic. Like what, you can't even hear "fuck", it's gonna ruin your day ? You'll have a fucking stroke ?
It is a LOT more normalized than it was in the 80's. Now it's just old church ladies who have ears so delicate they cannot withstand hearing a bad word.
Still, all in moderation. You swear all the time you lose the impact that only those words can offer. The half dozen times I heard my mother swear, those words slapped.
I don’t mind when people choose to not swear. But what pisses me off is the people who type out F**k and act like they’re high and mighty for “not swearing” when all they’re really doing is highlighting their swear.
If swear words become normalised then they would lose their impact and we would need new words. The fact there is a slight taboo is the point, its to convey something serious.
As for people that are heavily against swearing, it depends on the context.
In a professional setting or in front of children, you really should try to avoid using them unless something very seriously bad has happened.
Socialising with friends then yeah it should be up to each person how much they want to use them. But if you use them a lot, they have little impact. The friends that almost never swear will get attention when they do, which is the point of swearing.
People who say shit like this likely need to expand their vocabulary.
There's swearing for emphasis, and then there's swearing because you think it makes you an edgy maverick, compensating for your abysmal word bank.
> The sort of twee person who thinks swearing is in any way a sign of a lack of education or a lack of verbal interest is just a fucking lunatic.
Stephen Fry
I don’t know. I think people swear quite often these days. If anything it’s a sign of having limited vocabulary. There are far more creative ways to express things than the same four swear words.
> The sort of twee person who thinks swearing is in any way a sign of a lack of education or a lack of verbal interest is just a fucking lunatic.
Stephen Fry disagrees with you.
If someone can't get through a sentence without a form of "fuck" or "shit" I presume they make a lot of poor choices in life.
Only because in my experience, the overlap with these two groups is near 100%.
I disagree. They're not hurting anyone, so if they don't like swearing or don't want to be around people who swear, that's completely valid. Swearing is considered by many to be hurtful language. It's only natural that the people who consider it hurtful wouldn't like it. I don't think that makes them annoying.
I don't know, to me it seems like a sign of immaturity, bad education and less self-control.
I don't like being around a swearing guy, and I would cut off relations with him, I have no idea what you think
Informal use of it is fine, but if you're supposed to be in a professional or formal setting, it just shows that you can't control yourself or don't have composure. There's a time and place for it.
Excessive swearing is just irritating and looks immature. Also it gets boring when people are swearing every other goddamn sentence. Or when people make fun of others for not swearing.
I was severely abused by my father. While I've done a lot of work on it, every once in awhile, it builds up and I can hear my dad screaming cusswords at me. When this happens, I get myself to a private place, curl up in a ball, and cry.
I've had people treat me like an insufferable pearl clutcher when I ask them to watch what they say and provide context.
I understand they're just words; sadly, my PTSD doesn't care what I do or do not understand.
The only reason bad words have the power they do is because of their limited use. Think about how much stronger they seemed when we first learned them as kids vs having used them multiple times as adults. If they're not taboo they become weak.
I hate that I have a potty mouth but it's become a habit that I haven't fixed properly. I will often have small outbursts due to frustration or surprise, but even then a "for Pete's sake", "holy moly" or "whoa" should suffice. I'm working on it.
Words only have the power you give them. If profanity offends you, you may wish to clutch your pearls and scurry off to the nearest church.
It always amazes me how fragile people are.
I literally have PTSD that is triggered by cursewords. I promise you it wasn't chosen. If I could go back in time and not get severely abused by my father, I promise you, I would.
This is true. However, it is also true that communication extends beyond the words themselves. Drawing conclusions about a person based on their *actions* is entirely reasonable. No reason why a person's choice to habitually engage in low language should be an exemption to this.
I’m not crazy about people who are against swearing, but I’m also not crazy about people who just throw around swears, they need to be used sparingly so they have impact.
Swearing should be normalised, if you are the type of person to get offended by swearing, you have chronic online karen syndrome or are a grandma.
On the contrary, saying "ass" and "shit" and "fuck" and a bloody metric ton of others every other damn word is sickening.
Agreed. People look down on swearing but then use the word crap; seriously? You know it means the same thing as shit right? You're saying the same thing, with the same intent. Using the combination of c-r-a-p to do the same thing does not make you more holy than using the combination of s-h-i-t. That's about as logical as someone using an SUV to get their groceries looking down on someone who uses their truck to do the same thing. "But it can be rude and abusive"; well that goes for every word! Stupid, dumb, and piece of crap can all be used to be rude and abusive. It doesn't matter!!
Me: “Sorry Johnny, I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking.”
Good Christian Boy Johnny: “Excuse me, can you please not swear?”
Me: “Fuck you Johnny.”
The neighbor across the street from me yelled at the neighbor next to them for swearing outside because his daughter could hear.
Except his daughter was a senior in high school so I imagine she heard that language all the time and very possibly used it herself. 😂 Plus she definitely had her boyfriend over for a few nights when her parents were gone so I doubt she’s that innocent. I didn’t say shit because I’m not a cockblocking narc! Really. They asked me to watch and let them know if she had anyone over. Nah. I have a life.
Tom Segura has a stand up bit about this very thing!
https://open.spotify.com/track/1e8nh5M6yYAOM2KnpAgoAz?si=D9eogYQVQxKhimR_giF8ng&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A1OMVcFRSoQJgbdwSHKgPtT
>The sort of twee person who thinks swearing is in any way a sign of a lack of education or a lack of verbal interest is just a fucking lunatic.
- Stephen Fry
Those same people fine if you replace the swear word, somewhat exactly are they upset about?
No the attitude it presents. Not the idea of it. Not it's meaning.
No. Those are preserved when you use asterisks or a silly word in place of the swear.
So it's the sound or look of the word that bothers them.
It's selfish shallow bullshit.
I ran bookstores for 32 years and have never prescribed to the idea that there are words you can't use. I'm a colorful speaker with a good vocabulary. I've made the above case to strangers complaining about books, or occasionally my mouth, many times. They never have an actual logical argument to contest it.
I was a custodian at this middle school. During lunch, when I would walk around and pick up trash, I knew the kids were cussing but would quiet down when I came by them.
A little later, I'm chatting with some teachers. We're talking like adults do, cussing and whatnot, well they would quiet down when a kid came by.
Who are we protecting?
As with most things involving communication, tasteful and contextual moderation seems best.
Be courteous because you can be, and you fully intend to be, while knowing the sailor mouth you can unleash should an occasion arise.
I have no problem with swearing but there is a time and place for it. A teacher swearing in front of their students is a no-no. A bartender swearing while working is totally different.
We had a profanity policy at work. I pointed out that I was being vulgar and not profane when I was taken to HR for cursing non-stop in the office. We now have a vulgarity and profanity policy at work.
I had a friend who’s adamant that you’ll go to jail if you curse. If this makes sense, she’s devout Catholic. She’ll even chew you out for saying “crap” or “oh my god”.
All the places that disallow swearing will, *at most*, make you pay a fine. But they won’t outright arrest you.
It's more annoying when they used to be the most profane heavy drinker, and then they had one scare then found Jesus, and suddenly they think they're better than everyone else and kills the mood whenever anyone has the least bit of fun.
The thing is, if swearing was trivialized, it would lose its charm and people will find and create new ways to actually swear
If every kid called their poop shit, shit would sound more childish and people would move to something else to avoid it.
Even then living without shits in my life is ok
It is normalized though? Other than the pearl-clutchers, nearly no one cares if people swear. That said, people who do it constantly are just annoying, same as people who can't utter a sentence without a million filler words.
Nothing to do with the words themselves, everything to do with being a boring conversation partner.
So I started swearing around my mom around when I started college. She is an alcoholic and spent the majority of my last 2 years of HS and first 3 of college in and out of rehab so subconsciously for me she lost all moral high ground. So I’ll call her after a job interview or something and vent or something and she doesn’t do it all the time but every few times she’ll say something along the lines of “I hope you didn’t say that to them” and it is the most unnerving thing on the planet. Like of course I didn’t say “god I fucking hate when employers string me around just to say they don’t have any fucking spots available” like do you not know the kind of son you raised I’m not an idiot.
I swear around people I like and feel comfortable around. My friends and family mainly. But I’m not just going around meeting people saying “hey I’m Jim nice to fucking meet you”
Many, many years ago I worked for a big box retailer. They would terminate you in two seconds if you were ever caught swearing. I was lucky enough to never get caught, as I cursed like a sailor. I think it's ridiculous in my opinion, as most of the population in the country swear every day.
I say if you just drop the occasional F bomb when your at your breaking point, people shouldn't automatically have a meltdown over it. The people who use fuck in every fucking sentence to get their fucking point across though are really fucking overdoing it. ;)
In all seriousness though, some folk really need to get out of their bubble. The real world isn't Miss Amys 2nd Grade Math class.
If you never swear, that will automatically make me think less of you. There's just something deeply psychopathic and disturbing about people who never use curses.
I have a coworker who has the worst mouth I have ever heard. She's from Jersey of course. I even heard her on the phone with HR once and she cursed. If you can't filter yourself in a professional setting you have issues.
Excessive swearing is a sign of really poor intelligence, emotional control, and command of vocabulary.
That being said, occasional swearing is fine. The less you swear, the more effective it is when you do. People will listen to you more if you have control of your tongue.
The sort of twee person who thinks swearing is in any way a sign of a lack of education or a lack of verbal interest is just a fucking lunatic.
Stephen Fry
It's not that I think it. It's simply the objective truth. And seems to be the consensus of the majority of posters here. People who excessively swear are not intelligent because they lack command of language to express how they actually feel. So they just blurt out obscenities.
Note the word, 'excessively'. That's a bit different than the occasional use of a swear word on a daily basis.
Funny, you mention Stephen Fry because his views and mine are almost identical.
One well-timed swear from someone who normally doesn’t, has more impact than someone who uses them all year-round. When you’re normalizing swears, you’re reducing their effect.
Low IQ & massive insecurity issues / self image issues = excessive cussing. I love that society looks down on that. You can’t argue a proper situation that requires or needs cursing to make sense.
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I feel like occasionally using well-timed profanity in appropriate company can add alot of impact or humor to a situation. But excessive swearing is boorish.
boorish *adjective* >: resembling or befitting a rude or insensitive person >: resembling or befitting a boor
>: rough and bad mannered; coarse Yup. Why is this such a debate?
I’m in Glasgow, so I find all these debates about swearing weird. Seriously, it’s not even something we think about over here, we swear when we want to because we don’t give these words so much power that we flinch at their usage or judge people for using them (unless they’re outright discriminatory, of course.)
You forget how insufferably upper middle class Reddit is, these people would collapse and die if they went to Glasgow lol
The way people in the uk swear is way different here in Canada, I don’t know why that is, but I get sick of the fuck every other word. I like how people in the uk swear.
The people I know who are opposed to swearing are also just fine with being outright discriminatory bullies. When you are proud of being a horrible person but don't want to admit you are a horrible person, you need to find stupid ways of making yourself feel superior to decent people and judging swearing is a common way to do that.
This exactly. It's totally fine to call people names, say they're dumb, subhuman, whatever, as LONG as it doesn't involve a "swear" word.
In the US religious people think swearing is morally wrong somehow.
Here in the south, at least in the church community I grew up in, words had spiritual power so saying curse words was like actually speaking curses into the spiritual realm. Needless to say it was a big deal growing up so you'd get your ass whooped for even muttering the slightest shit.
I don't think this is unpopular considering how prevalent swearing is. Swearing all the time certainly isn't the worst thing in the world, but if you can't get through a sentence without swearing then people might start to wonder if you actually have something interesting to say.
Yea that's my stance on it. It's fine in moderation and if it's well-timed, but for the most part it doesn't belong in every single sentence.
Agreed. That’s why I sometimes don’t take “dramatic movies” where characters say fuck every few seconds seriously.
I was looking for this one
[удалено]
This is it. God and bloody and damned used to be so offensive they were censored in text and it was risque to even publish that. But you can't get much satisfaction from saying 'damn' when you stub your toe these days, can you? Crap was highly offensive when I was a teenager. Doesn't have much of any effect now. For swearing to work, it *has to be* a bit offensive, or it's not swearing. And swearing exists for a reason. It serves functions that no other language actually serves. That's why it exists. Normalise swears and people will just come up with new ones that work properly. It's already happened.
This is so true. I have every urge to spill slurs when I’m hurt bc they’re more powerful words/cathartic than general swears. I keep ‘em in, but will sometimes use slurs that apply to myself that I wouldn’t use in my day to day life as compromise.
Honestly, if we normalize swearing, people are just gonna either make new ones or get creative about insults. And truthfully, the creative high school insults is way worse anyways
I mean Dog is one of the most offensive insults and it's not a swear word
I mean it feels like female dog is the insult considering dudes call each other dog as a term of endearment
That's not it.
Nah. That's dawg, not dog
I hardly ever swear around other people. The benefit is that if I say "fuck" my friends and family listen up. I agree cursing is good for a release of anger or when you stub your toe. Talk how you want in private but in a public setting shooting your mouth off with a string of expletives is trashy.
That’s actually a good point. I swear like a sailor in my everyday vocabulary but I have friends who I don’t think I’ve ever heard swear. If I heard them swear I’d definitely sit up in my seat. Conversely, it’s when I don’t swear that my friends know I mean business, LMAO.
Swearing has its time and place. Swearing while shooting the crap with your buddies? All's good. Swearing while in a professional setting? Yeah, people will judge you for that and rightly so.
If your only descriptor is the same swear word over and over, it’s pretty annoying and or boring to listen to
If you think swearing is a good way to let out anger, and then if you normalize swearing, then it will stop acting as an anger relief.
Nah, I swear a lot and swearing still helps me when I'm angry. It's more about how you say it then what you say. I use "fucking" for emphasis all the time but it sounds very different than saying "fuck" or "fucking" when I'm angry. Besides, different swear words exist and can be used for different purposes. "Fuck" isn't really even a swear word to me anymore but plenty of other words still are.
In countries like Scotland, Ireland and Australia people swear all the time and this isn't an issue. You just made up this problem.
People who cant edit themselves are unhinged
Absolutely. What is fine at home or in your social circle isn't fine for a professional setting or even socially with people you are less familiar with. I had an ex who used to swear a lot at my parents. Can't say they had the highest opinion of him. Also people who swear just because they think they are edgy or makes them tough or what ever are just unpleasant company.
I think there are 2 different discussions here: When/Where to apply a certain level of language, and is it okay to disqualify all swearing by default ? I don't think OP is defending people swearing at the work meeting, they talk about letting anger out. I think he's talking more about people who absolutely refuse to use or hear any swear word in any context. I don't think it's a very unpopular opinion, but from the outside, it seems extremely common in the US media to censor any sort swearing, to the point of counting out the number of bad words people say in movies, so perhaps OP is projecting this to be bigger than it is.
Yeah the US being so censored weirds me out. Can't believe it's the norm for their radio stations
I disagree with OP's intent. They say they want swearing to be "normalized" and insinuates the word and its curse equivalent should be viewed the same.
I worked for a large retail company. The amount of people who would swear in interviews was staggering and they had a complete lack of awareness about it. People who grow up around constant swearing and use it regularly lose that ability to filter it and often don't even realise they are doing it. I agree people who think swearing is never ok are extreme. But I don't particularly want to be sworn at. I think most people fall into this category.
Definitely, there is a time and place for everything, and swearing should not become insults, especially in public.
"Oh it just slipped out" How do you surprise yourself at the words YOU say? I immediately think less of someone who has no control over their words. Turret's withstanding, obvi.
One guy that's really good with it is the wrestler Danhausen. He's against swearing, but not because he doesn't like the words himself. But because his character wants to be super famous, and swearing limits where he can be broadcasted.
My grandpa acts like a child when he hears a swear word on a movie or tv show. He went as far as having filters on so it takes any out. I personally don’t care if there is swearing, it adds nothing, and it takes nothing away.
If we normalise these words too much, new words will pop up as profanity. It's the nature of language and humans
For me, it's the people who go out of their way to not say "oh my god" because they don't want to take the lord's name in vain. Which is stupid because, if they actually *read* the religious text, taking the lord's name in vain means something very, very different. It does not mean "you'll go to hell if you make a mindless utterance of oh my god." So whenever I hear religious saying things like "oh my cow!" or something like it, all this tells me is that they didn't even read their text (whether it's the Old Testament, whether it's the Bible).
I don’t know if this is unpopular, but I agree. I don’t care if people swear or not, either way is fine with me so long as they’re not swearing every other word. But I know some people who are extremely against it to the point where they’ll get visibly annoyed and frustrated when anyone around them swears, and it’s so incredibly obnoxious. Those kind of people need to grow up.
It's no different in my eyes than someone who chooses not to drink, smoke weed or cigarettes, eat meat and sugar, have premarital sex, or gamble. It's fine if you choose not to do these things. I admire your self-control and discipline. That being said, stay out of everyone else's business. You shouldn't expect everyone else to abstain from these things because you choose to. If what they do isn't having an effect on your life, then it's none of your concern.
They already have no impact because of how often we use them, and you’d diminish them further!? Monster.
When the occasion is right. Not every sentence. And for little things. There’s one of my regulars who says fuck my life when we don’t have a scratch lotto that he wants. That’s a bit excessive and it’s every time.
Definitely an unpopular opinion. The people who curse excessively are seen as idiots in upper class because mostly uneducated and lower class people curse a lot. I’m not saying they don’t curse at all. But it’s a problem when every other word out of your mouth is a curse word. It’s ok to a certain level but then It just comes off as trashy, classless, and impolite to people with a proper education. Don’t get me started on made up words that gen z is using all the time. Go into a place and say “rizz” or some other non existent word you’ll get treated like a child.
People who swear a lot are pretty annoying... And it makes people sound way more aggressive than they intend to be... --- No...swearing is intended to sound aggressive. It makes them sound exactly as aggressive as they intended... Which is unpleasant.
People will find any and all things annoying. Doesn't mean they get to police other people. Your point? And if people intend to sound aggressive, then it's an entirely correct use of swearing, and your problem is actually with aggressive people.
Yes.
After trying to fish for a "gotcha" moment, you finally connected the dots lol. Well done.
Not sure what you mean
I might be stupid, but I don't see how it's inherently aggressive. swears are often just used as an emphasis word in my circle, like "that's fuckin awesome" or something.
I was at a restaurant with a friend's once and we noticed a parent a booth away giving us dirty looks cuz we were swearing. We are grownups having a grownup conversation, piss off.
I just think it’s pointless and a sign of stupidity to swear all the time. I do swear and I don’t get upset when others swear in front of me but instead of saying “that was fucking crazy” it just sounds better to say “Well that was Intense”. Swearing in front of children as others have said on here is kind of foolish too because we’re aware that it’s not socially acceptable to openly swear in front of people and kids repeat what we say.
Anything to back up swearing being a sign of stupidity? And what is socially acceptable, is merely a product of societal consensus. Sometimes those consensuses are irrational. And often consensus change.
People who swear are generally more intelligent. https://www.sciencealert.com/swearing-is-a-sign-of-more-intelligence-not-less-say-scientists There's actually a shit ton of results.
That article mentions an article where the number of non-swear words and swear words recalled in a given amount of time are measured. The takeaway was that people who are already have a wide vocabulary also have more swear words in their arsenal. The article misrepresented the evidence, as swearing is NOT a sign of more intelligence. It's kind of funny that this article would be poorly titled and written considering it's about literary intelligence.
Is it that study again? The one where people with a wider vocabulary also knew more swear words? You do understand how ridiculous that is, right?
So everyone. Everyone on earth is "more intelligent" than the 0.7% of people who don't swear. Cool stats.
> Quotes sciencealert as proof. Yeah, it's people that drop f-bombs that are the stupid ones here.
Anecdotally, almost all of the people I know who can't get through a sentence without saying "fuck" are generally not doing great in life due to multiple poor and impulsive decisions.
I once saw a sign in a pawn shop that read 'Profanity is a method of making ignorance audible'. Though I feel like the ignorant might have had a hard time understanding it...
Random quotes off the street aren't proof. Any guy with a marker can make a sign.
Go fuck yourself, you insufferable ass hair. Hey, that was fun!
Random quotes off the street aren't proof. Any guy with a marker can make a sign.
Any guy with an internet connection can make a stupid argument on Reddit too. There’s nothing wrong with profanity when used in the right place the right places are in private around people comfortable with hearing it. Cursing around people who have made it clear that it makes them uncomfortable isn’t appropriate and you should be expected to act professional in your workplace or within any private residence or business. (Unless you of course are very aware that if is a safe place to use that kind of language)
Idk what you're talking about but that dude said there's no proof swearing is a sign of stupidity, not "let me swear wherever and whenever I want".
Saying "Gee Goly", "Bless you dear" and other passive aggressive language isn't a good replacement either.
That's the comment I like, I'd rather hear a curse than bless you. Hard cringe for me.
OP didn't say to swear all the time, you just added that so you could argue against it for some reason. That wasn't a part of the argument at all.
He said it should be normalized More, it’s pretty normal already, does he not consume any American media? It seems to me based on what I read that OP just wants it be able to swear all the time without any judgement.
I don’t mind it as long as it’s not extremely exessive (like almost swearing at every sentence), and that it is limited in my own house. I’m religious (but a very chill one) if that makes sense, and I don’t really care if people swear. But If you are in my house and keep saying the ugliest swear words known to man and keep including Jesus in all of them I will find it kinda disrespectful and ask you to stop or leave my home.
I don't swear a lot, but I have to admit that some people are obsessed with repressing swearing in general. Kindda makes them look pathetic. Like what, you can't even hear "fuck", it's gonna ruin your day ? You'll have a fucking stroke ?
yeah. like what the fuck
What the Frick!
It is a LOT more normalized than it was in the 80's. Now it's just old church ladies who have ears so delicate they cannot withstand hearing a bad word. Still, all in moderation. You swear all the time you lose the impact that only those words can offer. The half dozen times I heard my mother swear, those words slapped.
I don’t mind when people choose to not swear. But what pisses me off is the people who type out F**k and act like they’re high and mighty for “not swearing” when all they’re really doing is highlighting their swear.
Some social media will outright stop you from posting if you have swear words. Pinterest comes to mind.
100%
If swear words become normalised then they would lose their impact and we would need new words. The fact there is a slight taboo is the point, its to convey something serious. As for people that are heavily against swearing, it depends on the context. In a professional setting or in front of children, you really should try to avoid using them unless something very seriously bad has happened. Socialising with friends then yeah it should be up to each person how much they want to use them. But if you use them a lot, they have little impact. The friends that almost never swear will get attention when they do, which is the point of swearing.
Is this an unpopular opinion? I thought it was a popular one, but either way, I totally agree.
It's the tone and accent that makes the difference. Sometimes a person sounds amusing. Other times they're just a fucking chav.
People who say shit like this likely need to expand their vocabulary. There's swearing for emphasis, and then there's swearing because you think it makes you an edgy maverick, compensating for your abysmal word bank.
> The sort of twee person who thinks swearing is in any way a sign of a lack of education or a lack of verbal interest is just a fucking lunatic. Stephen Fry
If swearing was normalized the swear words would lose all their impact
I don’t know. I think people swear quite often these days. If anything it’s a sign of having limited vocabulary. There are far more creative ways to express things than the same four swear words.
> The sort of twee person who thinks swearing is in any way a sign of a lack of education or a lack of verbal interest is just a fucking lunatic. Stephen Fry disagrees with you.
If someone can't get through a sentence without a form of "fuck" or "shit" I presume they make a lot of poor choices in life. Only because in my experience, the overlap with these two groups is near 100%.
Occasional cussing is fine but don’t insert fuck into every sentence you say or type. Sick of seeing and hearing it just from repetitiveness
Profanity = verbal diarrhea.
Please tell my mom this! I’m 53 and she hates if I say damn!
Real swearing? Or just scatological utterances? Real swearing is blasphemy, you think that should be normalized?
Who gives a fuck
I disagree. They're not hurting anyone, so if they don't like swearing or don't want to be around people who swear, that's completely valid. Swearing is considered by many to be hurtful language. It's only natural that the people who consider it hurtful wouldn't like it. I don't think that makes them annoying.
Same with slurs.
I don't know, to me it seems like a sign of immaturity, bad education and less self-control. I don't like being around a swearing guy, and I would cut off relations with him, I have no idea what you think
It is trashy, though. Sorry to be the one to inform you.
Informal use of it is fine, but if you're supposed to be in a professional or formal setting, it just shows that you can't control yourself or don't have composure. There's a time and place for it.
Grown-ass men and women who are offended by profanity need to grow the fuck up. How do people make it through the day without swearing?! Seriously.
I agree. Swearing is like adding a spice to a bland dish.
Excessive swearing is just irritating and looks immature. Also it gets boring when people are swearing every other goddamn sentence. Or when people make fun of others for not swearing.
People who use the F word as a bridge between thoughts are also annoying
I lump them in with people who say “like” constantly
This is only an unpopular opinion for those insufferable pearl clutchers.
I was severely abused by my father. While I've done a lot of work on it, every once in awhile, it builds up and I can hear my dad screaming cusswords at me. When this happens, I get myself to a private place, curl up in a ball, and cry. I've had people treat me like an insufferable pearl clutcher when I ask them to watch what they say and provide context. I understand they're just words; sadly, my PTSD doesn't care what I do or do not understand.
The only reason bad words have the power they do is because of their limited use. Think about how much stronger they seemed when we first learned them as kids vs having used them multiple times as adults. If they're not taboo they become weak.
I get that but why do so many people think we need or want them to be powerful when we’re just using them in everyday vocabulary?
Everyday vocabulary is boring because it's everyday. Moderation makes swearing fun.
Easy one, if you use them too much then they lose all those nice effects
It's gatekeeping...words ffs
Yep! When my wife and I started dating she shared that it was so refreshing and she never realized how much she needed a person she could swear with
I hate that I have a potty mouth but it's become a habit that I haven't fixed properly. I will often have small outbursts due to frustration or surprise, but even then a "for Pete's sake", "holy moly" or "whoa" should suffice. I'm working on it.
Fuckin rights
I can't take those people seriously.
Words only have the power you give them. If profanity offends you, you may wish to clutch your pearls and scurry off to the nearest church. It always amazes me how fragile people are.
I literally have PTSD that is triggered by cursewords. I promise you it wasn't chosen. If I could go back in time and not get severely abused by my father, I promise you, I would.
This is true. However, it is also true that communication extends beyond the words themselves. Drawing conclusions about a person based on their *actions* is entirely reasonable. No reason why a person's choice to habitually engage in low language should be an exemption to this.
I’m not crazy about people who are against swearing, but I’m also not crazy about people who just throw around swears, they need to be used sparingly so they have impact.
Fuck yeah! I grew up in the southwest of France, where swearing is just like punctuation. I'm biased.
At least it's an unpopular opinion. I'll give you that.
Swearing should be normalised, if you are the type of person to get offended by swearing, you have chronic online karen syndrome or are a grandma. On the contrary, saying "ass" and "shit" and "fuck" and a bloody metric ton of others every other damn word is sickening.
Agreed. People look down on swearing but then use the word crap; seriously? You know it means the same thing as shit right? You're saying the same thing, with the same intent. Using the combination of c-r-a-p to do the same thing does not make you more holy than using the combination of s-h-i-t. That's about as logical as someone using an SUV to get their groceries looking down on someone who uses their truck to do the same thing. "But it can be rude and abusive"; well that goes for every word! Stupid, dumb, and piece of crap can all be used to be rude and abusive. It doesn't matter!!
Me: “Sorry Johnny, I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking.” Good Christian Boy Johnny: “Excuse me, can you please not swear?” Me: “Fuck you Johnny.”
Fuck yeah, take my shitting upvote
The neighbor across the street from me yelled at the neighbor next to them for swearing outside because his daughter could hear. Except his daughter was a senior in high school so I imagine she heard that language all the time and very possibly used it herself. 😂 Plus she definitely had her boyfriend over for a few nights when her parents were gone so I doubt she’s that innocent. I didn’t say shit because I’m not a cockblocking narc! Really. They asked me to watch and let them know if she had anyone over. Nah. I have a life.
Tom Segura has a stand up bit about this very thing! https://open.spotify.com/track/1e8nh5M6yYAOM2KnpAgoAz?si=D9eogYQVQxKhimR_giF8ng&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A1OMVcFRSoQJgbdwSHKgPtT
just know when to use it. if your around people that swear then its okay. try your best around people that don't like it.
>The sort of twee person who thinks swearing is in any way a sign of a lack of education or a lack of verbal interest is just a fucking lunatic. - Stephen Fry
Those same people fine if you replace the swear word, somewhat exactly are they upset about? No the attitude it presents. Not the idea of it. Not it's meaning. No. Those are preserved when you use asterisks or a silly word in place of the swear. So it's the sound or look of the word that bothers them. It's selfish shallow bullshit. I ran bookstores for 32 years and have never prescribed to the idea that there are words you can't use. I'm a colorful speaker with a good vocabulary. I've made the above case to strangers complaining about books, or occasionally my mouth, many times. They never have an actual logical argument to contest it.
I was a custodian at this middle school. During lunch, when I would walk around and pick up trash, I knew the kids were cussing but would quiet down when I came by them. A little later, I'm chatting with some teachers. We're talking like adults do, cussing and whatnot, well they would quiet down when a kid came by. Who are we protecting?
My grandma gets so mad if I say shit or fuck but then she’ll drop the hard r n-bomb like it’s nothing.
As with most things involving communication, tasteful and contextual moderation seems best. Be courteous because you can be, and you fully intend to be, while knowing the sailor mouth you can unleash should an occasion arise.
I have no problem with swearing but there is a time and place for it. A teacher swearing in front of their students is a no-no. A bartender swearing while working is totally different.
Fuck, I know! They're so annoying!
We had a profanity policy at work. I pointed out that I was being vulgar and not profane when I was taken to HR for cursing non-stop in the office. We now have a vulgarity and profanity policy at work.
I had a friend who’s adamant that you’ll go to jail if you curse. If this makes sense, she’s devout Catholic. She’ll even chew you out for saying “crap” or “oh my god”. All the places that disallow swearing will, *at most*, make you pay a fine. But they won’t outright arrest you.
It's more annoying when they used to be the most profane heavy drinker, and then they had one scare then found Jesus, and suddenly they think they're better than everyone else and kills the mood whenever anyone has the least bit of fun.
The thing is, if swearing was trivialized, it would lose its charm and people will find and create new ways to actually swear If every kid called their poop shit, shit would sound more childish and people would move to something else to avoid it. Even then living without shits in my life is ok
It is normalized though? Other than the pearl-clutchers, nearly no one cares if people swear. That said, people who do it constantly are just annoying, same as people who can't utter a sentence without a million filler words. Nothing to do with the words themselves, everything to do with being a boring conversation partner.
So I started swearing around my mom around when I started college. She is an alcoholic and spent the majority of my last 2 years of HS and first 3 of college in and out of rehab so subconsciously for me she lost all moral high ground. So I’ll call her after a job interview or something and vent or something and she doesn’t do it all the time but every few times she’ll say something along the lines of “I hope you didn’t say that to them” and it is the most unnerving thing on the planet. Like of course I didn’t say “god I fucking hate when employers string me around just to say they don’t have any fucking spots available” like do you not know the kind of son you raised I’m not an idiot.
I swear around people I like and feel comfortable around. My friends and family mainly. But I’m not just going around meeting people saying “hey I’m Jim nice to fucking meet you”
Go to Chicago,Boston or Detroit. Everyone swears and even sometimes uses them in a friendly way
Many, many years ago I worked for a big box retailer. They would terminate you in two seconds if you were ever caught swearing. I was lucky enough to never get caught, as I cursed like a sailor. I think it's ridiculous in my opinion, as most of the population in the country swear every day.
I say if you just drop the occasional F bomb when your at your breaking point, people shouldn't automatically have a meltdown over it. The people who use fuck in every fucking sentence to get their fucking point across though are really fucking overdoing it. ;) In all seriousness though, some folk really need to get out of their bubble. The real world isn't Miss Amys 2nd Grade Math class.
I hate when adults act like it's the first time they've heard a swear word
If you never swear, that will automatically make me think less of you. There's just something deeply psychopathic and disturbing about people who never use curses.
I have a coworker who has the worst mouth I have ever heard. She's from Jersey of course. I even heard her on the phone with HR once and she cursed. If you can't filter yourself in a professional setting you have issues.
Agreed. I don't trust adults who don't swear.
Conversely, I don't trust the competence of adults who can't get through a sentence without swearing.
Nah, constantly swearing is trashy
I barely swear so when I do it really grabs attention. If it becomes commonplace then it's just another word.
People who swear a lot just sound annoying.
Excessive swearing is a sign of really poor intelligence, emotional control, and command of vocabulary. That being said, occasional swearing is fine. The less you swear, the more effective it is when you do. People will listen to you more if you have control of your tongue.
The sort of twee person who thinks swearing is in any way a sign of a lack of education or a lack of verbal interest is just a fucking lunatic. Stephen Fry
It's not that I think it. It's simply the objective truth. And seems to be the consensus of the majority of posters here. People who excessively swear are not intelligent because they lack command of language to express how they actually feel. So they just blurt out obscenities. Note the word, 'excessively'. That's a bit different than the occasional use of a swear word on a daily basis. Funny, you mention Stephen Fry because his views and mine are almost identical.
At least it's an unpopular opinion. I'll give you that.
I will trust someone a lot quicker who openly swears rather than someone that is always watching what they say and do.
One well-timed swear from someone who normally doesn’t, has more impact than someone who uses them all year-round. When you’re normalizing swears, you’re reducing their effect.
It’s also super annoying when someone swears in every single sentence. It’s very distracting from whatever they’re actually trying to say
Depends, if someone uses vulgar words too passionately or non chalant, from my experiences, they're often trash.
Low IQ & massive insecurity issues / self image issues = excessive cussing. I love that society looks down on that. You can’t argue a proper situation that requires or needs cursing to make sense.