Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I had a high school English teacher who told us that cursing was basically lazy. She loved to make use of archaic insults (Shakespeare has some great ones) that were way more inventive and clever - and more biting - than the run of the mill gutter talk we were accustommed to hearing (and using).

As I get older I have less patience with reading or hearing standard cursing, and it really does say something about the person who utters or writes it. Dignity really does count for something.

I'm all for passionate expression here at this site, and the occasional "bad word" used for emphasis doesn't bother me, but overall it's nice to come here and find some measure of respectability.

@PumpkinBear ~ I am in real estate, so you think I would have a complete potty mouth these days.

I very rarely use foul language. Perky called me on it one time when I did. If I can't make my true feelings known without "swearing" as we called it growing up, then back to the drawing board!

That said, DH works in the heavy truck industry! ;-O I can hold my own in a "cussing contest"!

I find the younger generations have a different "vocabulary" from us "older" folks.

@izatryt ~ I was probably teasing you. I sold new homes and the language on a construction site is really something, but whenever they came into my office, they spoke without using curse words. It's not that I'm a prude, but I appreciated the respect. When I invaded their territory, I heard everything (they often didn't even know I was there), but if I had clients and their language was horrible, it was unprofessional and embarrassing. Depending on the circumstances (like a final walk-through), it could be grounds for dismissal.

I've never found anyone particularly offensive here, except once when somebody I like had a bit too much to drink, and it wasn't the cursing that went too far.

I curse like a sailor but I put more thought into what I type. But I dont mind it when other people do it. In fact I think it's no big effing deal.

Yeah, I have basically no sense of decorum whatsoever. When I post, I really have to reign it in so that I don't offend anyone. Sometimes, it hurts!

I don't swear much in the real world, so when I do, people notice. Which is what the intention is. Here, I don't get mad enough to use any sort of foul language. I'm talking about something I enjoy -- what's to stress over? At worst, someone disagrees with me. No problem, they're not in my kitchen.

I don't swear much, and don't find it difficult to find replacements for profanity; I can respect it as an expression of anger or pain, but otherwise, (e.g. sprinkled liberally throughout ordinary conversation) it seems sort of adolescent and tedious, and feels lacking in courtesy. On the other hand, 'bulllshit' is sometimes THE only effective reaction to something.

I grew up with parents who swore (up to a point; what they referred to as 'the f-word' was off-limits) when angry or injured, and they didn't have a different set of rules for my siblings and myself. However, when we lived in the US for 5 years, we lived in a small town where parents tended to get go after their kids with a strap/wash out their kids' mouths with soap if they swore, so kids swore a lot at school, and I always felt embarrassed for them; it was such empty showing-off. So, profanity as a replacement for other adjectives reminds me of pre-teens trying to convince their friends that they're cool and that they're not REALLY scared of their parents.

I have definite, impassioned opinions about many subjects, food included, but since I prefer to keep the focus on what I'm saying, I avoid language that is likely to offend; I don't think self-expression should come at the expense of respect for others.

I try to keep it fairly clean in my blog posts and Talk discussion, which is a habit I got into when I first started blogging on the Slice blog all those years ago. I figured that my parents would start reading it at some point, and they did (along with my grandmother). So I didn't write anything there that I didn't want them to see. Occasionally I will lapse into a blue word or two, but in those cases it's more for effect, since, like dbcurrie's sentiment, I don't do it often and when I do, I'd like to think it gives emphasis. At those times, the worst it gets is "BS" (spelled out) or some such. Sometimes a "WTF" (always abbreviated, never spelled out) is in order, too—mostly in reference to something so completely weird or baffling.

Great topic, PumpkinBear. I would have never thought to ask this!

Yes

Well, I just dropped the "F" bomb! I couldn't find the phone to call Eddie's doc. DH said it was right where I left it. Not smart of him today! We are all a little on edge. Our brief moment of euphoria is over. Eddie is having another test later this morning. He had a bad night.

When my mother was living, she loved the word S--t. She always said it was a very useful word. It could be used in many applications. She was a very polished lady, and it was crack up funny when she swore.

I think people should be able to use whatever language they want, and sometimes, when angry or extremely frustrated, it can feel REALLY good to let loose a bunch of what we called "curse words" where I grew up. I will say, though, that when I hear an adult using a lot of curse words just in regular everyday speech, it makes them sound less articulate, less educated, etc., to me. I think there are better ways to express oneself.

But I don't believe in censoring people, on SE or anywhere else!

Cursing when speaking aloud is a very different thing. But why on earth would one need to curse on an online message board? As a couple have noted, there's no need to avoid a particular word when the word is called for but if the point is only to curse for the sake of cursing or to exclaim something then there are other words that can be used to express surprise or disgust or anger or what-have-you that don't have the same likelihood of offending anyone or making anyone uncomfortable.

Censorship writ large is certainly something to be concerned about. Choosing one's own words with some slight amount of thought isn't censorship in any negative sense; its only choosing to communicate in a way that is likely to be more effective overall.

Hehehe...sorry...couldn't resist!
I don't really swear irl...so swearing here isn't an issue. As izatryt noted above, and I think it's quite interesting how they've found their own ways of cussing, w/o being offensive...till you know what it means! lol

@mepolo ~ reminds me of watching movies on TV, and getting a kick out of the substitution words. Take all your stinkin' sugar and get the fun out of here and never come back, you frightful Mother Lover!

@Jerzee i think an asshat is whatmy ex wears all the time;-)

Fuck that. I'd dare to guess that the same fuckwads that have a problem with "outsider" language are the same fuckers who don't eat the 4/5ths of an animal. In both cases, missing out on the truly, flavorful, rich experience of life.

In real life I'm a total potty-mouth. In fact, my general lent thing is to not curse and if I do I put a dollar in the kitty, which goes to a soup kitchen near me come the day after Easter. Even with the fines and trying to be good, they get a couple hundred bucks.

That said, I definitely censor myself when I write. I think that may be partly because there's not quite the same satisfaction typing F&^%! as there is shouting it, you know?

@hobomike, Asshat is relatively new. Asshat = Head Up Your Ass. I do love that. And douche (not douchebag is a personal favorite).

@mongoose: Word. And leave the sock drawer alone. Strike the underwear drawer.