Is swearing really that bad?

Question

I love to swear, i really belive that swearing is not that bad. lets face it they are just words. So why do people get offended by the word itself? shouldnt they be more offended by the way in which the word is used rather than the word.

If some one calls me a "F**king Idiot", i will be offended by the Idiot but the F**king is just being said instead of Big

If my friend calls me a C**t in a joking sort of way, i wont be offended, but if in the middle of an argument im called a C**t then i will be offended.

Shouldnt people be more offended by the meaning behind the word rather than the word itself?

I would rather say P*ss instead of We and Sh*t instead of poo, as I would feel like a right prat.

what do you think?

Ok, somone asked if i was a christian, and yes i am, infact i will be going to bed soon to get up for church.

Or and i wont sware infront of people who i know will be offended, even though i dont understand why they are offended, i respect that they are offended.

Answer 1

I totally agree with you - i really dont see the problem with it. Fair enough small kids not swearing, but teeangers and adults - a lot of the time theyre used as anger relief which actually really helps. The words are in the dictionary, and they cant hurt you, sticks and stones and all that. If people dont wana use them ive no problem, but then again if someone calls me a f*cking c*nt i really wont give a sh!t.

Answer 2

Linguistically this is a interesting question. By swearing what you mean is taboo language and clearly those things that are considered 'taboo' differ from culture to culture, era, context etc. For example, my personal feeling is that the word '****' is probably the most offensive (taboo) word in English and although I do occasionally use the word as an forceful expression, I don't really like the word and interestingly I like it least when it is used in it's correct context i.e for the female genitalia. If you think about it this in't very logical but that's how I feel about it. In contrast, in (at least Castilian) Spanish the equivalent word (I'd write it but I don't know how to do n with ~ on top) isn't considered particularly strong at all - maybe on a par with 'balls' - and if you were Spanish it's a good bet your granny would use it. The King of Spain certainly does but I can't imagine Queen Liz of the UK calling someone a ****. (Athough I do think it's a good word to describe her). I probably wouldn't be comfortable with an English woman referring to her "sore ****" but I wouldn't think twice if a Spanish woman used the equivalent word (well I might wonder why) - obviously the level intimacy I had with the girl would be relevant.
There are 3 types of taboo word in English; those connected with religion, those that relate to sex and sexual organs, and lastly 'lavatory' words. Whether you are offended by them will depend upon your religous and/or cultural sensitivities. Be aware that there is quite a big difference between British and American usage. Interestingly taboo words are among the most flexible and expressive words in the English language and it is just ignorant to say that 'swearing' shows linguistic ignorance. Words such as '****' can be used across the grammatical spectrum. Compare: Oh ****! What the **** are you doing ******* my wife in my ******* bed. You've fucked up my day now you **** wit.
I agree I'd feel pretty stupid saying I'm going for a poo and I think I find it more offensive than 'crap'... and let's face it you just can't beat a good crap, can you? And going for a movement sounds positively perverse. At the end of the day it's all subjective, isn't it... or maybe you think I'm just talking bollocks (my favourite).

Ehm! it's obviously considered offensive by the boys at Yahoo cos I just previewed and they've replaced half the words above with **** ........(f)ucking (c)unts.... sorry I mean pesky blighters!

Answer 3

Swearing is a way of expressing your intelligence, if you had a high iq you wouldn't feel a need to swear, you would know other words to express yourself with. When I hear people swearing I think to myself they must be pretty dumb, it certainly isn't impressive and offends lots of people, especially the elderly, having said that I can understand swearing during confrontational situations as anger builds up inside and is a good way of 'letting go'. But there is a time and a place for everything.

Answer 4

i sometimes have a bit of a guilt trip about swearing - but i never, ever blaspheme. that for me is much worse, and people do it without thinking.

however, guilt trip aside, i can say this: in ireland, one of the most Catholic countries in the world, swear words are simply part of the vernacular language. the word f*ck is used by soooo many people and they don't use it to be offensive, they just use it as part of the language. it's a noun (as in 'he's a fat f*ck'), verb ('he f*cked me over big time'), adjective ('he's a f*ckin eejit'), interjection ('f*ck me, look at the time!') ..... it can be almost anything!!

now i live in italy, the home of the Roman Catholic Church, and while there are certain swear words here that are rude to use in polite company, you wouldn't believe how they CURSE here. way worse than swearing!!!! (in fact, this is more in Rome than in other cities which makes it even more ironic i think)

then there's the fact that certain words are considered worse than others in different places. example, in england, you can call someone a good c*nt, but watch out if you call someone a w*nker.

as for feeling like a right prat for using less offensive words .... well, you shouldn't really worry about other people's opinions of you. Instead, just remember that God gave you a mouth to sing His praises, not to spit out gutter talk.

Answer 5

Dude I totally agree, swareing is only bad if people say it in a bad way "I had a f**king goodtime" is just like saying "i had a really good time" so rather than shortening your vocab its giving you another word to say.

Oh and Bart S is saying that english is Gods language i did not know that i thought he spoke a perfect angelic language, but thinking about it as god is english what else would he speak? (that was sarcasum, FYI)

Answer 6

i swear when wi my friends. but not loads. right now a work in a shop and when groups of guys(or girls ) come in swearing like troopers, i can see the other customers getting quite up set by it. it doesn't particularly offend me unless said in an offensive way. my dad used to swear all the time at home and mum hated it

Answer 7

Yes, the meaning is the offencive part, what sounds nicer.. "I love you", or "Damn! I Love you!" the second one sounds like better right?
Also depends on the language, swearing in Spanish sounds much more fun, and loving haha.
It just doesn't look nice when kids are swearing, generally because kids get "stuck" on one word, so they'll be saying "fck" for one month when they learn it lol

Answer 8

yeah i don't see anything wrong with swearing there's a time and a place for everything, i don't know why people get so offended its just another word. its funny tho how u can tell someone to f**K off but tell them to F**K right off and it has a whole new meaning.

Answer 9

This is one of the culture of language. This kinds of norms of language may be good in one culture and may be bad in another culture. Likewise, there is always individual difference because of the individual point of view. I prefer swearing but my friends do not like it. So every individual is free whether to like or dislike. Therefore, you should not be depressed of it rather take it normally as a individual behaviours.

Answer 10

I've never heard a swear that doesn't have a childish, lame, or pointless real meaning. None of them are bad. It really gets me mad. When I think that somebody is just horrible and am very mad at them I don't want to call them a donkey (***) or a female dog (*****) or a motherfucker. They are all so lame.