Comment Re:It's odd... (Score 1) 698
Certain words have crept into vocabulary and are now used to the exclusion of other words. It seems young folks are unable, now, to express themselves without swear words. It seems that they are completely unaware that there are actual words that actually MEAN what they are trying to say; but since they don't know them, they attach the same word that everyone else attaches for emphasis. So we end up with sentences that include the same word, for emphasis, three times... when all they really mean to say is "I was astounded."
To me, people who use swear words for pretty much everything sound uneducated and
... well, the follow-the-crowd type... someone who is clearly influenced, in the way they talk, by whoever is around them at the time.
Rather true. The power of swear words is precisely in their taboo nature. To use them regularly makes you look vulgar (aka, of the common people). It also removes their power. This is true of things like "God" and having talk of Christianity flooded everywhere, but that's another discussion. Yes, it would be preferable if people strove to learn new and creative ways to express amazement and offensiveness with either the words that already exist or, if necessary (not likely), with new words instead of simply co-opting existing words.
It's also interesting to me that people argue that words have no meaning out of context, etc., and typically argue that with someone who is offended by that kind of speech... and yet, then they use those same words specifically to offend or be abrasive. That's not out-of-context, that is a very specific context. If you are using a word specifically to offend me while claiming I shouldn't be offended because it's out of context, you're being rather rude.
I think the point was, being offended to the point that you'd actually seek to have the word legally banned is out of proportion to what the situation calls for. Being offended is a fact of life. Striving to ban "bad" words doesn't change the ability to offend because, as you note, the words chosen are being chosen specifically to offend. The words are a symptom, not the disease. I don't think there's a real cure for the disease, as at times there is reason to be offended with others or the general facts of reality. The only thing that can be done is to try to comfort those when they are in pain, when applicable.
I personally dislike swearing. I find it
... well, vulgar and uneducated :) Here's my actual "political" response though: as long as I am not allowed to use certain terms for people because it's "politically incorrect" or "offensive" to them, etc - for example, "black" or "gay" or perhaps saying that some act or sexual orientation is a "sin" - then I don't see why you should be allowed to swear and cuss under to offend someone under the guise of free speech.
Um, people use "black" and "gay" all the time. No one is being fined or arrested for the use of those words, nor should they be. Yes, one person may scold another for the words they use. That holds if you say "nigger" or if they say "fuck". It's a one-on-one interaction, where each person tries to defend their belief that a word should or shouldn't be used. It's the same as here. Yes, the people around you may not speak up, but then most people are too uninvolved or too cowardly to express their own views on the subject. And yes, that puts you an uncomfortable position where you feel you're battling the world when one person expresses derision about your word choices. That's life. That's how it's always been. The only difference is how often and what words are most likely to result in someone else pipping up and actually commenting.
Me? I'm more concerned about the actual anger and thoughts of others. PC-ness simply masks the issue. Having said that, I don't actually do what I should to work through that issue--to befriend those with questionable beliefs and challenge them to defend those beliefs (while I am equally challenged on my own beliefs). But, that's a much more involved and complex process. Isn't it just easier to be angry and blurt out a comment on the word choices of another instead of actually involving yourself with others in an actual two-way, long-term conversation?