Why is profanity offensive?

[Huit]

Why is 'crap' any less than the word that begins with s? Why is 'heck' better than 'hell'? Why is profanity offensive? I've honestly never understood this.

 

[chisnpeke]

Because people decided to make it that way.

 

[Huit]

Because people decided to make it that way.

What do you mean?

 

[imabrat]

I don't really know. I'll admit, I curse like a sailor and I don't really care what anyone thinks. I watch my language around young children though.

I can see why some racial slurs (well, some consider them profanity) are bad. There are also some words that reflect women in bad ways, and I don't use them. I give anyone who uses the derogatory profanities to someone a dirty look.

 

[Zip-A-Dee-Lady]

I don't understand it either.

I think it's becaue people are trying to live their sheltered little lives with little to no regard to the real world.

 

[marypops!]

I don't know...

One of the 10 Commandments is "You shall not make wrongful use of the name of your God", but everyone uses it, and it's on Prime Time TV a lot. Yet, there's no Commandment against swearing, yet it's bad to use the words at almost anytime. They even bleep them out at time's barely anyone's awake.

It's a confusing world we live in.

 

[BabyPiglet]

Because someone decided to make them that way. Nobody will ever know.

I just don't get how a word can be offensive and considered bad. It's a WORD!

I don't know. I have a pretty dirty mouth when I'm not around my parents or little kids. They're just words.

 

[chisnpeke]

What do you mean?

It's people who have made certain words worse than other ones.

Heck is better than hell just because society has made it that way.

 

[Babyjustrun]

Dunno.
I'll talk however I please.
If someone thinks less of me because I swear, so be it.

 

[Ppufi]

I've always wondered this, too.

 

[Disney Dork]

I honestly don't know. But things like this have gone on in our society for as long as it's been in existence.

I mean, once upon a time....women wore nothing but these huge dresses that went down to the floor and if they showed any skin at all it would be like....a giant, purple whale falling down from the sky and squirting punch all over the place.

And according to my mom, where she lived (in a VERY small town in Ohio) when she was in her 20's, it was still a BIG deal if a man and women moved into the same home before marriage. It was gossip mania if it happened...as proven by the reaction one of her sister's had when my mother moved in with my dad.

We've always kind of been a very....prudent (is that the right word?) country. Now, it's gotten a LOT better over the years, but there's still several areas we need to work on. And this is one of them.

 

[DramaGirl]

The only terms I consider offensive are derogatory (racist, sexist, homophobic, etc). I've always wondered why certain words are "bad". No idea.

 

[MonorailDude]

It's not the words themselves but what they represent. What most of you don't understand is that people take offense to how the words are used. I really dislike hearing young grade school kids using profanity because they don't understand the half of what it means. Sure crap is the same as the word that begins with s in terms of websters dictionary, but think of the occasion it is used. If you want to say you need to #2, you'll usually just say you have to take a dump, etc.... But if you say the word that starts with s, then you know it's a different occasion altogether. Usually you're frustrated or surprised. You have the will power to say "Wow" or "Shoot" but instead you choose to use the other word. That's what makes it offensive, because you know some people don't enjoy hearing that word and you mentally have a vast vocabulary full of terms you can use instead, but you say that word instead. Typically because you think others will look at you funny if you don't say the "appropriate" swear word at the time.

When I was in 5th grade, I realized that I had used expletives to the extent that the words had no meaning to me. They had lost all usefulness to me. So for lent I gave up swearing.... and I kept that promise. Since then, I barely if ever swear anymore because I don't want to use profanity. I gained the capability to select another word instead. After all, it is just another word to you kids, right? If that is so, why use it if you know it irks another? I'm about 18 and find no pleasure in using profanity.

It can be related to why kids want to have sex at younger and younger ages. Drugs. Alcohol. Wear skimpy clothing..... the works. You young ones just want to be mature before the age that you should. You worry about peer pressure and just want to fit in. News flash, you're kids. If you don't know who you are, then you'll never know another. Likewise, if you can't be yourself, no one will ever truly remember you for who you are, just what you let them see.

 

[chisnpeke]

I guess I should say that I cuss, I don't use words that are considered degrading to women and blacks though...such as the n word or the c word.

I don't cuss around little kids.

 

[Shelton123]

Why is 'crap' any less than the word that begins with s? Why is 'heck' better than 'hell'? Why is profanity offensive? I've honestly never understood this.

You got this from a Chris Crocker vid Anyways I totally agree. Who decided that **** is better than sex?

I don't cuss around little kids or adults. I just cuss around my friends.

 

[BabyPiglet]

It's not the words themselves but what they represent. What most of you don't understand is that people take offense to how the words are used. I really dislike hearing young grade school kids using profanity because they don't understand the half of what it means. Sure crap is the same as the word that begins with s in terms of websters dictionary, but think of the occasion it is used. If you want to say you need to #2, you'll usually just say you have to take a dump, etc.... But if you say the word that starts with s, then you know it's a different occasion altogether. Usually you're frustrated or surprised. You have the will power to say "Wow" or "Shoot" but instead you choose to use the other word. That's what makes it offensive, because you know some people don't enjoy hearing that word and you mentally have a vast vocabulary full of terms you can use instead, but you say that word instead. Typically because you think others will look at you funny if you don't say the "appropriate" swear word at the time.

When I was in 5th grade, I realized that I had used expletives to the extent that the words had no meaning to me. They had lost all usefulness to me. So for lent I gave up swearing.... and I kept that promise. Since then, I barely if ever swear anymore because I don't want to use profanity. I gained the capability to select another word instead. After all, it is just another word to you kids, right? If that is so, why use it if you know it irks another? I'm about 18 and find no pleasure in using profanity.

It can be related to why kids want to have sex at younger and younger ages. Drugs. Alcohol. Wear skimpy clothing..... the works. You young ones just want to be mature before the age that you should. You worry about peer pressure and just want to fit in. News flash, you're kids. If you don't know who you are, then you'll never know another. Likewise, if you can't be yourself, no one will ever truly remember you for who you are, just what you let them see.

I find it funny that you're calling the posters on this thread 'kids' and 'you young people' when you're only 17/18.

Just sort of ironic.

Couldn't you have picked another term since you knew it'd be 'offensive' to us? Going with your idea and all.

 

[Huit]

It's not the words themselves but what they represent. What most of you don't understand is that people take offense to how the words are used. I really dislike hearing young grade school kids using profanity because they don't understand the half of what it means. Sure crap is the same as the word that begins with s in terms of websters dictionary, but think of the occasion it is used. If you want to say you need to #2, you'll usually just say you have to take a dump, etc.... But if you say the word that starts with s, then you know it's a different occasion altogether. Usually you're frustrated or surprised. You have the will power to say "Wow" or "Shoot" but instead you choose to use the other word. That's what makes it offensive, because you know some people don't enjoy hearing that word and you mentally have a vast vocabulary full of terms you can use instead, but you say that word instead. Typically because you think others will look at you funny if you don't say the "appropriate" swear word at the time.

When I was in 5th grade, I realized that I had used expletives to the extent that the words had no meaning to me. They had lost all usefulness to me. So for lent I gave up swearing.... and I kept that promise. Since then, I barely if ever swear anymore because I don't want to use profanity. I gained the capability to select another word instead. After all, it is just another word to you kids, right? If that is so, why use it if you know it irks another? I'm about 18 and find no pleasure in using profanity.

It can be related to why kids want to have sex at younger and younger ages. Drugs. Alcohol. Wear skimpy clothing..... the works. You young ones just want to be mature before the age that you should. You worry about peer pressure and just want to fit in. News flash, you're kids. If you don't know who you are, then you'll never know another. Likewise, if you can't be yourself, no one will ever truly remember you for who you are, just what you let them see.

But what makes one word better than another? What does 'shoot' mean anyways? 'Shoot me'? 'Shoot you'? Is that honestly better than 'this is b.s.'?

You got this from a Chris Crocker vid Anyways I totally agree. Who decided that **** is better than sex?

I don't cuss around little kids or adults. I just cuss around my friends.

Actually, I didn't.

 

[Zip-A-Dee-Lady]

I find it funny that you're calling the posters on this thread 'kids' and 'you young people' when you're only 17/18.

Just sort of ironic.

Couldn't you have picked another term since you knew it'd be 'offensive' to us? Going with your idea and all.

I know, right?

I'm 19, hardly a 'young one' lol.

 

[imabrat]

It's not the words themselves but what they represent. What most of you don't understand is that people take offense to how the words are used. I really dislike hearing young grade school kids using profanity because they don't understand the half of what it means. Sure crap is the same as the word that begins with s in terms of websters dictionary, but think of the occasion it is used. If you want to say you need to #2, you'll usually just say you have to take a dump, etc.... But if you say the word that starts with s, then you know it's a different occasion altogether. Usually you're frustrated or surprised. You have the will power to say "Wow" or "Shoot" but instead you choose to use the other word. That's what makes it offensive, because you know some people don't enjoy hearing that word and you mentally have a vast vocabulary full of terms you can use instead, but you say that word instead. Typically because you think others will look at you funny if you don't say the "appropriate" swear word at the time.

When I was in 5th grade, I realized that I had used expletives to the extent that the words had no meaning to me. They had lost all usefulness to me. So for lent I gave up swearing.... and I kept that promise. Since then, I barely if ever swear anymore because I don't want to use profanity. I gained the capability to select another word instead. After all, it is just another word to you kids, right? If that is so, why use it if you know it irks another? I'm about 18 and find no pleasure in using profanity.

It can be related to why kids want to have sex at younger and younger ages. Drugs. Alcohol. Wear skimpy clothing..... the works. You young ones just want to be mature before the age that you should. You worry about peer pressure and just want to fit in. News flash, you're kids. If you don't know who you are, then you'll never know another. Likewise, if you can't be yourself, no one will ever truly remember you for who you are, just what you let them see.

Hah, we're the kids yet you're barely 18.
Nice.

I'm almost 16 and I use them as a filler word. Why does it bother YOU(general you) what words I use? I'm not directing them toward you, and I'm not calling you a derogatory word.

Saying "Shoot" and "(expletive here)" doesn't make a difference. You're still conveying the same feeling, just with a word that's pronounced differently.

 

[chisnpeke]

You got this from a Chris Crocker vid Anyways I totally agree. Who decided that **** is better than sex?

I don't cuss around little kids or adults. I just cuss around my friends.

It's how you do it.