A Conversation for Swearing

The Uses of Swearing

Post 1

26199

My own experiences with swearing would tend to corroborate the views of the author of this particular article; expletives do serve a purpose.

Y'see, my swearing use varies by a factor of 100% depending on the company I'm in. If I'm in civilised company, I probably won't even swear if I stub my toe on something or manage to (again) cripple my computer by accident. On the other hand, when I'm with my (fairly laid-back) friends from highschool, swearing can be used to express pain or frustration, or, more likely, simply because it's funny. And swearing *can* be funny; sad, but true. It's probably to do with the timing.

When I'm in the public eye, on the other hand, I try and avoid swearing completely - simply because you never know whether you'll offend someone. If you can find a post of mine containing bad language, I'd be surprised.

Thus swearing is almost exclusively, to me at least, something to be used, even a tool in communication, rather than anything... um... else.


The Uses of Swearing

Post 2

Cheerful Dragon

I have no objection to swearing when it is used as a means of venting frustration or expressing pain. (Although I did once slam a car door shut with the tip of my thumb trapped in it - and I didn't swear! Sometimes things hurt too much for swearing to be a relief!smiley - sadface I also dropped a drawer of baking trays and stuff on my foot and just said 'Shit' so quietly that my husband didn't even know something was wrong.) What I do object to is people who use 'f*cking' every third word, for no obvious reason. To me this indicates lack of education or lack of self-control - or something. I don't know, it's just offensive.


The Uses of Swearing

Post 3

Dragonesque

I agree that sometimes things hurt too much for swearing to be a relief - I went through nearly 16 hours of labour which ended in an emergency caesarian and did not swear once. I was very proud.


The Uses of Swearing

Post 4

Cheerful Dragon

I have no children, so I have no personal experience of labour. However, listening to relatives, friends and colleagues leads me to believe it's no joke. One colleague's wife was in labour for over 24 hours, but didn't have to have a caesarian. Another colleague's wife had a caesarian for every one of their 5 children - she suggested the surgeon should just put a zip in to save time! My sister-in-law had to have an emergency caesarian. And both my mother and my mother-in-law had problems giving birth to me and my husband (respectively. They didn't both try to give birth to both of us! smiley - bigeyes)

Put this together with a program I saw a few years ago about what goes on in a woman's body when she is pregnant ... I don't think I'll bother, thank-you!


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