Has anyone else decided not to swear?
I used to swear a lot. I decided to not swear at all (except for possibly mild swears), instead replacing most swears with minced oaths.
My family is Christian and I would get yelled at for swearing even if it just slipped out. So far, I don’t swear unless I’m feeling a strong emotion or acting impulsively, but I’ll usually say things like “F/eff” or “fudge” instead of the F-word.
I like to be “creative”, so my go-tos are usually “Go fudge yourself”, or “What the cluck?”
I might say “mother lover” instead of MF
Fuck no! I always found it funny how communities find specific words offensive and look down upon people that use them. Context is important, of course, but the vast majority of cases I witness people swearing are non malicious in nature. (Don't get me wrong, there are absolutely words/phrases I will never say; again, context is key here)
Coming up with alternative words for the same intent is super silly to me, too. The individual makes it very clear they are aware of the "rules" and are making an asserted attempt to sidestep them. Why bother with all that effort and not simply use the intended word instead?
Right, it’s the intent and context of the word that could be offensive, not the word itself. Using substitutes doesn’t change how you’re conveying your emotions.
Besides, OP, do you think Jesus wasn’t swearing when he was overturning the money changers tables in the tabernacle? He was clearly PISSED. He was definitely rebuking them, same difference.
Swearing isn’t sinful, it’s what you’re cursing/being hateful about that could be.
Now, if you’re intentionally not swearing due to a personal choice or by virtue of being intentionally different to not be like the culture you’re in then that’s different.
If you're using direct replacement words and the sentiment is the same, what's the point?
"Freak!"
I do not understand the reason for swearing being considered bad.
I do not understand why replacement words are better.
If it were the specific sounds being made that are wrong, replacement words would make sense. However, since other languages have no prohibition on these words and may have words that sound the same/similar to swear words in another language.
If the meaning behind the words was the 'bad' part, then replacing those word with other words that express the same idea would be just as wrong.
Who determines which words are bad? If it's a cultural thing I guess it makes sense but a person is fickle and groups of them even more so. I still don't understand why a group would prohibit specific words but not their meanings (barring superstition, like in the case of the origin of word "bear"). If it were a deity of some kind, it makes me return to the question why specific words in specific languages but not the meaning and intent behind those words.
I'm decently sure profanity became known as such because of either religious reasons or class division (along the lines of peasants vs nobles from early/medieval europe) and it just became commonplace.
I would say profanity nowadays though is a lot less taboo. It's been normalized in culture (hip hop, city culture, punk subculture) and a lot of people are less religious nowadays.
Forking shirtballs, The Good Place has the best replacement words.
I forking love this
On those last two, watch this old ad
High quality stuff
I don't exactly talk like a sailor but I don't censor myself either. I think swearing is much less of a big deal in my culture than it seems to be in conservative America. For example, bleeped-out words on TV or radio are not a thing here. I have not and will never use any "replacement words", those just seem forced and silly to me.
Oh nice! That makes sense. My grandfather and dad are conservative, so I think it’s kind of a force of habit to me
I'm trying to swear less. Or rather, to swear only where a swear is warranted.
My Dad has a habit of interjecting constant cuss words into everything he says, like "I was at the fucking supermarket right and then I'm just trying to find a fucking tin of beans..." and it's just so unnecessary, to the point where the swears mean nothing because they are just peppered everywhere. I have to keep reminding him, "Dad, please tone it down a little"
And that's an easy habit to get into but its exactly what I don't want to be doing - swearing just as punctuation.
If a situation calls for a swear then I will swear quite happily, "Ouch, my fucking toe!!" and I'll use the proper word. There's no need to find childish swear-alternatives.
But I don't want to sound like I can't even stop it.
Yeah I find prepositional F-bombs to be annoyingly juvenile. I remember lots of people in highschool who would get a mind blank and go
"Like....fuggin.... Whatever" to connect their thoughts lol.
An "um" is okay. LOL I've had to somewhat train this out of myself too... As my mind randomly blanks mid-thought quite often lol.
100%. I’m trying to swear less just to avoid the punctuation-level swearing that feels childish to me. But replacement swear words that have the same sentiment feel even more childish and pointless to me.
Yeah it's reduction not elimination. Swearing all the time robs those words of their intensity.
Personally, I try not to swear even when I stub my toe… but it's quite difficult sometimes. When I do swear, I want it to be a deliberate decision.
I don't understand why such minced oaths are socially acceptable among people who don't want to swear for religious reasons. Do they really not realize that they're thinking "fuck" and effectively saying "fuck"?!
And what about the Catholics who take the position that a sin in thought is just as evil as a sin in deed?
Either say "fuck" or stop even thinking "fuck". Anything in between is disingenuous bullshit.
To answer your question, no. I try to comply with folks who don't want me to swear around their kids, but I volunteer to do that as a courtesy and can't be coerced into it except by real force, such as threatening my physical safety or livelihood.
I disagree. Swearing a useful expressive tool.
Just don't overuse it and know situations where it's best not used.
no that's fucking stupid
-- George Carlin
Nah, I love cursing. I love a good, rancid obscenity. I'm perfectly capable of expressing myself without swearing, but I think it makes life so much more fun.
I do try to be aware of my audience. I live in Utah where the Mormons continuously find new and exciting ways to swear without angering sky-daddy. "Oh my heck" is a great example, because "gosh" is potentially a nono outer-darkness word.
I don't live to offend—I'm not an edge lord. I want to be inclusive of the people around me, so if I know that the person I'm speaking to doesn't appreciate swearing then I'll avoid it. Swears may slip out if the conversation is sufficiently casual, but I'll just apologize and we'll move on like adults.
It's not a binary. You can swear in some contexts and not in others, provided you're able to maintain some degree of mindfulness. That may not be possible if being around your family is like being captured in the Trauma Nexus.
Now that I've gone all this time without swearing, let me share my favorite obscenity. My partner once described a really horrible person (someone who committed physical and sexual abuse) as a shit-filled cunt, and god damn if that isn't just breathtaking. Truly a beauty to behold, she's such an artist with words.
I love this
This makes me wonder what's more offensive, the words or the idea? A poopy vagina is much more upsetting than a shit-filled cunt.
Fuck no. Studies have found a positive correlation between swearing and being more honest.
Swearing is brilliant if you smash your thumb with a hammer, or break something expensive. If you swear all the time in normal conversation you don't have any special words left to use when those things I mentioned happen.
Shouting “asparagus” is just as good, neurologically. It’s the action that matters, not the word.
No fucken way cunt!
When I was in high school, I was very anti-authority and swore all the time to be "against the man". When I started working in day care I had to cut out all swearing all the time because it was too automatic to ONLY stop in front of kids. When I got a real job, I continued my no-swearing bend as a general rule because -- at least until you get to know the people around you -- people will treat you with more respect if you don't sound like a foul mouthed low life.
Swearing all the time for no reason is a very low-rent affect. Letting out a rare swear will add considerable emphasis when your peers know it is not your normal behavior. Always swear when you hurt yourself. It helps.
I agree, I save my good swears for special occasions.
Jesus fucking Christ! Learn to think for yourself! There is no such thing as "good words" and "bad words". There are just words.
* Except the 'n-word'.
The word itself isn't bad. In fact, many languages use the equivalent word as a regular part of their vocabulary. What's bad is the intention and history behind it. Using a racial slur isn't wrong because of the word being said, but rather because of the intention to offend or demean the people it's used toward.
What word is that?
It doesn't sound like you've chosen not to swear but that your family has chosen it for you. It actually sounds like you would swear if it wasn't for your family not wanting you to.
Well, you can chose to conform to your familly, I guess.
Fuck no. Though I have removed gendered swears from use.
You son of a snitch, I'm in.
It's really just deliberately using terms like "asshole" and "shithead" instead of bitch and such.
I like doing old prospector-y cursing for minor inconveniences. I work at a hospital, so I probably shouldn't curse openly infront of the unwashed terbuculars.
consarn it
dagnabbit
My final form is Grandpa Lou Rugrats.
I don't know about that, MOTHER LOVER DOOM just doesn't hit right.
I swore for emphasis in a job interview and got the job! It was definitely a risk but they received the message I was trying to convey so it worked.
Fuck no, swearing is great, especially in my native language
No, fuck that shit. Although I have been known to use the words clarinet, oboe, saxophone, spanner, and oompa-loompa in public.
For some reason this cartoon comes to mind:
My personal rule is "do I know why that word is a swear word, and is that a dumb reason?"
That means Anglo-Saxon words like fuck or shit are fine. They're swear words because of William the conqueror invading England, and making all the nobility speak Norman. Then all the peasants started to use some French words to sound more posh, so the Anglo-Saxon words became 'less pleasant' than the Norman words, and that meant shit, fuck, and similar words just got kicked out.
On the other hand, there are swear words I won't use. Anything with a terrible historical use, an actually bad definition, or any religious connotation (yes, I'm religious, but I'd still keep this if I wasn't). Example, I won't use the word damn as a swear word, since I would never wasn't someone to be sent to hell. No, I don't believe that saying "damn you" will actually damn someone, but I just think it's a swear word for a good reason.
Yes I have and found it often keeps tense situations from escalating. It sets a more friendly tone in general. An old buddy from a town I lived in 20 years ago mixed it up and says "mother flower!”
Not me. I’d explode without swearing. I made a point to avoid gendered swear words though. And also to not use them in arguments.
I don't have a thing against swearing but I do sometimes say heck instead of fuck
Mixing it up can be fun. "Gosh fucking darn it" usually gets some sideways looks.
I play it the other way. I'm pretty polite and well spoken most of the time, so when I bust out with "You cock gobbling rotten foetus fucker" it usually gets a good response.
"what the hecking shit??"
"Fuck dude, like what the H man!"
My favourite is to exclaim "Shut the front door!" in conversation.
Which commandment does saying "fuck" violate?
I tend not to swear. I never swear in front of children since it's very common for parents to hate that. If I do swear, it's usually from something drastic, like a lot of pain or if I've messed something up irreperably. I avoid explatives in normal situations though, and when I use them I prefer to use a goofier explative than a swear, like "ay ay ay", "uff da", "oy vey", and things like that. I just find it more fun, and keeps my mentality light in a rough situation. I grew up religious, so I have an unreasonable hatred of replacement words and won't use them.
I will use curse words in phrases that I think require them, such as "shit-eatting grin" or "shitshow" because I don't know phrases that describe those things any more aptly.
I'm trying not to curse but when you fix things for a living you curse a lot.
No, it would do my mother tongue a disservice! There are so many flowery and imaginative ways to express emotions using swearwords in Polish...
I go to church now for the last few years so I've retrained my choice of words to a degree so not to offend, but I still curse loudly.
I would be the odd one out if I did. Hell, my general manager curses more than I do. It's just how it is in my line of work.
"Go fudge yourself" is linguistically intresting. With "fudge" being slang for feces, would you say "go fudge yourself" is closer to "go fuck yourself", "go shit yourself", or both ("go fuck yourself up the ass")?
I read somewhere that intelligent people swear more, so I've decided to start.
I went from never swearing as a Protestant to swearing sometimes too much now. I need to simmer down but sometimes it makes a point!
Yes, because I was forced to exist against my will. Don't do that next time please kthnxbye.
I try to avoid it as much as possible since I think its a good habit. I don't have any issue with people who swear I just choose not to. It does become an issue occasionally since there just is not always good replacements for a lot of swear words meaning it can be difficult to express the emotion you are trying to say. I don't think there is anything wrong with choosing to do this but I still find it odd that we as a society just kinda accept that a certain set of words are special and can't always be said.