F**k, and cursing in general

[wicked]

I've noticed the past few years that **** and other previously frowned-upon words are is being used more and more regularly. More people are using it in the course of conversation. People I never thought would use it in the course of conversation are. I've always had a potty mouth and used it regularly. More media outlets aren't censoring it. One of the first I remember not censoring it was when The Washington Post ran **** Cheney's quote about telling Patrick Leahy to go **** himself.

Is it a sign of us being a little less uptight? Are more vulgar influences giving us the green light to use it more?

 

[jr/shotglass]

Part of it is people feeling freer to say anything they want to.

It's good for saying ****, because it's a Grade-A modifier. It's not so good if you're bashing gays on social media.

 

[DanOregon]

Loosening moral standards and less respect for others, we've seen a decline in people's ability to coexist in public spaces since COVID - I think its part of that.

 

[Batman]

Loosening moral standards and less respect for others, we've seen a decline in people's ability to coexist in public spaces since COVID - I think its part of that.

Agreed. It's a little thing, and some will accuse you of pearl clutching for pointing it out, but it feels like a real coarsening of the culture on some level.
"****" and "asshole" are used on a lot of TV shows now without being bleeped, and it's noticeable. Even 10 years ago I don't think those would've made it through editing in a lot of scripts. I remember the "Breaking Bad" creators talking about how they were allowed a certain number of curse words per season by AMC, so they tried to make them count by saving them for impactful scenes. Now it seems like there are a couple per episode.

 

[MileHigh]

This kinda steamrolled when Trump said "****hole" countries and AP ran with it.

AP Definitive Source | Why we quoted the president’s vulgarity

 

[Starman]

**** all that, we gotta get on with these.
(**** all that, **** all that.)
Gotta compete with the wily Japanese.
Too many fires in Canada
And not enough trees.
So **** all that, we gotta get on with these.

 

[Driftwood]

I have been in locker rooms, worked night stock at a grocery store with a bunch of older guys, was in the Navy, and worked second shift in a factory with older guys all in my formative years. I can turn it on and off at the flip of a switch.
If you get me alone, get me riled up, especially if I'm drinking... I will string together expletives like the world has never seen. If I am in polite company, if I say "dang" or "son of a gun" then that's as far as it goes.
I get on kids all the time for saying "that pissed me off." "Hey, watch your language." "That's not a bad word" "In my room it is."
That's super hypocritical of me because the first word out of my mouth most mornings as I roll out of bed is "fuuuuuuuuuuuck."

 

[Spartan Squad]

 

[tea and ease]

"****" is on shirts, flags, cars, EVERYWHERE. I find it offensive. I'm not a prude. It's just a low class way to not find a better word or sentiment. Think it, say it your own house, but wear that **** where 5 year old early readers are? I think it should be regulated.

 

[Starman]

Everybody here knows I get salty at times and in fact frequently.
Over the last... yeeesh ... 40 years... I coached a total of, if my counts are correct, 22 seasons of youth sports in basketball (B/G), baseball/softball and football ... including practices, games and team meetings ... and never once dropped an F-bomb. Never once. Not even in football.

My filthy talk in front of players was limited to occasional "hells" and "dammits" and some intermittent muttered "ahhh shttts." But that has been it.

At work, in newsrooms ... holy ****. LMFAO.

 

[garrow]

I see it all the time on flags round here...followed by "Biden."

 

[WriteThinking]

No one gives a ****.

 

[Starman]

This kinda steamrolled when Trump said "****hole" countries and AP ran with it.

AP Definitive Source | Why we quoted the president’s vulgarity

With Nixon, it was "expletive deleted." Most people knew what the expletives were, but they weren't spoken out loud. With Fat****, it's all out in the open.

 

[MileHigh]

Add assclown Big Papi.

 

[micropolitan guy]

 

[wicked]

Add assclown Big Papi.

I think there should be some leniency there for the emotion of the moment. If that'd happened in many cities — Philly, New York, Chicago — given the context, people would've been praising him.

 

[Deskgrunt50]

I enjoy swearing. And applaud creative swearing (hat tip to Veep, the greatest swearing show of all time).

I swear here and often in my real life. But I also know when not to. Obviously never around kids or people I don’t know (or people I know who are offended by it).

Some newsrooms I’ve worked in have been the Wild West and (almost) anything was OK. Other newsrooms I’ve never used swear words outloud.

So, it’s really situational for me. Though, like George Carlin preached, they’re just words.

 

[outofplace]

One reason I loved Carlin was the way he spoke about our use of language, including just how stupid it is to see some words as bad. Growing up I could get away with anything but the C-word. My parents mostly didn't care if I used profanity, but my mother wouldn't tolerate that, which is probably why I have trouble bringing myself to use it. Aside from that and anything racial or ethnic, I curse quite a bit.

That said, I don't do it at work. I pride myself on being able to turn it off completely. There are places and situations where it is important to speak like a professional. That includes not using profanity.

 

[Slacker]

Work is where it's best. Especially in a ****in' newsroom when some asshole ****s the bed on deadline.

 

[Spartan Squad]

"****" is on shirts, flags, cars, EVERYWHERE. I find it offensive. I'm not a prude. It's just a low class way to not find a better word or sentiment. Think it, say it your own house, but wear that **** where 5 year old early readers are? I think it should be regulated.

We have a group who every Friday climes on an overpass, busts out the flags and the F*** Biden signs. Out there for all to see. I normally couldn’t give less of a **** but I can’t imagine families with little ones.

Then again, there is so much swearing in my middle school class, I’ve given up. I’ll even drop a word heart and there just to listen to the kiddos with the worst sailor mouths suddenly have virgin ears.