I used to swear a lot. I decided to not swear at all (except for possibly mild swears), instead replacing most swears with minced oaths.
My family is Christian and I would get yelled at for swearing even if it just slipped out. So far, I don’t swear unless I’m feeling a strong emotion or acting impulsively, but I’ll usually say things like “F/eff” or “fudge” instead of the F-word.
I like to be “creative”, so my go-tos are usually “Go fudge yourself”, or “What the cluck?”
I might say “mother lover” instead of MF
I think swearing is good if not overused.
I’ve heard studies show that people who swear are trusted more, something about them coming across more open and genuine.
I agree, I save my good swears for special occasions.
I don’t know about that, MOTHER LOVER DOOM just doesn’t hit right.
Fuck no! I always found it funny how communities find specific words offensive and look down upon people that use them. Context is important, of course, but the vast majority of cases I witness people swearing are non malicious in nature. (Don’t get me wrong, there are absolutely words/phrases I will never say; again, context is key here)
Coming up with alternative words for the same intent is super silly to me, too. The individual makes it very clear they are aware of the “rules” and are making an asserted attempt to sidestep them. Why bother with all that effort and not simply use the intended word instead?
Right, it’s the intent and context of the word that could be offensive, not the word itself. Using substitutes doesn’t change how you’re conveying your emotions.
Besides, OP, do you think Jesus wasn’t swearing when he was overturning the money changers tables in the tabernacle? He was clearly PISSED. He was definitely rebuking them, same difference.
Swearing isn’t sinful, it’s what you’re cursing/being hateful about that could be.
Now, if you’re intentionally not swearing due to a personal choice or by virtue of being intentionally different to not be like the culture you’re in then that’s different.
If you’re using direct replacement words and the sentiment is the same, what’s the point?
When I was in high school, I was very anti-authority and swore all the time to be “against the man”. When I started working in day care I had to cut out all swearing all the time because it was too automatic to ONLY stop in front of kids. When I got a real job, I continued my no-swearing bend as a general rule because – at least until you get to know the people around you – people will treat you with more respect if you don’t sound like a foul mouthed low life.
Swearing all the time for no reason is a very low-rent affect. Letting out a rare swear will add considerable emphasis when your peers know it is not your normal behavior. Always swear when you hurt yourself. It helps.
I don’t exactly talk like a sailor but I don’t censor myself either. I think swearing is much less of a big deal in my culture than it seems to be in conservative America. For example, bleeped-out words on TV or radio are not a thing here. I have not and will never use any “replacement words”, those just seem forced and silly to me.
Oh nice! That makes sense. My grandfather and dad are conservative, so I think it’s kind of a force of habit to me
Forking shirtballs, The Good Place has the best replacement words.
Fuck, which becomes Fork. Shit, which becomes Shirt. Bitch, which becomes Bench. Ass, which becomes Ash. Dick, which becomes Deck. Cock, which becomes Cork.On those last two, watch this old ad
High quality stuff
I forking love this
I’m trying to swear less. Or rather, to swear only where a swear is warranted.
My Dad has a habit of interjecting constant cuss words into everything he says, like “I was at the fucking supermarket right and then I’m just trying to find a fucking tin of beans…” and it’s just so unnecessary, to the point where the swears mean nothing because they are just peppered everywhere. I have to keep reminding him, “Dad, please tone it down a little”
And that’s an easy habit to get into but its exactly what I don’t want to be doing - swearing just as punctuation.
If a situation calls for a swear then I will swear quite happily, “Ouch, my fucking toe!!” and I’ll use the proper word. There’s no need to find childish swear-alternatives.
But I don’t want to sound like I can’t even stop it.
100%. I’m trying to swear less just to avoid the punctuation-level swearing that feels childish to me. But replacement swear words that have the same sentiment feel even more childish and pointless to me.
Fuck no. Studies have found a positive correlation between swearing and being more honest.
It doesn’t sound like you’ve chosen not to swear but that your family has chosen it for you. It actually sounds like you would swear if it wasn’t for your family not wanting you to.
Well, you can chose to conform to your familly, I guess.
Jesus fucking Christ! Learn to think for yourself! There is no such thing as “good words” and “bad words”. There are just words.
I like doing old prospector-y cursing for minor inconveniences. I work at a hospital, so I probably shouldn’t curse openly infront of the unwashed terbuculars.
consarn it
dagnabbitMy final form is Grandpa Lou Rugrats.
My personal rule is “do I know why that word is a swear word, and is that a dumb reason?”
That means Anglo-Saxon words like fuck or shit are fine. They’re swear words because of William the conqueror invading England, and making all the nobility speak Norman. Then all the peasants started to use some French words to sound more posh, so the Anglo-Saxon words became ‘less pleasant’ than the Norman words, and that meant shit, fuck, and similar words just got kicked out.
On the other hand, there are swear words I won’t use. Anything with a terrible historical use, an actually bad definition, or any religious connotation (yes, I’m religious, but I’d still keep this if I wasn’t). Example, I won’t use the word damn as a swear word, since I would never wasn’t someone to be sent to hell. No, I don’t believe that saying “damn you” will actually damn someone, but I just think it’s a swear word for a good reason.
