who decided what words were going to be bad? i mean who took a word known for a female dog and said lets call females that make them think it is bad. same thing with all the 'curse' words....who came up with this crap and why are the words not ok? if someone can make it bad...cant we make it ok? arent they all just words????
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AvPN3_1Pq71XU0AxIChFiknsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20070919103844AA5DrTx
2007-09-19 06:57:24 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
Unfortunately, "Freedom of Speech" isn't as important these days as the hypersensitive, sissified "Freedom to Hear Only What You Want To Hear."
It's called "censorship," and America is quickly moving toward limiting it's own people in ways for which Americans went to war with the British in the late-1700's.
Freedom of Speech means you can say whatever you want, regardless of how badly it offends someone else.
2007-09-19 07:06:53 · answer #1 · answered by Shattered Dreamz 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is not the word, but the "meaning" or "meanings" associated with these words by society that makes a word bad. Many started as slang words which each generation adds to as they try to be "different" than their parents era & generation. Meanings can also change over time ie: some words that used to be ok are now bad & some that used to be bad are now ok or have totally different meanings. Some words were created by more than one cultualistic influence upon them. But like mentioned before, all became bad due to the intent by the user to degrade or slam someone else.
2007-09-19 14:24:03 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Interesting question...which I've thought about myself. It seems that anything to do with bodily functions can be turned into a swear word.
Often the person wishing to swear wants, at the same time, to shock, so they use words which are usually kept private.
In a way, every time a person swears, a little more dignity is lost in terms of the value and beauty of life.
Some people are into 'effing' every other word, but it scarcely means a thing to them, though I think it's demeaning of them and their listeners and is unpleasant to hear. I think that it is more the spirit in which a word is said that makes it really good or bad.
2007-09-19 14:11:39 · answer #3 · answered by anigma 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Words become 'bad' words simply through common usage and language progression, pretty much the same way that language as a whole evolves. It only takes one person or group of people to use a word in a certain way or come up with a new word of insult, for this word and its usage to be picked up upon and used by more and more people until it's usage is common and widespread.
This study of language and its continuously evolving state is truly the most fascinating thing to study!
2007-09-19 14:05:35 · answer #4 · answered by Tatsbabe 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The mainstream decides. Usually the word is used in an ugly way and it spreads via tv, movies, Internet and just being used. Soon enough it is considered "bad" Have a wonderful day and may all your questions be correctly answered.
2007-09-19 14:03:06 · answer #5 · answered by Robin 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not the words that are bad. It's the intent behind them. Unfortunatley, some are used so often as negative slurs that people commonly mistake the word itself as being bad.
2007-09-19 14:01:29 · answer #6 · answered by Chris 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is not the word it is the intent behind the word.
i can say hey brohter to my brother and everything is fine.
If i say hey brother to an african american that i dont know
it would be offense.
not by what i said but by the intent of the way he took it.
2007-09-19 14:03:57 · answer #7 · answered by Fuzzybutt 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Scurrility, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.
2007-09-19 14:04:13 · answer #8 · answered by picador 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋