Son of a *gasp*!

[インフェルノの津波]

Okay, this thread is about the taboo words, such as (censored). So my question to you is what do you feel about them, think they shouldn't exist or just an excuse to say something wrong?

I don't understand them on an emotional level, but I remember reading this article that said curse words probably came from a man hurting himself, like hitting his hammer on his thumb, I guess. Not really sure, I'll Google it up...

[Comic Tragedy]

Well for many curse words, and you smarty pantses may have to double check this fun fact, you can trace their origins back to the original germanic inhabitants of the island of England. For them these words that are now thought of as taboo were their only words for certain things (of course these things are usually naughty to begin with).

Well when the French invaded the island of England and imposed all of their culture on them the old Germanic language became the language of the lower class (the opressed, and conquered people). So the words they used were considered inferior, and disgusting compared to the new Anglo-Saxon language the french culture helped develop in England.

Of course that Anglo-Saxon language shaped up to become modern day english and the same prejudice the upper class held for the old germanic words are still held.

My two cents: The words aren't actually bad. They mean the same thing, its just years of prejudice that convinced people they are.

[Sajmon180]

I use curses extremely often. The curses in my language sound quite badly.
The truth is... Almost all of our society don't imagine their lives without cursing.
One curse usually replaces a lot of unnecessary words, especially in Poland.
I use them, when I'm embarrassed, truly angry, tense, happy, curious, irritable, surprised, etc. and when I talk with people. Ofc I use them with restriction, when I talk to women/girls, family. They are good for me. They express more than a thousand words. I can easily express my emotions.

[Rekky]

I use them a lot. More than I want to because it takes away from my poetic vernacular. I don't see what all the hype over them is and I don't understand why you're forbidden from using them in some situations. Eight-year-olds hear worse everyday - the internet/school isn't going to teach them anything new. Clearly if you overuse them, that gets irritating but using them every so often should be fine if you're particularly passionate about a certain subject.

[Master Bait]

Depends on what environment a man lives in. He curses for laughs, he curses because he's gangsta, he curses because he needs to, or maybe because he's an emo. I curse if I feel to. Some words are not curse like ass or dick. I dunno why.

[Gardenia101]

I never curse. It's really not polite o.O

[Master Bait]

Originally Posted by Gardenia101

I never curse. It's really not polite o.O

And when did you become polite?

[cyan.]

i curse on the internet, but i never curse in real life. i try not to.

[Rekky]

Originally Posted by Gardenia101

I never curse. It's really not polite o.O

That's subjective. One might consider defying someone else's freedom of speech to be 'not polite'.

[Rich Boy Rob]

You mean swear words? I only really use the lower end ones as it were like "bugger", "bloody hell", "bollocks" and "crap". They aren't exactly offensive to most people, so it's just a way of expressing anger or annoyance.
If I'm properly angry about something I will occasionally say f*ck or c*nt, though that's very rare.

Swearing only hurts people if the person in question takes it offensively. I for example don't get too bothered if someone swears around me.
As a wise man once said:
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."

[PlatinumDude]

I don't curse out loud, but I do it to myself. As for swear words themselves: I think people say them for a reason, that reason being to get that extra anguish out of their chest.

[Richard Lynch]

Oh man, when given the chance, I have one hell of a potty mouth.

I never understood the idea that curse words are inherently "bad". How can that be? Words are really just a group of sounds... there are no "bad words". Bad people, bad intentions? Sure, of course. But no "bad words".

Would it be any more polite to say to someone, instead of the notorious F-word, "Freak you!", if the intentions and context were identical? I don't think so. For example, look at the N-word... you can go to jail for saying it, I believe (or at least get sued). But how is it bad if you just randomly said it, to no one, out loud in the living room, while alone? Is it still as "bad" as saying it in a group of friends? What if you said it backwards? Reggin! Is it okay now? Or does it still retain the "badness" even though it's a completely new word now?

Like I said, I'll never understand the language purists on this debate.

And this is BESIDES the whole freedom of speech thing.

[Ayselipera]

I don't mind swears at all. Sometimes I think they're nice if you really want to show your disdain for something. Other times I think they can make what you say a little bit funnier. Overall I think they are okay when used sparingly. I for one get annoyed when I'm near someone who uses a swear every other word.

Less is more as they say.

[SoulAura]

Where i live, cursing is considered cool. I really dont care for it and to me there just words. What is so bad about curses? Exactly, nothing because they are just silly little words that people began to say. Which is why i dont have any problem saying whatever i want even curse. People just need to realize that its just a word and words dont really even have any meaning if you think about it. All just a collection of letters that us humans developed as we became more and more intelligent. Think about it =)

[ThatKidMike]

I swear a little too much. I'd like to not curse as much though. I don't ever say the C word though, that word is just...Wrong.

People that tend to curse an obscene amount of times just come as ignorant, or limited in their vocabulary, which isn't always true. Besides, the more somebody uses the curse word, the less of a curse it really becomes when you think about it.

[Åzurε]

I try not to, though I'm not always successful. The words themselves are just words, but the intentions and ideas behind the words- and the effect it has on how others see you- are what keep me from using them.

[BareBones]

I probably swear more than I should. That said, when I meet new people I don't swear, and I don't swear around peoples parents/grandparents/guardians.

[Binary]

Originally Posted by SoulAura

People just need to realize that its just a word and words dont really even have any meaning if you think about it. All just a collection of letters that us humans developed as we became more and more intelligent. Think about it =)

Words do have meanings. If they didn't, why would we use particular words for different settings? They're supposed to convey a person's thoughts and intentions; which actually has a lot of meaning.

As for cursing, I don't really agree with the idea. Swear words are there so that you can express the level of your disdain; bad intentions and thoughts about others. I rarely swear, unless I'm compelled or really angry.

[Kinarii]

I curse like a sailor. They are just words after all (and basically everything Richard Lynch said). I never understood why certain words are so 'bad' when there are plenty of other words that mean the same thing but are perfectly acceptable. Besides, I find many 'bad' words to be rather cathartic or just more fun to say X3 The only words I see as 'wrong' are things like racial slurs and whatnot.

Obviously I hold my tongue in front of kids or in business settings, though.

[Murmansk]

Use discretion when reading this, but It does sum up my views pretty well.

Spoiler:

One of the most commonly censored parts of daily life is language. There are certain words that are considered so heinous that we dare not utter them. There are words that are censored all across the boards, some that are only censored in certain areas, but generally there is a list of considered 'bad words' that we see being disallowed across T.V., Radio, Movies/Video games (with the appropriate rating in mind), and writing to name some. However these words are also censored on an individual level, at the home, office, gym, and any number of social gathering spots in which one may find his or herself. However, what security, if any, does this provide to people? Does it keep us from becoming corrupt fiends who care only for themselves and don't mind harming others? Certainly this cannot be the case, because if that were the case; immediately upon hearing any censored words for the first time one would become forever stained with hatred.
In fact, I think you will find that the entire idea of censoring just the words is absolutely ludicrous. This is due the fact that it places the maliciousness solely upon words instead of the idea. Take a word like “nigger” for example. There is nothing inherently wrong with this word, because it's just a word in itself. Many people would claim that it is a racist word, and should never be used, but when people get into this mindset what they overlook is the fact that language is merely a tool. All words are merely a conjugation of different sounds with which we place a meaning to in order to help us better communicate. Well jeez, what does that change about the word ******? What it means is, that the inherent racism of words like ****** does not come from the word itself, but instead from the ideas we are willing to place upon the word. Naturally it concludes that the racism from words such as this come not from the world, but from ourselves, because we are willing to accept that such a hateful notion has a place within our language/society and that it even deserves its own official slot within the language reserved specifically for it.
However most everyone sees this as an effective means of containment because while it exists; people all generally agree to never use the word even while acknowledging its existence. Here is why this is a damaging mindset for society to approach the issue with: It allows for the reservation of hateful ideas to be used only in situations in which people are willing to break their social normalizers and try to caste dehumanizing and degrading ideologies onto other individuals based on a collectivist criteria. Inevitably this leads to the attachment of negative emotions to certain words which allow us to claim that the words themselves are inherently bad and this is because emotional attachments to objects lead to irrationalities in logical thought processes. So instead of viewing the word as a constructive tool for people to use it is instead lent the characteristic of being attached to an interlocking web of negative emotions. Because of this, the censoring of language permeates the existence of hatred rather than quashes it. After all, ultimately the real problem is ignored, and that's because the language is accepted as being hateful in the first place. Instead of secluding these words and forever ingraining such systematic hatred to the language; people should instead seek to formulate a way with which these words may be (over time) reversed and used in a more positive manner. Hiding hatred does not destroy it, but trying to remove the characteristic of hatred from a tarnished often times is an effective means of minimizing hatred and its influence

[SIN1488]

I think cursing all the time really defeats the purpose of it. Curse words should be used to express that you are fed up, extremely annoyed, and angry. Or to get someone to realize how ridiculous they are being in some certain situations.

If you cuss all the time, then when you curse at someone angrily, it doesn't have much effect. But if someone never cusses in normal situations, then people will know they are really angry when they do.

[Ficher]

I have a pretty foul mouth, so yes I do swear a lot. I don't like to at all, but many situations tend to force me to. Of course, in front of my family, I do not dare to spit one unethical word, but when I am with my friends or even my same-age cousins, it's pretty normal for us and we do not take anything literally.

[Silver]

First off, I swear, a lot. It comes from playing too much xbox live I think. But what really annoys me is how offended women get at the word 'c*nt', you don't see men getting all up in arms being called 'dicks' so why are women so offended by it?

[SIN1488]

Originally Posted by Silver

what really annoys me is how offended women get at the word ____, you don't see men getting all up in arms being called 'dicks' so why are women so offended by it?

IDK, but maybe it was made back when women were still considered inferior, and it's still offensive because of it's original use? I made up my own dirty word involving that one, it doesn't have a negative meaning, and I would say it here since it's made up and I don't see how I could get infracted for it................................ but I'm not going to say it.

[Heeth]

Simply put, I do swear a lot, and I blame my video game obsession. I destroyed more the 5 Xbox joysticks and I always curse heavily when I do.