Profanity

[Good Cheer]

About the only thing around that makes me want to cuss are the people on the evening news that sit there earning a living deceiving you with a straight face. Yeah, I know they don't write that stuff but they can't be so stupid as to not know what they're doing. My solution is to not watch TV.

[fixit]

Sadly, foul language has become a form of punctuation. That said, I've often said over the years that one's intellect was inversely proportional to the frequency of cuss words used in ones everyday language.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

When I see/hear vulgarity, I see/hear ignorance of language.

[slohunter]

Never around women or children, but I'm guilty at cursing at the TV.

[abunaitoo]

Sometimes the rules are a little to strict here, but that is just my opinion.
I understand where they are coming from.
I remember this from school days........
"Pornography....... I can't described it to you, but I know it when I see it"
Same could be said for Profanity.
Remember gay used to mean happy.
How many people know that today.

[MrWolf]

I grew up with construction jobs and my whole family was in it. I drop the bombs occasionally but not in normal conversations. I did have a rule of no cursing (excluding the damns and such) in my house. Kids hear enough at school and from their peers and they did not need to hear from their parents at home. My ex was guilty and couldn't understand. She had a couple over who were very rich, white trash. Every other word was the f bomb and they spoke like that to their kids and kids responded with the same. Told them not allowed in my home and if could not comply they had to leave. Ex was embarrassed but to bad. My home, my rules (just like here). My grown son will use it when speaking to me and if to much he is reminded about using it. Told him it shows a lack of intelligence if you have to use it constantly to express yourself. I still cuss but try not to in front of others.

[Lloyd Smale]

sailor for 8 years and learned some fine language. I try to catch myself and not use it around women and children but bottom line is if i do its sure not the first time they heard it. More likely then not that first time came from there parents. Ive heard men and women, smart and dumb swear. Ive got a t shirt that says " how does it feel to be so weak that mere words make you nervous"

[richhodg66]

Sometimes the rules are a little to strict here, but that is just my opinion.
I understand where they are coming from.
I remember this from school days........
"Pornography....... I can't described it to you, but I know it when I see it"
Same could be said for Profanity.
Remember gay used to mean happy.
How many people know that today.

Words like gay changing meaning becomes an entirely different issue. Saw recently where someone called someone else out for using the term "Retarded" as being offensive, but if you look up the definition, to retard something is to hold it back or limit it somehow, which is exactly what a mental disability does to a person and I remember when I was young, people used it as a perfectly acceptable term for mental disability.

I'm sure there's a million other examples of similar words that have changed meaning over time like that, hard to keep up with them all.

I've been on a lot of web forums and pages and have to admit, this one is pretty good about being civil and polite. The old handloads.com was the best one in terms of gentlemanly conduct I've seen, but this one i far better than most.

[buckwheatpaul]

It is the same for tv and movies.....I can remember Red Skelton saying: "You dont have to be vulgar to be funny!" Two to three generations with less going to church; watered down manners; and "It's all about me!" mentality has led to the sorry situation that we now face......I am no saint but I do watch my mouth around children and ladies....but just cant quite kick the bad habit....

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Repeated through this thread is, "not around women or children."

Maybe it's because I am a Gen X'er, but honestly, that statement seems absurd.

Can anyone explain why a man would be OK with sounding ignorant of Language in front of other men, and not when in front of women or children?

[KCSO]

Banish the use of the four letter word...

[robg]

good Anglo Saxon words .

[waksupi]

The art of profanity is the ability to call someone an SOB, without them realizing it for a day or two.

Come to think of it, I hear more profanity from women and kids than men. A couple women I know could cuss the paint off a barn. One of my neighbors comes to mind. She came From Spain years ago, and her first job was in an Alaska logging camp. To say her grasp of English was greatly influenced would be an understatement.

[tazman]

Banish the use of the four letter word...

Love is a four letter word.
So is wife but sometimes, I am a little conflicted about that one.

[ShooterAZ]

I believe one of the reasons why profanity is more prevalent today is because of television, and the slow evolution of profanity that has become allowed to be used on TV. A lot of "mild" profanity has become household words that we would never have seen used on TV, say 50 years ago. It's just become more accepted now I suppose, and has worked it's way into everyday conversation.

[blackthorn]

Banish the use of the four letter word...

So, accordingly your post should read:---Banish the use of the ---- letter ----??

So much of what is acceptable these days is predicated on some flakes' concept of what is politically correct, and, accordingly on the inability of automatic programs to differentiate between what was said and what was meant.

We will soon reach a point where the most dangerous surgical procedure we can experience is a tonsillectomy, since no one will dare to open their mouth and tonsils will need to be removed anally!

[tazman]

Words change their meaning over time. There was a time when the word collaborator was not a derogatory term.
Nearly any term/word can be turned into a "bad word" over time.

I just looked up the definition of the word profane. It is written so broadly that almost anything could be profane depending on the individual point of view or specific religion.

[Elmer Fudd]

The art or skill of debating has died out, a lot of people cant discuss or argue a point with out getting vulgar or nasty. I too can get nasty and vulgar with the best but chose not to. To a lot loud nasty and vulgar is seen as winning now. I tend to get quieter when arguing or debating. Yes when I have an opps smash a thumb or finger, or do something I knew better than I will swear but very seldom at other people. One thing I find interesting is most using this language rarely know what they are implying or saying with it.

By getting quieter you force people to listen to you, You can actually sometimes diffuse a situation. At the least you come out as the "reasonable" one.

In the shop or field is one thing in the house restaurant or public is another

Well said. Maybe I can add that we could go back to dueling. The rules of dueling do not allow for insults or vulgarity in public, among other things. They keep a man (or anyone) from infringing upon others without having a big lead ball lobbed at them.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexp...rules-dueling/

[tazman]

People often become obnoxious and insulting(trolls) when they believe there cannot be any retaliation to stop them. The only reason they survive is it is illegal to kill them.

[KCSO]

Old poem

Banish the use of the four letter word
Whose meaning is never obscure
The Angles and Saxons were hardy old birds
Who were vulgar, obscene and impure
But cherish the use of a weasely phrase that never quite says what it mean
Better be know for your hypocrite ways than as vulgar impure or obscene

Now there are times when plain speaking is out
When Ladies God bless them are milling about
You may wee wee m make water or empty your glass
Go for a walk, even Johnny may pass
Stop by the road, see a man for a dog
When everyone's drunk its condensing the fog
But be pleased to remember if you would have bliss
Tis only in Shakespeare do characters ####

Times change and I am failing to change with them the language of the modern young people sadden me, especialy to hear a sweet young gal curse like a drunken sailor.

My poor attempt at levity.