Swearing

[Roarey Raccoon]

I can't remember the last time I actually made a topic here that wasn't related to my staff position, so I fancied making one that has nothing whatsoever to do with telling people how to behave or how much shit they are in. This topic is basically my view on the issue of swearing and its general use in language; you'll have to forgive me for I am about to write in less commonly accessible language. I'm not about to do this to sound pretentious or more knowledgeable but rather to make a subtle point.

Anyway, get on with it and yadda yadda.

I am often encountered with the patronising tone of a school-master emanating from the mouths or keyboards of very ordinary people when it comes to the use of 'harsh language'. Apparently purveyors of social convention, they remind me that there are better words to use than culturally labeled swear words in any given situation. This seems to be a reasonable assertion when viewed from the angle of one sitting on the fence, escaping the directness of what amounts to an attack on ones preference for verbal utterances. Do note the deliberate inclusion of the word 'seems' in the previous sentence, my attempt was to allude to the fact that these rather regular public assertions aren't reasonable at all, for a number of reasons.

The issue that chiefly springs to mind is an attempt at defining the word 'better' in the context of language use; however, a disagreement on my part with this phrasing would be a straw man argument, for I am not directly responding to a comment actually uttered by another human being. To avoid pedanticism (at least to some degree), which I generally loathe, rather than contend with the word 'better' I will simply state that an assertion with regards to more useful words is an arbitrary one, particularly in this context.

Secondly we arrive at a curious idea that is implied when one tells another not to swear; the idea being that swearing is obviously a useless form of language and its usage, regardless of context, is inappropriate. Allow me a brief digression at this juncture to expound the virtues of horrible sweary language.

Harsh language is diverse both in application and tone, a factor that exemplifies the importance of language in general, that it is an infinitely malleable tool that can be made to fit the hand of the wielder. Language is subject to constant cultural evolution, members of any particular generation may remark on the bastardization of their own linguistic conventions by other generations. One of the great beauties of language, if you would permit me to branch away from my analytical tone to a more floral one, is its diversity and capacity for change, to meet the challenges of new experiences and different forms of expression. Swear words, though crassly judged, are still common, universally familiar words in any given language, they are expressed with undeniable frequency and, admittedly, ample relish. Hardly useless or inappropriate in any objective way.

Thirdly (and finally, for the purposes of my point), reminders on the errors of swearing are expressed as if they are merely a polite and rather important statement. I will contend with this aspect too. There is little doubt that some may instruct others not to swear for reasons other than a passive-aggressive warning about language use but it is the slyness of the latter that really bothers me, so I'm dealing with that. When I am informed by a person (usually a complete stranger) about my horrific language I wonder what their intentions are. This is never made clear to me in my own experience, but how I come to view it is invariably like this:

You swoooore! I'm telliiiiiing!

Whatever the intention of the speaker, telling another how they ought to communicate is an undermining of their own ability to assess appropriateness in rather an insulting manner. If one is to assert this, one should be prepared to adequately qualify themselves.

Oh Christ Jesus this is annoying. I have to type in plain english now, it's such a fucking chore to write all that tedious twaddle. My bottom line, right, is that I'm an adult and I'll decide how I want to speak, or write, or piss poetry in the snow. As is your right to dislike seeing or hearing swear words, it is equally so for me to use them at liberty. Flowing, passionate, fucking wonderful liberty. I love to swear, I love swear words; I love their infinite adaptability, but more than this I love their accessibility. Language is communication and I like to communicate in a way that anyone can understand, I like to just state my point in an effective and simple manner so all can follow without feeling left out or swamped beneath an assload of sodding technical jargon.

So for those of you who really can't handle swearing, I have two things I wish to say. One of them is a quote from a brilliant standup comedian, Doug Stanhope:

If you are offended by any word in any language it's probably because your parents were unfit to raise a child.

And finally, the last thing I wish to say is fuck you very much and thanks for reading.

[Blue Blood]

Fuck off, I'm not reading that wall of text.

[PeanutButterDimond]

When it comes to swearing, I think of Stephen Fry's thoughts on the subject.

In fact, I think Roarz post proves Stephen's point.

Edited May 8, 2012 by PeanutButterDimond

[Emperor Robrainiac]

I don't/very rarely cuss because I want to respect my family's beliefs... There have been times where I've heard my folks let it slip out, but in this day and age, it's not really surprising, honestly. Everyone's gotta let it out one way or another... I know I've done so once or twice on this board.

Of course, this is just out of politeness, not "prudeness..." I'm not the kind of person to judge or whine whenever I overhear someone else drop the F-bomb though... Maybe unless they're children, but that's mostly because of how different of an enviroment I was raised in... I don't know what people think of children cussing nowadays. I remember when i was in elementary, if you even said damn or hell, the children would freak out. Nowadays, children cuss like sailors... i personally don't like it, but eh... what are you gonna do? I think the only reason I saw cussing children was because I was in a k-12 highschool, so the kids may have picked up on the cursing.

Overall, I've heard and seen it so much from real life and on the internet, I've become desensitized to it. It doesn't really bother me as much as when I was in 9th grade.

Only time I have problems with cussing is when 13 year olds use it as if they were sentence enhancers (lolspongebobrefrance) and say it after every word... Even worse when they're over the age of 20 and use it to sound badass, like a certain fan of classic sonic who shall not be named. That's the only time when cussing makes you look stupid.

Edited May 8, 2012 by Wayward Vagabond

[Old dead account]

I don't mind swearing at all, I don't mind it when anyone says it when talking to me either. I know where and when not to do so, and when it's too much that it makes you sound like a moron like fuckin mariothefuckinplumber in his fuckin videos where he fuckin says fuck every fuckin other fuckin word and he fuckin sounds like a fuckin moron, fuck. My dad is pretty anal when any of us swear but he swears like a sailor whenever he talks to his old friends...hypocritical much? It's just words. I also, don't like how people seem to be so oversensitive about the word faggot even here even when I don't use it directly at anyone , which is why I avoid using it here. But yeah swearing isn't as big a fucking deal as most people make it out to be. Carry on you crazy cunts

[The Kid]

Oh Roarz, SSMB wouldn't be the fucking same without you. *Raises mug*

[supersonikku]

Brilliant post. Its not big and its not clever but sometimes you just cant beat a good fucking swear.

If theres one thing that surprised me about this fanbase, its how many people seem to take offence at the fact 'Shadow the hedgehog' had "swearing" in it.

Except it didn't. Not really. If you still consider the word "damn" a swear word in this day and age....well I don't know how you go from day to day life without recoiling in horror every other minute.

[Nix]

I came in here expecting The Cheese and his immaculate usage of swear words.

You have no idea how fucking disappointed I am right now.

Swearing is the shit, though. It's a simple and easy way to put emphasis on your statements.

Edited May 8, 2012 by Pinkamena

[Autosaver]

I swear you were the same guy that left a remark about me when I said I didn't like how the staff swore like crazy. This was a while back though, it is nearly non-existent now. You rarely see staff (OK, FOR THE MOST PART) cursing. Now, what is my view on swearing? Let's see if I can process my thoughts while half-asleep.

I was raised in a home where swearing was not tolerated. No, this does not mean I'll shriek if someone swears. It really doesn't bother me too much, it is so easy to ignore and shrug off.

I never understood the appeal of swearing. I mean, what is the dire need to use that set of vocab words? "I need to go to the fucking bathroom". Why? Can't you just say that you need to go the bathroom? Is there a reason why you need to put the word "fuck" in front of bathroom? It just seemed like an odd word choice. Hey, I can see why if you have explosive diarrhea but a casual pee doesn't need an announcement.

"Swearing is used to put emphasis on your statements" <-- I totally agree, but I feel the emphasis is lost when people abuse swears. When the only word you say is fuck, and you use it in every sentence, it doesn't have the same effect. Remember when you were little and everyone would gasp when someone said a swear? Not anymore, it is the usual.

Many of you know the word "good" is classified as a poor example of a descriptor word. This is how I entirely feel with swears. It goes along with what I said before. What is the point of a curse word when you use it so much? Is it even a curse word anymore? Do you guys really see the emphasis on your sentences when you use it so much?

Sometimes, swearing comes off as plain annoying. This is true to people that don't stop swearing. I'm guessing this really doesn't fit into the swearing argument, but it is something that should be mentioned. Some people just take advantage of curse words and ruin it for others. A previous user noted that he didn't like when people like Mariotehplumber curse to oblivion. I totally agree, it makes you look like a moron.

Now back to my powerful statement. I never swear and if I ever do, it means that huge emphasis is placed on whatever situation occurred when it happened. As seen in classrooms, I'm known as the "role-model nice guy". What happens when they hear ME swear? God! Something must be wrong! It isn't normal for that person to be swearing! I find that the perfect response to swears. Average Joke swears? He swears all the time, who cares?

tl;dr

Basically, I love swears being the top tiered list of descriptory words. I feel curse words lose their value when overused. Swears can have a double meaning depending on the person. Powerful vs the norm. I don't really care when people swear, but the words come off as stale from certain people. My brain literally skips the word if it is used too much.

[Dr. Mechano]

I seldom- if ever- swear. I am not, however, bothered by other people swearing.

[Snatcher2047]

Swearing is fine with me, but like everything else, when used in moderation or when it actually calls for it (to raise one's emotional impact of what they are talking about; see the before-mentioned Lewis Black). I knew this person who used to use the F-bomb as if it were a comma. EVERY OTHER WORD OUT OF HER MOUTH WAS THIS. I have no problem using the word, but it can be annoying when you speak like that.

I, myself, don't swear/curse often. But I have found that I curse a lot at work where I work with a lot of machines that tend to not work they way they are supposed to. And when I've done everything I can to get them to work and they still don't... well, I want to rage. Cool thing is, it's a loud factory, so I can curse my head off and no one is likely to hear me.

I also try to keep from cursing in front of women and children. Being a gentleman, being sensible and manners and all.

In closing...:

Edited May 8, 2012 by Snatcher2047

[KrazyBean]

I do try to avoid swearing unnecessarily, but y'know sometimes nothing can't beat the feeling of exploding and cussing till kingdom come.

[Stacy]

I swear, quite but I need to cut down I have little Nephew and my Grandma doesn't like it.

I wish I could say this when people get mad at me for losing my temper and swearing at a video game:

[Octarine]

Whether I swear or not depends very much on what sort of social situation I'm in. Around strangers or my parents, I'll rarely swear, if ever. On a forum like this or around people I'm relatively familiar with I'll swear sometimes, but usually not too much. Among my close friends, though, I'm probably the one who swears the most by a long shot.

I think it has a lot to do with passion; when I'm trying my hardest to be an aloof badass (the actual effect is more like "awkward doofus", but I haven't given up yet) around people I don't know, I don't usually get too intense and so I never feel like I need to emphasize anything enough to require swearing. I feel like I can be as much of a jabbermouth dork as I want around my friends, though, so I speak a lot more quickly and loudly, and when I can't think of anything to say I tend to fill the empty spot with something foul.

Edited May 8, 2012 by Octarine

[Pelly <3's U]

I think the argument that words lose meaning when you use them so often so don't swear is quite ridiculous. It ignores everything known about the basic model of communication, and really is just a way for people who don't like swearing to tactfully try and make a point without coming off as a condescending ass.

I think swearing and the stigma around it is quite silly. I'm going to talk/write however I please, and it's everyone's right to form an opinion of me based off of it. I mean I usually think of people who don't capitalize their i's as seeming kind of unintelligent, but this doesn't mean it's true.

[Roarey Raccoon]

I never understood the appeal of swearing. I mean, what is the dire need to use that set of vocab words? "I need to go to the fucking bathroom". Why? Can't you just say that you need to go the bathroom? Is there a reason why you need to put the word "fuck" in front of bathroom? It just seemed like an odd word choice. Hey, I can see why if you have explosive diarrhea but a casual pee doesn't need an announcement.

Need never enters into it, it's all about desire and the personal pleasure of using the language you like the most. One could say they just want to use the bathroom without a casual fucking add to the equation, or you could say nothing at all, or you could just swear anyway if it's what you want to do XP. Doesn't make any difference really. I agree that overuse dulls the effectiveness of the words themselves but fuck it eh, it's not like that matters either.

[Noir]

The idea that there's something inherently wrong with any set of words beyond discriminatory slurs has always beyond baffled me. And even in the case of slurs, I can understand the argument behind disliking them, but frankly don't agree. I've always seen words as words. They have a definition, they have a use. To have some stigma behind them, to have a word exist but refuse to use it because it's "bad," is something I see as ridiculous.

There are certainly people who do a great job of making themselves sound like an uneducated fuck because they overuse swears to the point it seems they don't know any other words worth using. But to use them in general, there's just nothing I can grasp as something to hold against them. I can't comprehend how using one is any different than using a synonym. They mean the exact same thing and to have one be acceptable and the other a "bad word" is retarded. It's all up to word choice, and I damn well like to choose swearing.

[Old dead account]

Meh, racial slurs are a double standard anyways. A Black person says cracker and no one gives a shit, a white person says nigger and they get put on national news even if it isn't directed at anyone.

I also don't get how people, mostly teens but a lot of older guys too, over-cuss because they think it makes them look more adult. For the record, I never complained about the cussing in Shadow's game.

Edited May 8, 2012 by Prince Solaris

[Dr. Mechano]

Meh, racial slurs are a double standard anyways. A Black person says cracker and no one gives a shit, a white person says nigger and they get put on national news even if it isn't directed at anyone.

Without getting too off topic, I think there is a difference that can be chalked up to more than mere double-standard. The term "nigger" is a slur that has been used to oppress and keep down a racial minority for years; The word "cracker," while it is intolerant and prejudiced in its use, does not carry with it the ugly history of the former's marginalization of an entire race of people.

I want to say that I agree that the use of both slurs is objectively wrong, but one has to understand that they aren't perfectly comparable. To put down a black person using such racial slurs in the pre (and even post)-Civil Rights era was to exercise societal power over that person, shunning them from the privilege of the majority. To insult the majority group using a slur (i.e., "honkey," "cracker", etc.), even while it is absolutely wrong, did not have this scarring power or effect; Feelings could be (and certainly have been) hurt by anti-white prejudice, but it has never been used as a nationwide, legally sanctioned form of discrimination.

Compare slurs used against homosexuals ("Fag," "dyke", etc.) to slurs used against heterosexuals ("Breeder", etc.). I can say that both are wrong, but obviously the homophobic slurs are going to be more universally offensive because of their history of oppression and marginalization. Is prejudice against heterosexuals okay? Absolutely not, and I don't intend to sanction it by calling anti-hetero slurs incomparable to homophobic ones, but I am demonstrating that a slur's history (particularly a history of oppressing social minorities) makes it more offensive and more powerful.

All prejudice is equally wrong, as is all hate speech, whether the target of said hate speech is a social minority or not. I don't deny this at all; What I am saying is that slurs against an oppressed social minority are just going to be more universally offensive due to their use in perpetuating the societal marginalization that these groups encounter. In short, it really isn't a "double standard" so much as the slurs- despite being both wrong- having completely different histories and impacts as to their use.

Edited May 8, 2012 by El Gran Gordo

[Skyler]

You people need to quit this cussing shit.

[LATER BUDDY]

I've never really had a problem with swearing/cussing/what have you. I do watch my mouth around grandma and stuff, mainly because I understand she comes from a different time. I do it for my parents as well for the same reasons. They were taught that you don't do that to your parents, and I respect that I guess. I mean I guess I don't want my kid really saying "FUCK YOU DAD" at me, but I guess I'd rather have that then "I HATE YOU DAD," which would probably the be alternate. But hey, this all stems from opinion, that's just me, XD.

if anything, I find cussing funny as a right context. It can be used as a fluffed filler word that just kinda makes things funnier if used right. I mean there's always the people that don't really do it right and try to hard, but hey, that's just another opinion of mine (I hope you're catching on that I'm tagging "opinion" to everything). Hell, even when movies like (excuse me for my current interests) Fantastic Mr. Fox decide to substitute every swear word with simply the word "cuss" makes it like x100 more funny, since it'd done right.

Personally, I find the fear of words stupid. It's a word. I know I have a friend in particular that doesn't like this, but one that I never got why it was so bad really was "God damn it" and plainly "Jesus Christ." I'd used to get a slap across my mouth for saying "Jesus Christ," and I thought it was pointless. I very well could have said "Kevin Bacon" and I'm damn sure not a single thing would've changed.

Anyways, I'm just getting to the point of ranting. All in all, I think cussing is dependent on the people (duh). Some people can really carry the power of the meaning (hi Roarz) when they use it, and others just come off as extremely annoying.

[Meow]

I swear when I feel its appropriate. I think there is always a time and place for everything. I do not swear at work for example. From time to time if I hurt myself during a freight shift I auto-default to swearing, but I do try to keep it out of my workplace the best as I can. I just do not feel for me personally that it is an appropriate time.

In a very lax situation where its just a few pals and myself, I just let my mouth go. Around family members and my younger siblings I tend to keep it to a minimum. For me personally, especially when it concerns younger children, I'd rather them learn not to develop the habit of swearing about everything early. Language is a very powerful thing and how you use the words to carry on a conversation with another person is important, so I'd rather my brother and sister learn things outside of swear words. Considering that you can flip on the TV or tune into the radio to have all these young kids exposed to swears, and even worse than that, disrespectful messages towards other people (which I have more problems with than the swearing), I figure they're going to learn all that from a different source than myself and I'd rather them know more about language than "Fuck this" and "fuck that".

I try not to judge those who swear constantly, but I do think there is a point where enough is enough. However its not on the basis that it is a swear word itself being used, but I find constantly using the word "fuck", for example, is just as annoying as inserting the word "like" after every other word. It makes me question a person's ability to actually get to the point. So that's not really a swear word thing in of itself, but the fact is that it's becoming more and more common around here. There was a guy I knew in college who would just go "And uhh...fuckin' uhh, fuckin'...uhh that is uhh, fuckin' cool". Drove me nuts. Both UHH and Fuckin' were always in the way of him getting to what he actually wanted to say. If "Like" was thrown into that equation too I probably would have exploded.

Anyway, while I will admit that in a casual, private setting I am more likely to swear and be incredibly vulgar (Wolfy should know this from skype!), my favourite conversations are the ones where I can talk to someone without any swearing at all. Not that I view swearing as something less intelligent, but from time to time I like to indulge in a little of what is in the first post. It's intellectually stimulating for me I guess. I guess its because even at work...I run into conversations where the word "explicit" is somehow considered a big word. I think I crave a little more substance out of a conversation than that sometimes haha.

[Gregzilla]

I swear mainly to let out some emotion, whether it be mild or severe. If I make a little mistake, my first reaction is usually "Dammit." If I'm really frustrated and stressed out, I will probably mutter under my breath stuff like "Fuck this motherfucking piece of shit." I don't say stuff like that out loud unless it's with a comfortable group of peers. In my household and family, we don't really see swearing as a bad thing unless it's harshly directed at someone. "Damn," "Hell," "Screw," and other mild obscenities are generally fine in my house, and if we're all in a good mood then we jokingly use some of the more vulgar ones.

For comedy purposes, I think swearing can be used to enhance certain jokes, but usually isn't that funny if it's the heart of the humor. Egoraptor is one exception (along with some other internet celebrities), as he turns swearing into an art form, using "fuck" in really interesting ways. When writing comedic stories, I think swears can really add to the weight and humor of the jokes and events. For instance, I wrote some graphic novels in my free time recently, and though I tried to avoid overusing swears, there are just moments where saying "HOLY CRAP" doesn't seem as funny as "HOLY SHIT." It all depends on the material, though. Swears should be used to add character or enhance dialogue, not just be there for the sake of being there.

People who add "fuck" or "shit" in the middle of every few words they say come off as extremely unintelligent. It makes them seem very immature and unaware of how to speak normally. Swears don't pack the same punch if used constantly, so moderation is key to not sounding like a complete ass.

Though I must admit, I didn't realize how much I swear until I was put into a situation where I couldn't. I am currently volunteering weekly to help young mentally-challenged children play sports, and it feels extremely restricting not being able to let out a "damn" every once in a while.

[Blacklightning]

I came in here expecting The Cheese and his immaculate usage of swear words.

DID SOMEONE FUCKING CALL FOR ME??? =D

Honestly, I don't have a whole lot to add at this stage because most of it's already been said. The only problem I really have with shitty language at this stage is that certain people will interpret every post I make as some kind of threat or insult, in complete spite of the word "fuck" generally being used in the context of emphasis alone. To the best of my knowledge I've never explicitly called anyone a cunt on these boards, and while I might call someone out for making a royally goddamned retarded post every now and then I never make any actual implications about their actual intelligence. Some people don't seem to account for the possibility that even a relatively smart memeber can still make a fucking stupid post every once in a while - I know I still do it on occasion, and I'm not terribly afraid to admit that. Neither should anyone else be.

Where was I going with this? Fuck, I forget. But the main point I really wanted to make is that if people really have that much of a problem with swearing just for the sake of emphasis and nothing more, it's my opinion they should probably grow the fuck up. Especially in a place like this where swearing is already tolerated... you know, on the basis that it isn't incredibly tasteless and in intent to deliberately provoke.

PS: If all else fails, learn to swear in a language other than English. You guys have no idea how effective it is as a stress relief method to call someone a shithead in German without them ever knowing what it means. XP

[Solkia]

Geez! So many pottymouths on these boards! >:I

Edited May 9, 2012 by Solkia the Typo Wizard