Jackarandajam
Lore Master
To me, swearing is like dressing like a slob, or not practicing proper hygene (there were times in history when people didn't brush their teeth and straight men wore high heels... The past is dead. I'm talking about the present).
Your close friends or family will forgive you for morning breath or a stained t-shirt (or the occasional wirty dord), but if you walk around town with crap in your teeth, wearing a beer-stained t-top and jeggings (or spouting profanity), people are going to act toward you in a certain, understandable, leery fashion.
Lack of hygiene or improper dress (or pervasive language) are decisions that an individual makes, and are entirely their prerogative.
They are considered, though, by most SOCIETY, to be slovenly, socially improper, rude, unprofessional, and indicative of laziness and a general lack of care or empathy.
This depends on the society, of course; cursing during a speech is not appreciated at a business development conference, whereas, at a frat house graduation ceremony, it may be less frowned upon.
In some friend circles, to refrain from cursing is strange. In others, the word crap draws a titter and a gasp.
blasphemous language is, of course, frowned upon by followers of the diety or religion that it blasphemes.
With that exception, I would argue that whether or not profanity (or which profanity) is offensive depends entirely on who is around you.
Culturally, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being offended by language.
Therefore, because children aren't the best judge when it comes to "what to say around who," the polite thing to do is teach them not to curse.
Also, it teaches children that if something is offensive, and there is no moral imperative to uphold your freedom as an individual on the subject, it shows a strength of character to refrain from being offensive.
I agree that if profanity is the glue that holds your entire vocabulary together, you should work on your ability to verbalize yourself in a manner that doesn't REQUIRE it, even if you choose to use it anyway.
Sometimes, when someone says something stupid or hurtful, the profanity trained brain looking for the quickest rebuttal will throw out a quick "well F*** your couch!" or the like, instead of actually trying to respond in a way that explains to the person (and those listening) WHY what they said is unreasonable. Whereas a thoughtful question or rebuttal could do someone in range of the debate some good, the only person profanity actually helps during an argument is you.
Your close friends or family will forgive you for morning breath or a stained t-shirt (or the occasional wirty dord), but if you walk around town with crap in your teeth, wearing a beer-stained t-top and jeggings (or spouting profanity), people are going to act toward you in a certain, understandable, leery fashion.
Lack of hygiene or improper dress (or pervasive language) are decisions that an individual makes, and are entirely their prerogative.
They are considered, though, by most SOCIETY, to be slovenly, socially improper, rude, unprofessional, and indicative of laziness and a general lack of care or empathy.
This depends on the society, of course; cursing during a speech is not appreciated at a business development conference, whereas, at a frat house graduation ceremony, it may be less frowned upon.
In some friend circles, to refrain from cursing is strange. In others, the word crap draws a titter and a gasp.
blasphemous language is, of course, frowned upon by followers of the diety or religion that it blasphemes.
With that exception, I would argue that whether or not profanity (or which profanity) is offensive depends entirely on who is around you.
Culturally, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being offended by language.
Therefore, because children aren't the best judge when it comes to "what to say around who," the polite thing to do is teach them not to curse.
Also, it teaches children that if something is offensive, and there is no moral imperative to uphold your freedom as an individual on the subject, it shows a strength of character to refrain from being offensive.
I agree that if profanity is the glue that holds your entire vocabulary together, you should work on your ability to verbalize yourself in a manner that doesn't REQUIRE it, even if you choose to use it anyway.
Sometimes, when someone says something stupid or hurtful, the profanity trained brain looking for the quickest rebuttal will throw out a quick "well F*** your couch!" or the like, instead of actually trying to respond in a way that explains to the person (and those listening) WHY what they said is unreasonable. Whereas a thoughtful question or rebuttal could do someone in range of the debate some good, the only person profanity actually helps during an argument is you.
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Dark Lord
Acolyte
Scribal Lord