Why I Don't Swear... Much

An interesting topic came up for discussion on a forum recently and these questions were asked:

Do you swear? Not a lot. I reserve it for times when I feel extreme emotion and for effect (like Fionas explained, it lends some effect to some stories and situations). Like Tink said I consciously don't swear a lot because I also believe it can become a lazy habit and I love language too much to let that happen. Personally I believe that if you swear a lot it ends up doing the exact opposite to what the swearer intends; people just end up filtering it out of the conversation and they become empty "nothing" words.




If yes when? Only in special circumstances? or is it 'socially acceptable' in your group, family, social outlet etc? I have sworn in times of high emotion... but I'm doing that less and less because it has very little effect and often just makes the situation worse. Somebody could be swearing at me and I don't feel the need to swear back because that can be just their way of derailing the argument so that we get off topic and can work against resolving the issue. I rarely swear in public. You never know who is listening. Swearing is intended to offend whether some people are offended by it or not is beside the point... it is a language with the main purpose to offend and gain attention. All words are not equal either so I don't buy "they are just words" belief. If that were so then there are a lot of racially offensive swear words that could be deemed to be "just words" but everyone knows they are not. Like Rouge i have a very broad cross section of friends and family... some of whom swear as often as they take breath, others who swear sparingly, others not at all. I generally feel more comfortable in the company of people who at least acknowledge that swearing is a bit like picking your nose and farting... should be done with discretion and according to the company at the time.



If not are you offended by it? Like others have said I am offended on behalf of those who don't need to know the associations these words have. Children who don't need to know the explicitly sexual basis for most swear words and for people like the elderly who often feel threatened by it. Personally, like I said, I'm fascinated by it and I have to admit quite judgemental if I feel the person is swearing in a lazy and inappropriate manner.