I have a good friend whom I hold in the highest regard, but she can sure curse like a sailor when she wants to. One day curiosity prompted me to ask my potty-mouthed friend why she cussed. The conversation went something like this:ME: (inquisitively) PM, why do you cuss?
PM: Well, um... because it's funny.
ME: Well, yes. I'll give you that. It is funny sometimes. But there are so many beautiful words in the English language. Why do you choose to populate your sentences with cuss words?
PM: Beautiful words? Oh. You mean like m%&#* f%&$@
ME: (sigh)
She made her point I think. Cussing can be funny.
I took one of my favorite religion classes from a BYU professor who had a reputation for being very scholarly, but a bit colorful. On the first day of class he began by introducing himself: "Some people refer to me as the as the J. Golden Kimball of the religion department," he said. Then he paused. "It's a damn lie," he added, smiling. We all laughed.
I am not in the habit of swearing, but you mustn't think that it's because I'm a prude. My philosophy is: if I drop a cuss word every other sentence, then what meaning will my swearing have when I actually do cuss? Another reason why people cuss, I think, is for the shock value. Think about it. When your mom or dad cursed, you knew there was no more playing around. You knew he or she meant business. Every swear word you use diminishes the sensational effect of future swear words. That's why I'm saving mine up; so that one day, I'll be able to go on a cussing spree. It'll be great. I'll go completely postal. And I'll have everybody's undivided attention. I hope for your sake none of you witnesses it.
So why do you cuss? For a laugh? For the shock value? Or just for the hell of it? If you refrain from cursing, why?
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16 comments:
Very interesting. My personal favorite swear words are ones like "golly" and "gee wiz" and other cheesie expressions like those of the 1960's Batmand and Robin tv series...just kiding. There can be other ways to express such feelins of drama.
As for keeping all those swear words all bottled up, that can't be very healthy! Hopefully, you won't encounter such a tragic event that will cause you to go "postal" and release all these bottled up cuss words.
Ahh...yes. My favorite is "Holy heart failure, Batman!!"
You know, I have been thinking hard about this and I can't think of a funny response to your question without inserting some sort of profanity... What the hell's up with that?!
I feel sorry for those of you who don't cuss every once in a while. How restricting! Why not let it out? Can it really be that bad? I mean, I don't think saying "hell" will send you there anymore than saying "shit" turns you into a piece of it.
Reasons people don't swear:
1) It isn't classy - even when you get a good reaction.
2) It is offensive to some people and people who swear a lot are often quite inconsiderate of those who don't. Those who don't are simply expected to be considerate of those who do. I think there should be more give and take.
3a) Nobody wants their kid swearing like a sailor but nobody seems to have a problem with being the sailor.
3b) Hypocracy isn't a very effective parental method.
4a) I think with the prevalance of swearing in society, not swearing is a very conscious choice. I don't think those who choose not to swear feel restricted.
4b) Things that take discipline are often jeered at but truthfully, nobody wants to be a person incapable of accomplishing their heart's desire - whatever it may be.
5) Like attracts like. Goodness attracts goodness. Swearing doesn't attract a whole lot of purity of emotion, thought, or being. (Please note that Todorojo did not associate swearing with an expression of love to his mother, but rather to a moment where he looses control of his emotions,)
6) With human nature, we all make a choice on a regular basis between the beautiful and the base. None of us win all the battles, but it never hurts to try.
There is another way - the way of eeevul ....
Most people who use swear words do so out of habit. They feel an unpretty emotion (frustration, anger, contempt, or even exhilaration) and instantly express it in unschooled terms. This goes from the well-educated who use them for emphasis to the poorly educated who simply have no other means of self-expression.
Some people who don't swear use it as a means of self-control. You feel an unpretty emotion and restrain it by not saying the unpretty thing your less-disciplined friends would. It's a variation of the practice of snapping one's wrist with a rubber band when you desire to smoke, crossing oneself when passing near a house of ill repute, fasting during Ramadan, or chanting a Zen mantra when faced with personal stress - a talismanic expression of personal discipline, the inner quest for dominance against one's baser impulses.
There are a dark few neither willing to sugar-coat the unpretty nor demean themselves with base language; their scorn stings more and their praise shouts louder. Think of Miranda Priestly from Weisenheimer's Devil Wears Prada (Glenn Close's character) - she was crueler with the word 'disappointed' than anyone saying &%$^ %&@ that I've ever heard, and gave infinite praise with a single smile.
Fortunately, the skills necessary for this are difficult to achieve, so it keeps the club small. Such is the way of eevul ....
Who are the preachers?
Who be this anonymous comment poster?
I personally have great fondness for a few 'substitutes':
"Goodness, gracious!"
"Oh, heavens, no!"
"What in the sam hill?"
Can you think of any others?
Damn it, I have to agree with you, Chatalita. I mean, you make a helluva lot of good points in your post.
Oooh, I just thought of another one:
"Good grief!"
Maybe should compile a list/binder/book of them when we're finished....hahahaha
Anonymous: Preacher? Who's preaching? That's chatalita. I'm advocating eevul.
Who knew your cussin' post would evoke such emotions, Mr. Всекрасный, I mean, todorojo. Pardon my Russian.
I don't do it because I never developed the habit. Once in a while a word will go through my head, but like many other evil things that pass through my head (like turning on the disposal when someone's hand is down there), my body doesn't do it automatically and my mind has time to make a better choice. I do do it because sometimes it is shockingly funny, especially from me, but only in the basest way.
Charity right back at ya! :)
erm... I think i shouldn't comment on this.
I usually cuss b/c I can't do the 200000000000000 steps on Heavy on DDR...
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