The F Word

It depends upon who I'm communicating with as to whether I swear or not. I never swore until I was in my mid 20s.

I will never forget how shocked I was 50years ago when I heard a 2year old using F*

Today it tends to be used so much that it's usefulness for many as a word of emphasis is diminished. I would be pleased to see it removed from common use.

Am afraid I said it yesterday after dropping a whole box of expensive biscuits on a hard floor!?

I don't like it, and I don't like the mother-f....., which the Americans use. It makes me cringe.

I find myself watching the oldies more and more, no bad language, no nudity, no explicit sex. Why does the modern world find all that so necessary, and why is there this assumption that we all want it?

Depends how it’s used. For some it’s an accepted part of daily language - look at the great Billy Connolly

I hate the F word which is used so frequently nowadays and any form of swearing. When I was five we had some workmen in the house and I repeated their words. My mother gave me a good hiding.
The only “swear” word I have ever found my son to use is “gosh”.

I’m not keen on the overuse of this word but do confess to having used it in extreme circumstances. The word I really loathe is the C word

They're just words. They don't bother me. I don't like to hear small children using them though.
I was interested to hear the extent that those words are retained at a deep level when I was a young speech therapist. I met a highly revered clergyman who had had a stroke affecting his language area. He swore like the proverbial trooper with real emphasis and clear communicative intent. I don't know what he thought he was saying but all that came out was f words and worse.

I prefer it to be used appropriately in TV dramas. By appropriately, I mean where it would be likely to be used in real life. I swear myself (not everywhere or under all circumstances). Did you know that research shows that people who swear tend to be less stressed than those who don’t because the act of swearing relieves stress!

Oh, and just to add, I absolutely do not have a limited vocabulary!

Doesn't bother me. When my grandchildren have expressed shock when they have heard random adults use it I say "That word has no power in your life unless you allow it to have, it is not aimed at you, it is just a word, ignore it."

They are not just words though are they? They have strong connotations, usually evoking sexual violence towards women. The C word, the T word and the F word. Then bast.. rd is another bigoted word. Perhaps toilet words are the least offensive now?

I am not averse to a well placed expletive and in a world where we have accepted so much abuse of the vulnerable even in the so called civillised West - should we be shocked by 'bad' words? On the other hand its kind of boring. In TV its often just desperate script writers who have run out of ideas but I've noticed some young folk seem to wait until you are in ear shot and then aim for a loud one. Do they think it will shock? I've often thought of turning to one of them and making a bet. If you cannot listen to a detailed account of the birth of my largest baby (10lb) without puking, you undertake not to use the F Word for a fortnight...

I hate the F--word and the way it is used these days,it seems a regular word popping up in all sorts of situations, it seems quite "normal " to use it without anyone reacting to it.

I never use bad language but to be honest it never bothers me when I hear it on TV. Its only a word after all. What does bother me is violence, and racist and misogynistic language.

I watched Kathy Burke the other evening on her programme about women.
Every other word seemed to be a swear word.
It wasnt necessary and didnt make her seem either attractive OR intelligent.
Its a shame. I used to like her but shes definitely not a role model.

Grammaretto They are not just words though are they? They have strong connotations, usually evoking sexual violence towards women. The C word, the T word and the F word. Then bast.. rd is another bigoted word.

Totally agree! BUT if you think of words, such as gay, dyke and queer, they USED to be seen as insults. But the gay community has reclaimed them and they no longer have the sting they used to. Which is why I refuse to see the C word as awful, because it describes part of my body, which IS NOT offensive.

It is no coincidence that two of the rudest words in the English language describe female reproductive organs. Because of patriarchy and our male dominant society which consistently tells us women are lesser than men. We have to resist this by NOT accepting these words as offensive.

I hate swearing but I'm getting so used to it I hardly notice now. Kathy Burke did a documentary last week about women. Her language was filthy. It put me off watching the next episode.

I can't stand it either hearing it from males and females.
I also get fed up with presenters and people on some adverts that don't sound their t's,i turn certain adverts off when they don't pronounce the words properly.

I think context matters. A few TV programs are shown where some swearing seems appropriate and others absolutely not. I don’t like hearing comedians swear for some reason. The only person I ever swear at is my husband (rather a lot sadly).

My dad once told engineering work colleagues to stop using bad language while in the office and use better words to express themselves! He had had enough of "F this..." and "F that...".

Having said that - he did occasionally let rip with a cuss word at home!

Us kids grew up not to swear "or else ....".

If anyone on here ever looks at the Mumsnet site, it will soon become clear which generation is responsible for the increase in swearing these days.

I didn’t hear anybody swear until I left school. At least, if I did I wasn’t aware of it. I first came across the f word in Lady Chatterley. I only knew it was swearing because there had been a lot of fuss about it. I couldn’t work out what the fuss was about, and still can’t, really. Who decides what’s acceptable? They are, as people have said, just words.

Like it or not it is an accepted part of the lexicon. You can check that in the OED.

I detest this unnecessary use of bad language. Just because there is usually a warning prior to the programme, why should we turn off our TV because the language is offensive to so many people.

I hate the way bad language has become so ubiquitous these days. If anyone complains we are that is the way people speak these days. Well, this person certainly doesn't. I find it even worse to read it than hear it somehow. Until twenty or thirty years' ago the f word was never seen in books. If it was in the context of a (usually) rough character, one might read: "he uttered a regrettable word" or, simply, "he swore" or "the reply was unprintable." If we wished we could all imagine what might have been said. These days, unfortunately, the reply is all too often printable.