Cursing
 

One thing I've never understand is why people are so compelled to include Fuck, Shit, Damn, Ass, Bitch, etc. into their everyday vocabulary. I recently picked up Halo 2 at midnight when it came out and I was surrounded by people in their teens to those in their mid 20's. I was disgusted by the simple fact that they cursed every other second.

Is "And I was like, fuck that shit bitch" really necessary for everyday conversation? I don't understand why people think it's 'cool' to curse up a storm. I have personally always found it rather immature, though it might just be a personal thing.

This even bothered me when I was in High School and everyone cursed and did it every other phrase "Fuckin' pizza" as a random example where it's just included into everyday conversation. I've always believed that the only necessary time that yo ucould include a curse word is when something bad -actually- happens in which a sufficent "HOLY FUCK!" suffices.

Otherwise, I just don't get peoples incessant need to curse up a storm all the time.

I admit I have a potty mouth. But I also know when to clean up my act, no cussing around my mother, elderly people (of which my mother is one of), customers (thought the night they ran out of space on the server, I had some choice words), and I'd never think to cuss in certain events, though I do do some "pretend" cussing - -ya know what I mean, I'm just not saying the words -- Freakin', Crud, and a few others.

I think some folks are so anesthtized to cussing, it's in movies, music, magazines, everywhere, it's become pretty much a meaningless word to them, except they don't realize that those words mean somethig to someone else...

It takes more effort NOT to say those words when you hear them floating by every day. Most people I know tend to take the path of least resistance, and so therefore the words are incorported, even though they add no intrinsic meaning.

Swearing for me is just a way to relieve some of the everyday stress I go through. But I agree with the other posters here that there is a time and a place. Around your friends at the bar while having some drinks, fine. Around co-workers and children, not so good.

I curse because it adds an emphysis on what I am saying... what would you be more likely to pay attention to:
"Here comes a bull"
or...
"Holy fucking shit, here comes a fucking bull!"

Just for examples sake...

I remember back in 5th or 6th grade almost everybody cussed. It was some sort of big taboo and the 'cool' thing to do because people told you not to. Kind of reminds me how smoking, then drinking were so cool a few years later during middle school and the beginning of high school.

Exactly my problem.

But now people are 23-30 and they're old fat gamers (Hey, I'll be one of them I bet), and it just gets on my nerves that these words aren't even for emphasis. They say "fuck" every chance they get simply because they can.

I have the worst mouth. I swear, if I ever get in trouble at work it's always because I let a "fuck" slip in front of a customer... It's a hard habit to break and to be honest I'm not that interested in breaking it. I just need to curb it a little :) But only at work...

I've always thought people include curses in their speech when their vocabulary is not equipped to comfortably enough provide similar emphasis using more "pleasant" language, or they simply choose to curse to maintain some sort of ridiculous tough guy image.

Cursing online does not bother me as much as real-life cursing, because I do not know who is behind the screen - could be some dumb 14 year old, with plenty of time to wise up, so they get the benefit of the doubt. However, when I hear adults cursing in their daily lives, I immediately lose some respect for them...

Am I being unfair?

Fucking-A-Ditty-bop.

I was a sailor. I curse like one, thank you very fucking much.

Some have said that swearing is the sign of a weak mind, and I tend to believe that. It is used most often by those who are too ignorant or unlearned to have a bigger, stronger vocabulary. Yes, that's a sweeping statement, and maybe a bit harsh, but lets be honest - excessive swearing is generally not a vice of the educated. Swearing is generally associated with rudeness or ignorance, and often attributed to those who have those characteristics, and just don't know better.

Everybody swears. It's a fact. We use it to punctuate our anger, most often. But it's generally because in our anger we don't often desire to seek out the most verbose, accurate way to analyse or synthesize what we are feeling inside. We just want out with it, and sometimes "Oh shit" is the first thing that comes to our mind. Which is something we should guard against, in my opinion.

I suppose in reality it does depend on who is cursing and what kind of cursing they're doing.

I had a European History teacher in my senior year of high school who was keen on cursing. Well, not cursing like "Fuck this" but ocassionally he'd include hell, damn and bitch (at least when describing the French king who let Joan of Arc die). He's highly educated and a good man. I suppose it does make a difference based on who's talking, what they look like, etc.

Hm... Either way, having fuck included in a daily vocabulary I think will always be a pet peeve for me. I only curse when driving mostly, and sometimes I feel like I dope when I should "Oh fuck" or something because it sounds really childish in general.

"Profanity is the crutch of inarticulate motherfuckers."
--Jerod Enstrom

The daily convo at my place of employment is riper than most locker rooms. I seem to be worst than most...every few months I notice/realize this and try...honestly...for a bit...to clean up my lingo...it never seems to stick. If I'm not cussing out some member of management for being so #$%$#@%$ stupid...I might be ranting about what a #@$%#%$#@ annoying time I'm having trying to force incompatible components to work together...maybe I'm feeling overwhelming stress from looming production deadlines or or or...seems like there's always someone or something that draws an expletive or two out of me...

there, this makes sense: I cuss when I'm frustrated. Now, to find a different outlet for frustration. I don't always have 5 minutes to spare so I can take a lap of the building (when I have done this, it's helped).

I make it a point to seldom curse. My reasons are pretty personal.
I don't think people who use cursing in everyday language are less intelligent or have less verbal skills than people who do not. However, there is a perception that people who curse are less educated and less eloquent which, of course, is not necessarily true.
I think people who use a lot of vulgarity are less respected. I know that when I talk to people and they curse a lot, I find it difficult to focus on what they are actually saying, and focus more on the explicitives. I almost become upset, because I don't talk like that, and I'd rather other people didn't talk directly to me like that.
Most of my close friends have picked up on this, and respect it, which I appreciate.

Ever hear the music this group listens to? Sad to think that the section of the store where they get their music is riddled with little black and white warning labels.

I try my best to avoid cursing around others. Not because I'm afraid of offending them, but because there's no need to do it. I have no problems expressing myself without having to swearing. Also, I think that girls that curse is a huuuge turn-off :0

I don't suppose that music is in fact exclusive to their age group. I still listen to a good bit of Tool and he makes liberal use of the f-word throughout, along with several other bands I listen to.

I've always had an irreverence to curse words in general. If the group i am in swears, i will use them, but if not I will use "acceptable" euphemisms that mean the exact same thing but are less offensive for no particular reason. Sometimes I just make up words to curse by though. (tooki kumquat!)

I've never really understood the problem people have with cursing.

As a former potty mouth I've always considered abusive use of profanity as a lack of vocabulary. How hard is it to pick up a dictionary and look up a word with the same or similar meaning? Heck, ignoramus is a much better way of calling someone a dumbass and it sounds SO much better.
When in doubt remember Mr. Mackey's song from the South Park movie.

Personally, I like to swear and cuss because it gets on peoples' nerves, it embarrasses and confuses them, and it messes with their heads. And that is a reward in itself.

I love to curse, especially in front of adults and really stuffy people. There's just something about pissing off old people that really gets me going..

Something about being rebellious I guess.

I should have been a little more clear, the "gangsta" rap and hip hop is more along the lines of what I was referring to. I'm a big fan of Social Distortion and have been for years Mike Ness doesn't exactly hold back, epecially in concert.

Que comments about my dislike for "gangsta" rap in three...two...one...

I don't think people who curse are any less intelligent than people who don't and I also don't believe I swear just because I can't think of a substitute. It's a habit, plain and simple. The same habit people have when they say, "like" a lot, or even "umm..."

Yeah I don't think so either... I usually add curse words to "spice" up a sentence. Instead of saying, "What are you doing??" I'll say, "What the fuck are you doing??" I don't think adding "fuck" makes me any less intelligent..

Now that I think about it, how can cursing be a sign of ignorance or stupidity or having a small vocabulary? It's probably true that uneducated people swear a lot more, but that doesn't mean that you're uneducated if you swear. I mean, what is a more intelligent way to say, "I'll kick your ass!"? Should I say, "I'll pummel your derriere!" I'd look like a fucking idiot if I said that.

Another thing I'll never understand is why being a dick to be rebellious is cool...

Me neither.

I curse pretty regularly, if not all the time, myself. Its just over time become habit as a part of my language. Now, I don't walk around talking like I'm Jay in a Keven Smith film, but I curse my fair share.

Sometimes I use the curse words, others I use their derrivitives. I really don't see how saying "darn" instead of "damn" is that much 'better.' You might as well be doing it and spit it out rather than tiptoe around saying a different word that is basically the same in spelling, sound, and effect.

I also realize that what society deams as vulger changes over time. In time as these become more socially acceptable, or at least less socially offensive, cursing will find a way to evolve along with it.

And I have a poster on my wall with a picture of the Hindenburg going down and "SHIT!" printed in foot-tall white letters along the top. It cracks me up every time I glance at it.

I don't consciously use curse words to spice, lighten, spark or enhance conversation in any way, shape or form.

Sometimes they just come. If I'm feeling particularly pissed off (oops, see I did it right there) a good healthy "fuck!" alleviates the feeling.

I do consciously make it a point not to curse around certain folks. My mother, my niece and nephew and the elderly. I also try to keep the content clean in public. Sometimes despite my best intentions, however, curse words come out.

Am I searching for another word? Am I too ignorant to come up with something else? Nope.
My vocabulary is just fine. Sometimes less than acceptable situations call for less than acceptable words.

I curse when I'm at school, with my friends, and at work. I don't use "fuck" as every other word, and some people have commented that I don't swear very much. I just let it come naturally.

Personally, I feel that they're just words. Damn is a biblical term, hell is a place, shit is an acronym (Ship High In Transit) as well as fuck (Fornicate Under Consent of the King). Bitch is a female dog, and bastard is a term for someone born out of wedlock (doesn't really carry the same social stigma today).

I was taught very young how to curse by my drunken sailor mouth mother (no offense to her) who ironically is a middle school English teacher. She even taught the history of most of them. Then I met my wife, who was raised in a very different household. She considered it offensive when I cursed around her and disrespectful if I cursed at her.

I didn’t understand it at first and only revised my language to her. After a while, I found that cursing was pretty useless. I just about never curse anymore. I have a sufficient vocabulary and don’t need to curse to express myself. No offense, but I think it makes people sound like uneducated trash.

I've always believed that people who swear a lot don't have the intelligence or energy (or both) to think of something else to say.

The same is true with comedy; an intelligent comedian who has a true grasp of the language can find a way to make something funny without resorting to blue.

No they aren't acronyms
http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/shit.asp
http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/fuck.htm

I don't curse very often, as a teenager I had a potty mouth. Now I see public figures who let one slip at the wrong time and they have to pay for it in the media. I am not a public figure, but I don't want the possiblity of making a fool of myself in front of a crowd.

It's not nessesary to use those words, but they do make certain expressions seem stronger. It's one thing to say "that movie was really scary" and it's a whole other thing to say "I was shitting my pants from begining to the end". See? It's a whole another level of fear. :p

I do use all of the above words, not because I can't explain myself without them, but because sometimes you just need that oomph that you can't get without using them.

I don't curse in a business setting or when around a crowd innappropriate to do so, but I am pretty hard on myself when I play sports. As a youth, I played many sports and would say things under my breath like, "How the fuck did I miss that shot?", or "Damn waterboy, you fucking suck right now!". People close by can hear it but it is never directed at someone. I try to limit it in my everyday usage as well.

I curse quite a bit around my friends but am able to control it when I need to. I try to limit my cursing to times where it is needed for emphasis.

Weird, but when a customer or someone I don't know begins to swear around me, I think "How do they know I'm not offended by their language?". I only swear around people I know are okay with it and not around strangers. I guess it's a matter of being polite and considerate. Something many people lack.

Cursing adds emphasis on what you are saying. I hate it when people say it is the ignorant/a sign of stupidity. It is used to add emotion, which has nothing to do with intellect. My advice is to get a thicker skin, barring things like church or your grandmothers house, most people curse all the time.

I've recently noticed what a mouth I have on me. I've tried toning it down to a dull roar and it seems to be helping, and I can communicate the same. :)

I try not to. Only in extreme circumstances or when I'm really annoyed do I.

I used to alot as a kid... when it was cool. Now I just think people are unintellegent when they can't find a better word to express themself.

I think once you realize that they're just words, you can live with the world again. Who decided, anyway, that bitch, fuck, cunt or shit were "bad" words? I don't use them excessively, but when I do, it is to make a point. It seems to gain people's attention better than not using them. As for them being "bad words"... What can I tell ya. You're not supposed to even say "God" out of biblical context - I believe that's a sin according to some.

In today's society, curse words are so over used that they provide no emphasis or extra meaning to what someone is saying. I am not offended at all by cursing, however I think it does make people sound stupid when they can't complete 3 sentences without cursing. I don't think that you can generalize and say that most people curse all the time. I don't and most of my wife's family does not. We just don't see the need when we can express ourselves without cursing.

I seriously don't understand why some of yall think that cursing makes a person look less intelligent. To say that is just plain ignorant, in my opinion.

In my opinion, there are very few instances where cursing even sounds remotely intelligent. As you stated in an earlier post, uneducated people tend to curse more than those who are educated. Therefore it is an easy deduction to make that one would sound less intelligent by cursing. It is not a statement of actual level of intelligence, only the outward appearance that you project.

The examples you used earlier "What the fuck are you doing?" and "I'm going to kick your ass" don't sound like the most intelligent conversations that I've heard lately. Perhaps if I am ignorant, you could give me a few good examples of intelligent cursing.

I'll go with the pro-cussing group, but with the situational contingent. I certainly don't think it makes me (or others) look cool. Nor do I assume that someone is stupid or uneducated, on the sole basis of a couple of words in their speech. Like anything else, it depends on the context and the way they use the words. I know some people who curse so well that I can sit back and just listen to them go; and I would certainly rather listen to an interesting person curse well than some dullard use pristine language and express themselves with nary a monosyllabic word creeping into their vocabulary.

That really doesn't have anything to do with the cursing. That would be a debate about personality. Cursing doesn't make you more interesting or less intelligent. I personally don't see the need for it and think there are definitely times it is inappropriate. I just hear cursing every where and it adds nothing because of its overuse.

When I am around other people, I curse very infrequently. I find that people really pay attention to me when I curse, since they don't expect it.

Perhaps because of this, when I'm alone in an empty house, I swear out loud at the smallest stupidest things. Enough so that people might think I had Tourette's.

I think I'm going to have to disagree with you. I meant to impart that some people I know curse so eloquently, in my opinion, that I enjoy listening to them curse. I think it adds to my enjoyment of what they are saying, and contrapositively, what they are saying would not be as interesting to listen to without their use of curse words. The phraseology would simply have a different texture, and I would find it more bland to listen to.

I agree that simply willy-nilly throwing in a bunch of curse words won't make a dull person more interesting. There I'll agree with you on personality - and perhaps I would say that for some people, the use of curse words is a part of their personality, in as much as it contributes to their conversational vernacular. I guess I would consider some use of curse words to be like verbal spice. You can't make a crappy dish any better with hot pepper (In my opinion, that's like throwing on pachuli to cover up your body odor...yes ye un-washed trustafarian, I'm talking about you); but liberal use of certain spices can make good chile great.

A lot of ugly people wear blue shirts -----> if you wear a blue shirt you get uglier.

See how dumb that is?

And you *only* have intelligent conversations? It's ignorant to judge someone by their manner of speech. That's like judging how attractive someone is by the clothes they wear. "Oh well he doesn't wear Armani so he must be ugly."

Part of the reason that swearing is considered a vice of the base and ignorant is because of the topics of conversation that simply are not condusive to swearing. It's difficult to imagine talking about general relativity, chemistry, classic literature, quantum mechanics, etc. and frequent swearing. (So then there was this ***** huge explosion that tore the **** out of the universe. Now all we have are **** four dimensions. Sounds like some stoner trying to be deep while high.)

Swearing fits in perfectly when your discussing how to remove the wheels from you trailer home, telling locker room jokes, complaining about the diminishing quality of the drugs from your local dealer etc. So no, swearing doesn't equal ignorance, maybe it's just a byproduct of the lifestyle that breeds ignorance.

I don't swear, I don't need to swear to express myself. I am perfectly able to express displeasure, pleasure or anger in other ways.

I used to curse much more than I do these days. I was one Tony Soprano when it comes to cussing, but eventually I realized something... English isn't my native language, and I did my cursing in English. I did not fully realize the occasional offensiveness of those words because they did not sound like cuss words to me. Once I translated them to myself in my head and asked myself if I would say the same in Finnish (my native language), the answer was no. The word "motherfucker" doesn't sound so bad to me in English, but the Finnish translation raises my eyebrows.

I see you only selectively read my posts. Perhaps you missed this.

"Cursing doesn't make you more interesting or less intelligent."

Like it or not, many judgments are made by how you act and appear. For example, you can look poor because of the clothes you wear. That doesn't make you poor. Your blue shirt example is not a real stereotype, but if it were, it would be true that on first glance you could be taken for being uglier.

I am not judging anyone's character for cursing; only stating that in my opinion that cursing is viewed as a less intelligent form of conversation.

Wow, testy. As so well stated by frogza, I was only trying to make a point that cursing doesn't have a place in most intelligent discussions. To answer your question, most of the time I try to have at least half intelligent conversations and cursing isn't necessary.

Ever heard the saying, you never get a second chance to make a first impression? I don't judge people's character solely by their manner of speech, but I do get a first impression of people based on how they act. If someone can't express themselves without constantly cursing, I get a negative impression of them. Would you wear a tee shirt and jeans if you wanted professional business people to take you seriously?

In case you missed my other posts, I'm not offended by cursing. There are times it is very inappropriate and others where it doesn't matter. I don't really care if others do it. I don't and if I don't like hearing others curse, I can always choose not to listen.

Yeah, but if you automatically assume they're less intelligent because they cuss, then the point is kinda moot, isn't it?

I understand what you're saying, but I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.

Sorry, I didn't mean to come off as rude.

I don't agree with that.. If I was having an "intelligent" conversation, cursing wouldn't make me look stupid, maybe immature, but not stupid.

If we were having a discussion about airfoils, and I happened to say, "The only problem I have with the Y airfoil is how it stalls so damned sharply. I prefer airfoils that have much 'mushier' stall characteristics." I don't think that makes me look less intelligent at all. It may not be as professional, but I think it has little to do with appearance of intelligence.

I don't always feel the need to have serious, intelligent conversations; maybe we just don't see eye to eye because of our age difference.

Yeah, I have heard of that expression, but I just don't make that distinction when it comes to cursing. As far as wearing jeans and a tee shirt, I wouldn't wear that just because it's not professional.

I agree that there are times when it is definitely inappropriate ,but I don't think appearing intelligent is one of the reason cursing would be inappropriate.

Great thing about this is that we can agree that we disagree. I don't think you're stupid and can see your point of view, however I still have my opinions about the first impression it gives.

Aw... there goes another thing I thought I knew.

Sorry to dig up such an old thread, but this is a subject which is very interesting to me.

Personally I swear simply because I like the aural effect. I consider myself an intelligent and articulate person, and I like to surround myself with other intelligent and articulate people. All of my friends swear. In fact, a few of them can converse with each other using barely more nouns than "shit" and "dude"(or dudes) AND actually convey a meaning to the other person. It's absolutely hilarious to watch.

Ive been known to use the following words on-the-fly, sometimes more than once:
"Browsifying"
"Brazilliant"
"Fuckery" (some of you mightve seen that one ;))
"Fantasmal"
"Pastrious" (yes as the adjective form of 'pastry')
and more. I even accidentally asked a customer if they were just browsifying when I worked at EB.
I just love the way particular words can be effectively used to jazz up normal speech, to add a bit of enjoyment to the act of speaking. I think its a rythmic thing.

Now, 'Fuck' has got to be one of my all time favourite words, simply because its distinct, concise, sharp, and it has to be the most versatile english word ever created. It's fun to use! I almost never use 'shit' or 'cunt' (except maybe as exclamations) simply because they're not as interesting to say.

I AM able to convey my meaning and express strong emotion without using curse words, and indeed I usually find I can express ideas and feelings better without them. Some of the coldest, most hate filled insults I've ever heard (or said *guilty look*) have no swearing at all. I do agree that abuse of these words is stupid andmakes them boring.
Billy Connelly said that it's perfectly alright to swear, as long us you can swear WELL. ;) Billy himself happens to hold the opinion that he can swear brilliantly.

Personally I have never taken offence at curse words of any form, and I had this idea:
If I mean no offence when I use a swear word, (in fact, maybe the opposite case, say I am conveying a compliment and happen to swear as a rythmic device) and someone else takes offence to my using it...
is it my fault for using it, or are they 'choosing' to take offence?
Hmmmm....

Oh, and just for the hell of mentioning it, I happen to think that the most entertaining (friendly) insult ever has to be
"Fuck you, fuckball." :D Can't get enough.

this is an interesting subject to me as well. The way I look at it is this: A word is a word no matter how you cut it. Swear words often put some sort of emphasis on things. Also let's take shit for example. What's the difference if I say feces or crap or shit? It's the same thing. Sure there are slang uses and such but the bottom line is that words are words. It's interesting in itself that I look at it like this because I loathe the ebonics stuff (this is not a personal attack on any one or any group) I just don't like the way it sounds. I also have to look at it from another view point that shows how language and terminology changes from generation to generation. I mean.. do you really want to still be talking in Anglo-Saxon? I know I don't. SO I guess the real point here is that people talk how they feel accustomed and how they like to talk.

Cursing should not be abused. It should be only for extreme cases. If you grew up with parents who did not cuss and then you heard them cuss, it was for a good reason. They had to be pretty pissed to do so. I dont' think it should be everyday vocabulary. If you are pissed off at the world and are uptight, you may be inclined to cuss more often. Most people I hear cussing seem mad all the time. The exception being comedians. A lot of them just cuss for the laugh.

Cuss or not, we all have our opinions.

Using naughty words is a common practice of mine. On the tennis court, "shit" and "goddammit" will be emitted according to how badly my game is going that day.

But I will also use those and worse words deliberately in front of those holier than thou types if I notice they are sticking there nose up to something I've said, variations of "fuck" may erupt seemingly spontaneously, especially if the saintly one is male. To add insult to injury, its even more effective to use such verbal language while letting a loud fart while crossing in front of them. One must grab inner pleasure where one can!

Beats me. I swear less than my parents do, and that's saying quite a bit. Occasionally I'll throw one out or whatever though, normally either in fun, or because I'm having a vocabularic blockage. I don't think there's much of a moral or annoyance component to swearing though, and it stops being done for the "coolness" factor after about grade 8 with most people. After that it's just force of habit and limited vocabulary, combined with sporadic cases of proper usage.

One thing I've never understand is why people are so compelled to complain about people who use words like Fuck, Shit, Damn, Ass, Bitch, etc.

They're just words. They are meaningless.

They're only bad because your mom told you it was bad to say them. The end.

Like someone else said above, the other words mean the same thing. If one is bad, then the other has to be bad as well. Vagina? Pussy. Penis? Cock. Sex? Fuck. Poop? Shit. Rear end/butt/gleuteus maximus? Ass. Donkey? Ass.

Think about it: one can NOT be more "bad" than the other if it means the same thing. It all goes back to people making a stink about them to begin with, which really needs to stop.

Same thing. Different words. I don't get mad at someone for calling my tires "wheels", or for saying "hot" instead of spicy.

I recognise that swearing has its time and place (basically most of the time and almost all places), as in i wont use it in front of people who i know it will offend and who's opinion of me i value.
However i do relish walking down a crowded street with a friend not necessarily going out of my way to say particularly offensive things, but instead merely allowing them to come out. Especially when its one of those particularly animated conversations where you might happen to loudly mention something of a taboo nature and you just know that at least one person in the crowd heard and was absolutely horrified.