What is your attitude to swearing?

The thing that depresses me is the use of swear words as a sort of punctuation. There are so many people who seem unable to string a sentence together with out a liberal dressing of four letter words.

It doesn't depress me. It just irritates me so I stop listening and decide they are stupid.

And therefore not worth listening to.

Sorry hummingbird. I'll get off of this thread. Getting over-sensitive!

If I was in the company of someone who constantly swore I would find that boring.

My own swearing took roots during the mentalpause, I find it quite liberating and a good release.

I think I'm fairly immune to swearing. For many years, I taught in FE colleges where swearing was rife amongst the students and to some extent the members of staff. I went in to teach one afternoon, to hear one student say to another "Oh f. I'd f ing forgotten we were having that f ing c this afternoon". I regard it as rather juvenile, attention seeking speech best disregarded. I can't say I'm offended, but rather bored by it and especially by those who seek to shock by its use.

Interesting post vegasmags.

I quite often support young people in Court who think nothing of using the f and c words throughout their conversations. But, they suddenly become totally aware of their language when asked to relate, for instance, how an argument developed and are really embarrassed to have to repeat that kind of language in front of magistrates.

Because, of course, they know that abuse, including verbal abuse, is wrong. They've been told this since they were small children, if not by their parents, then by their teachers.

It's still the abuse, whatever the words are, that is the problem rather than the words themselves.

Saying fuck when you drop a hammer on your toe is not abuse. Calling someone a fuckwit in an abusive exchange is. It really is that simple as far as I'm concerned. You can be abusive without using "swear" words, and you can be polite using them. Context matters. Always.

The people I'm talking about bags are the victims of and witnesses to an abuse and have given statements to the police. Baffling that they become coy about their use of language then.

If I were quoting someone else's abuse in court, I wouldn't be embarassed. Upset, maybe, at having to relive it, but not embarassed if I was giving evidence.

I'm not sure, therefore, that I understand what you mean, kitty.

I was pointing out, not very well, bags that young people don't worry about swearing in everyday language but are embarrassed to do so in a court setting. Maybe you wouldn't be embarrassed to quote abuse but these young people often are even when it 'helps' their case. Maybe the difference is that they are young.

Nice to know that some of them have a sense of occasion. Pity they don't feel the same way in class!!!!

In a few years time there won't be any'swearing' , because it will be so commonplace that everyone will use the adjectives in all walks of life. I even saw the c word used with ing to form an adjective on Mums net.

Oh socks!!

I once had a mature student - very ladylike - who wouldn't let a naughty word pass her lips. When annoyed, she would blurt out 'Buttercups and daisies!'

poppikok