Swearing, Cursing, Cussing...

Freesia

Freesia

At your service~
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Swearing is something that probably nearly all of us do, especially if we're angry about something. People use it as a way to emphasize something, but depending on how it's used it can also be a sign of disrespect and contempt.

Do you swear? If so how often? What is your opinion on those who swear excessively? (i.e, those who swear in every sentence or so..) And what are your thoughts on words such as "darn", "heck", and "gosh" which many people use in place of swear words? Like me, do you use them? :)

I grew up in a catholic environment, so I was always socialized to avoid swearing. I'm not so much religious these days, but I still tend to avoid swearing unless I'm really angry about something, which in this case I can't help it. xD

I do say words like "gosh" and "darn", because I don't like coming off as harsh. Part of the reason I swear occasionally (other than when I'm really mad) is because it seems like a way to get people to take me seriously for a change.
 
I'm a Catholic and my parents made sure I didn't curse when I was growing up, I only ever really say "damn" and "hell" when I feel exasperated at something, or I'll use BS and AF abbreviations in online chat, but I never say the full words. I don't really care if someone curses a lot tbh, it doesn't really bother me. The only time I am bothered by it is if we are having a one on one conversation, and they say a curse word after every other word, then it gets annoying.
 
I'm gonna be honest, I swear, but not as much as i would want to that's just because i am in a Neighbourhood where cursing is almost 24/7 and after a while, just got used to it. Some of the comments I put on this site have cursing but that's just me expressing cuz in hindsight I really don't do it as much would expect so yeah.
 
I try to be conscious of the fact that when somebody throws around swear words like there's no tomorrow, they have no language to use in order to establish that they're saying something especially serious. That's the point of swear words in our language, which means it defeats the purpose to treat them like they don't mean anything, but it also defeats the purpose to never ever use them.
 
Cap'n Jack said:
I try to be conscious of the fact that when somebody throws around swear words like there's no tomorrow, they have no language to use in order to establish that they're saying something especially serious.
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Or maybe just they use it because it's part of what they grew with and not to do with their vocab capabilities. I swear a lot and I'm a very eloquent person and it's nothing to do with finding words, it's nature, a product of an environment, a colloquialism.
 
Lyrebird said:
Or maybe just they use it because it's part of what they grew with and not to do with their vocab capabilities. I swear a lot and I'm a very eloquent person and it's nothing to do with finding words, it's nature, a product of an environment, a colloquialism.
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I didn't mean it the way I think you're taking it. It seems like you think I said that people who swear a lot only swear a lot because they don't know what else to say, and we both know that's not true. What I meant was that swearing is the language that people use to express something especially serious, and if somebody over-uses it, it cheapens those words. That might be a point where we disagree on the matter, but just to be clear, I'm not saying that people who swear a lot have smaller vocabularies.
 
Haha you wouldn't think I would, but I curse a bit. xD I don't curse at people, unless there is a small, rare chance they really got me pissed. Otherwise, it's really when I'm playing a game, I see something cool/something that makes me angry, when I'm talking to my friends (once again, not *at* them). :)

It kind of bothers me when I'm somewhere and I hear people cursing around kids who shouldn't be knowing such words at their age.
 
I don't really care about people using 'em, they're just words and are really nothing more than emphasis. I don't really understand why people get offended by them. I don't curse too much, but that is simply so that the effect is greater on the times I do.
 
I don't get it either, but sometimes you could use them on all the wrong moments which I have been guilty of and nearly got killed doing so. Luckily, they realized it was a misunderstanding and we got ourselves on good terms... it took him a whole 1/4 of a year for that to happen.
 
poke trey said:
I don't get it either, but sometimes you could use them on all the wrong moments which I have been guilty of and nearly got killed doing so. Luckily, they realized it was a misunderstanding and we got ourselves on good terms... it took him a whole 1/4 of a year for that to happen.
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Oh my goodness! Glad you're okay!
But yeah sometimes a curse word can slip out at the wrong times and the other party can get offended by it, it never bothers me if they accidentally let one slip if we hang out/converse, they usually don't mean anything by it.
 
Cap'n Jack said:
I didn't mean it the way I think you're taking it. It seems like you think I said that people who swear a lot only swear a lot because they don't know what else to say, and we both know that's not true. What I meant was that swearing is the language that people use to express something especially serious, and if somebody over-uses it, it cheapens those words. That might be a point where we disagree on the matter, but just to be clear, I'm not saying that people who swear a lot have smaller vocabularies.
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I don't believe so. I don't believe that using a lot of swearing cheapens the fuck out of the words. The notion of words being over-used is ridiculous.
 
Ooooooh, I need to cut back on swearing, I think.
I generally swear when I'm either angry, or for emphasis. Like "Loud as he11," or "and the f*cking ___." I generally use 'he11, f*ck,' and 'd*mn' the most often.
And I still say 'crap' because I picked it up at ten and it never left me. =p

My parents had this rule when I was growing up: after I reached middle school, they explained that yeah, i was probably going to pick up swearing, because everyone else would start, so they were okay with me swearing in front of them if it wasn't directed at them. Like I could say "Dam* it!" but I couldn't say "*ck you, Mom!"
 
It's funny how I got introduced to curse words. The word "shit" I learned from my mom whenever something really upset her. She would always tell me and my brother never to repeat that word (she was very much a firm believer in the "do as I say, not as I do" mantra), and we never did for the longest time. I learned the word "fuck" in second grade when a fellow second-grader wrote the word in one of those blinds used to make sure other people didn't cheat on our papers. I remember asking my parents what the word meant and they freaked out. Long story short, I never used words they found offensive so I wouldn't get into trouble.

That lasted til I entered high school. Yeah, I managed to not curse until my freshman year in high school when I hung out with this one girl (who is still my friend to this day). Her vocabulary just rubbed off on me and I started to use colorful language from then on out. My parents had since loosened up a bit on cursing since I am an adult going on 30 with a job that pays half the bills, but I try not to curse in front of them out of respect. Sometimes it'll slip, but thank goodness they can be understanding.

Yeah, since I do cuss, both here and offline, it doesn't bother me at all. I can't be bothered by something I do myself. I do have a problem with people who think they have to swear every single sentence. Not because it cheapens the effect of the words, but because it makes the user sound like they're trying to be "edgy". Believe me when I say that if you do that, you are not being edgy. I'll more than likely be counting how many times you curse than listen to what you actually have to say.

On a side note, I don't use major cuss words on my personal collection website. I try to make that site as SFW as possible, if only at least PG rated for the kiddies who stumble onto it. ^^
 
I have a funny relationship with cursing. Both online and in real life, I rarely curse. Not really because of my upbringing (my parents, for instance, curse quite freely) but I think because I've always had a tendency to speak and write rather formal and proper-like, so I've kind of conditioned myself against cursing over the years. So even in a situation where most people would let out at least a mild curse, I'd almost always actively substitute them for somewhat less objectionable words like "darn", "heck", and the like. And even when I'm repeating someone else's curse words, I often flinch and have to force myself to let the words out; that's how dispositioned I am against saying curse words. The only exceptions are when I'm in an excitable mood or when I'm especially angry, in which case all of that self-conditioning is either forgotten or completely tossed out the window.

But all of that only applies to cursing out loud. Because in my head, I always curse. As in, if I cursed as much in real life as I did in my head, I'd be considered one of the most foul-mouthed people around. Whenever something surprises me, or if something goes extremely wrong, or if I see or hear something that's particularly stupid, then almost no word is off-limits... but I'll rarely, if ever, speak them aloud. I also have no problem with using curse words when I'm writing something like a story (because they involve fictitious characters with their own rules, as opposed to actual people in real life) although I still often hesitate before actually typing the words down.

As for other people who curse a lot? For the most part, I don't really care... and to be honest, I sometimes actually enjoy hearing other people curse in a comedic or otherwise lighthearted context. I do have a problem, however, with extreme cases where literally every other word is a curse word (and even then that just sounds silly or stupid, not really offensive) or when said curses are clearly meant to hurt and are actually directed at me or those I care about.
 
Well I never swear in public except the occasional d*mn or sh*t. And that too in really desperate situations. Mostly I use those words in public when I remember one of my own mistakes or when I forget to do something and suddenly remember it. So it's almost never directed at anyone else and I speak very softly in public so chances of other people hearing it are very low.

At home though I swear a lot. Mostly at people or situations which annoy me in some way.
I think swearing is just a way of expressing anger and there is nothing wrong with that when it is done in private. It's better to have a way of letting out that anger instead of keeping it bottled up.

And when you are angry you are obviously not going to be in a condition to express your views in a polite and formal way. So swearing a little (or more at times) to get over that anger and then explaining your problems to your family seems alright to me, that's why I do it.
 
I swear a lot. It's part of what I grew up in and the culture around me. Obviously you know when to use it or not but in general convo, it comes up frequently. It's the ocker tongue.
 
Lyrebird said:
I don't believe so. I don't believe that using a lot of swearing cheapens the fuck out of the words. The notion of words being over-used is ridiculous.
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Whatever. All I have left to say to you is that it's possible for us to disagree without you referring to my opinion as "ridiculous". I've done nothing of the sort to you, as far as I'm aware.
 
I never curse. I just don't like doing it. The only times I did it were when I was a kid, and that was either by accident or out of ignorance of what they really meant.
 
I don't really use curse words. I feel like if I get angry enough to curse then it will have that much more of an impact. I curse a lot in my head though. And sometimes I curse in my dreams which I think is kind of interesting.
 
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