Swearing

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Anglewannabe

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Admittedly, I have not always have the cleanest language. And another thing is, I never really was too upset about it. However, I have often made a conscious effort over the years to use better ways to express myself.

Also, it never really offended me to hear others use profanity. It really didn’t. However, lately I have been noticing that it does bother me. Oddly enough, what bothers me the most is there is this one girl at work who will use the F word in the office. The first time she did it, I almost fell over. I have heard it in private quiet conversations before. However, this is not a young kid. She has kids in their 20s. And she will use it in the cafeteria or in the office space with no regard for who can over hear her. I think what offends me the most, is she isn’t even angry when she uses it. If she just dropped something heavy on her foot or spilled coffee on herself, it would almost appear normal (although still sinful). However for her to use it so casually just turns my gut inside out. And the worst thing is, she is actually a very nice and pleasant person.

It is also to the point, if I am driving alone in my car, songs I use to like (ACDC, Mick Jagger), when I now hear them, I switch the radio station because the language offends me.

So just curious, how do others feel when they hear swearing?

Angie
 
Was the woman at the office Irish? Because we sometimes can use the F-word very casually. I don’t really get upset by “bad” language. To be honest, my only problem is when it’s used every other word in a conversation. I think there are probably occasions when it’s appropriate to use it.
 
I was never the worst swearer around but I could cuss a blue streak on occasion. As I got older the swearing trickled down to a minimum. When I started getting serious about my faith I cut it out pretty much entirely, although on very rare occasions something will slip out. Like you, it now bothers me, sometimes quite a bit. Even if it’s not sinful, it’s still vulgar, crass and can be very offensive. Most of the people I know disagree with and are even upset with my stance on it at times, but a handful of people have told me they appreciate the fact that I don’t use that language.
 
When I was on school, one of the sisters told us all that when you swear repeatedly, you are coming across as uncultured and uneducated.
I rarely swear, unless I hurt myself and something slips out.
I had an aunt that had a filthy mouth, and some of her combinations of swearing was pretty funny but I was much younger. It was the play of words or the combinations that were shocking, yet creative.
She spoke with broken English but knew each filthy word you can imagine and then some. She was a warm loving person, but her mouth was unreal.
 
I am indifferent about it, I genuinely do not care.

But when someone keeps using swear words all the time, like many times in a sentence, I get really, really annoyed. I don’t know why but it is so annoying. My palm twitches 🤷
 
I always hate hearing the name of Jesus Christ being used as a cuss word…it’s just everywhere you turn these days…I wonder if people actually realize they are breaking one of the Ten Commandments…“thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain”…I used to say it as a teenager until one day…and for no reason I know of… a voice in my head said “why do you take the name of the Lord in vain”…that really shook me up to say the least…but afterwards I felt like I had been cleansed from the inside out and walking on air…and I wasn’t even going to church…just chasing girls and going to parties like many teens…even for decades after that even though I never went to church or would be considered a Christian I was always very aware of not using that word in a crude way…I have been a Catholic now for over two decades and believe it was the Holy Spirit that convicted me way back then… like fifty years ago…I don’t know why…but it worked for sure…I don’t know if anyone else here has had that sort of experience
 
Lea101 said:
I am indifferent about it, I genuinely do not care.

But when someone keeps using swear words all the time, like many times in a sentence, I get really, really annoyed. I don’t know why but it is so annoying. My palm twitches 🤷
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I agree, apart from trapping my finger in the door scenarios I don’t really use language - I don’t mind people using the odd swear word as part of a joke or general conversation - but if used to be aggressive or nasty that is when I have an issue with it.

It’s more how it’s used than the word itself.
 
Since I work in a school, it’s considered really inappropriate to swear at work. Even “heck”, “dang”, and “sucks” are used sparingly and only when we’re sure there aren’t kids around. We’ve kind of invented our own alternative swear words for certain circumstances that aren’t objectively swears, but we all know what we mean when we say them.

Of course, if folks are getting too out of control, you could always suggest some of these.

youtube.com/watch?v=Iltm9-aXC2Y
 
I don’t swear and don’t like hearing it, either. Sometimes, it might pop up in my mind, and every now and then a small one might pop out of my mouth, but I never really got into the habit.

I just read this article, though, and it highlights the negatives of swearing within the Catholic Faith very well:

catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=2802

May God bless you all! 🙂
 
Be a grown up or be a hermit?

It is a word and offense is subjective. As the viral comedian said on offense

“I am offended by boy bands, can I call the cops?”
 
Allegra said:
Since I work in a school, it’s considered really inappropriate to swear at work. Even “heck”, “dang”, and “sucks” are used sparingly and only when we’re sure there aren’t kids around. We’ve kind of invented our own alternative swear words for certain circumstances that aren’t objectively swears, but we all know what we mean when we say them.

Of course, if folks are getting too out of control, you could always suggest some of these.

youtube.com/watch?v=Iltm9-aXC2Y
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My husband and I often use the names of towns in Wisconsin as swear words around our kids. We’ve gotten so used to this that we often accuse one another of being “full of Kaukauna” and when a toe is stubbed, we often shout “Ashwaubenon!” And don’t forget “Oconomowok” We use this when we’re really mad.
 
LethalMouse said:
Be a grown up or be a hermit?

It is a word and offense is subjective. As the viral comedian said on offense

“I am offended by boy bands, can I call the cops?”
Click to expand...
Do you think as a Catholic that using the name of Jesus Christ to curse is only subjective…ie… based on your personal opinion…I wonder how many Catholics use that word in anger…in the normal course of swearing… or jokingly…then say they don’t mean nothing by it…and then take the Blessed Sacrament without giving it a second thought.
 
I can’t stand swearing, hearing that language bothers my senses. I never use that language and I also don’t like it when that language is used around me or my family. Growing up my parents never used that language around their children, and I grew up during a time when the FCC still had standards to not allow swearing to be broadcasted on tv.
I do remember the very first time I had ever heard my father swear. I was around 19, I was driving in the car with my Dad and he said the word “ST" during a conversation we were having. Even at 19 you could of knocked me over with a feather after spending my entire life never hearing my father utter a swear word, and then hearing that word come from my father’s mouth. “I said Dad you don’t swear” He said…“Yes honey, I do swear, I’ve just always had good control over myself to never talk like that around my kids growing up.” Funny thing though, is that since that interaction, I have never heard my father utter another swear word around me.
Anyways, I’ve gotten to the point now where I can be around people when they swear. I’m a nurse, who has worked ICU. And I understand that sometimes situations are just bad where people need to just say "ST” or “fk" as a pressure release. That doesn’t mean that I like hearing it. What bothers me greatly is when people speak blasphemies, I always say a prayer for that person every time I hear a blasphemy. It also bothers me immensely when adults don’t have the self control to refrain speaking swear words around my child. I have a neighbor who has no self control about speaking swear words around his children. He’ll commonly stick his head out his back door and swear at the top of his lungs at his young kids "Dont climb on the f***g fence.” He gets worked up into such tirades in front of his kids that sometimes every other word will be swear words, and then my child will hear it. I don’t like being around him at all. Mainly because his lack of self control over his language grates on my senses like nails on a chalk board.
 
I agree, I avoid swearing for the sole reason of appearing smarter. It bothers me, but not in a “gasp, how could you! faint” way. It’s more of a “Wow, you don’t seem too cultured or classy…” way. Swearing has its place, I must agree, but use as adjectives gets really old, really fast. No one comes off well when they can’t come up with better words to use.

^(Bold) I got in a huge argument with a friend of mine over this, and he argued that it was my fault for presuming that he was “uneducated”. “Cussing isn’t a sign of ignorance”. 1: Cussing isn’t necessarily a sign of ignorance, but it never comes off as a sign of genius. 2: I don’t care if you’re a rocket scientist - it’s not about ignorance or uneducation. It’s about caring for those around you, and caring about what’s good and pure, and that’s what I care about.
 
Hawkmaid said:
I agree, I avoid swearing for the sole reason of appearing smarter. It bothers me, but not in a “gasp, how could you! faint” way. It’s more of a “Wow, you don’t seem too cultured or classy…” way. Swearing has its place, I must agree, but use as adjectives gets really old, really fast. No one comes off well when they can’t come up with better words to use.

^(Bold) I got in a huge argument with a friend of mine over this, and he argued that it was my fault for presuming that he was “uneducated”. “Cussing isn’t a sign of ignorance”. 1: Cussing isn’t necessarily a sign of ignorance, but it never comes off as a sign of genius. 2: I don’t care if you’re a rocket scientist - it’s not about ignorance or uneducation. It’s about caring for those around you, and caring about what’s good and pure, and that’s what I care about.
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Yes.
 
I used to swear a lot. It was one of a very few rebellious behaviors I engaged in. I was careful about when and where, but oh boy, once I had kids I had to curtail it in the place it was most likely to slip out - at home! :eek:

Having experienced breaking the habit I will say that I agree it makes one look crude, less than smart, and disrespectful. Which is part of the thrill , I’m sure. But I did not think very nice things about the man who let a “F-bomb” out because he dropped his water bottle at the zoo today. Not only were there my kids, and a bunch of other people’s kids, but there were kids with him, too! (If he’d broken his arm or something, OK- but it’s really not a good idea to let it be part of your casual talk.)
 
Peebo said:
Do you think as a Catholic that using the name of Jesus Christ to curse is only subjective…ie… based on your personal opinion…I wonder how many Catholics use that word in anger…in the normal course of swearing… or jokingly…then say they don’t mean nothing by it…and then take the Blessed Sacrament without giving it a second thought.
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The OP was not about JC but a totally irrelevant word.

90+% of the people who complain of these things are not worried about JC and such, they just don’t like smcertain subjective words.
 
LethalMouse said:
The OP was not about JC but a totally irrelevant word.

90+% of the people who complain of these things are not worried about JC and such, they just don’t like smcertain subjective words.
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No, there’s no objective reason that those combinations of sounds together are offensive. But when you’re in a culture that regards those words as offensive, you’re still choosing to broadcast a message if you use those words.

Etiquette and social niceties are a demonstration of respect, even if they vary across language and culture. Refusing to learn or abide by them is going to be read as disrespectful, and rightly so. People who say these words don’t come up with them on their own. They say them, at least at the beginning, to be subversive.
 
I cringe at the lords name being abused. But beyond that, it depends on the context. Growing up around a lot if Mormons you learn to substitute words. But my wife and I are admittedly rather expert swearers.
She has a high stress job and sometimes especially as a woman executive she has to use harsh language for work. I enjoy partaking in a good cuss storm now and then. I have two rules. Not in mixed company and not in front of my kids. Though that second one is broken sometimes.
That being said, though I love to partake, and I give it up for lent at a dollar a slip up, I don’t find it sinful or uneducated. As a scientist and having worked with some of the brightest minds in biotech, the best ones had pretty dirty mouths. Especially the ones from other cultures!
 
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