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Swearwords increasingly used for emphasis and to build social bonds, rather than to insult, say academics

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[-] someguy3@lemmy.world 151 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

I never understood people that freak out at swearing. I can understand it's not the most polite, but some people really freak out if you swear.

[-] thesmokingman@programming.dev 53 points 8 months ago

I’ve found that many people can’t differentiate “swearing around” vs “swearing at.” If I am swearing, it is to add filler words to my sentences that serve many purposes. I am not (rather, very rarely) attempting to insult or denigrate someone else. I do not understand why someone takes offense at “I really struggled to hit my fucking steps today” or “Shit I dropped the fucking ball.” I do understand why someone takes offense at “you ignorant fucking walnut” or “fuck you you fuck trumpet.” Conflating the two situations is so fucking dumb.

[-] Eylrid@lemmy.world 12 points 8 months ago

Also, even when hurling invectives someone can be just as abusive without swearing.

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[-] Reality_Suit@lemmy.one 70 points 8 months ago

Fuck, I sure as shit hope so.

[-] spookex@lemmy.world 21 points 8 months ago

I still fucking hate that some places require you to censor swear words in comments.

This creates a shitty situation where you have to play a fucking guessing game, where you try to guess if your comment gets removed by mods

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[-] constantokra@lemmy.one 13 points 8 months ago

I would have gone with "shit, I sure as fuck hope so", but you do you.

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[-] CptInsane0@lemmy.world 38 points 8 months ago

It comes up a lot more in professional settings than it used to. I would actually give this one to GenX and appreciate it when used correctly.

[-] cmbabul@lemmy.world 41 points 8 months ago

Gen X broke down the gate, millennials buried the gate, and Gen Z built a monument to swearing on top of where the gate once stood

[-] SonnyVabitch@lemmy.world 11 points 8 months ago

That's fucking glorious!

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[-] frunch@lemmy.world 37 points 8 months ago

I love the image they attached to the article. Is that woman the chancellor of swearing or something?

[-] CluckN@lemmy.world 10 points 8 months ago

Chancellor of pink ladders

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[-] Pat_Riot@lemmy.today 27 points 8 months ago

Right, because it takes a fucking expert to figure that shit out.

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[-] abracaDavid@lemmy.world 27 points 8 months ago
[-] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 17 points 8 months ago

Fuck yeah it is. Swearing is the shit.

[-] pineapplelover@lemm.ee 15 points 8 months ago

That's fucking right

[-] merc@sh.itjust.works 15 points 8 months ago

Isn't it more that the words that are acceptable are changing?

In the ancient past, it was "taking the lord's name in vain" that was so extreme. Now, most people don't care about that. You can still see that difference in the "curse words" used in Quebec vs. France. In Quebec the naughty words are all Catholicism-related: esti, calise, tabarnak, etc. In France they're more similar to the common English ones: merde (shit), putain (whore), etc.

The religious swear words had lost their bite in most English cultures ages ago, people still say things like "christ" or "oh my god", but those mild expressions would have been jaw-droppingly awful a century earlier. For a while damn was one of the most awful words, which is why you had things like "gosh darn".

Now, it's words that were truly offensive maybe 40 years ago that are becoming common: fuck, shit, cunt, etc.

But, at the same time, words that were common in the past are becoming truly offensive now, for example "the n word", faggot, retard, tranny, etc.

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[-] tipicaldik@lemmy.world 14 points 8 months ago

My youngest daughter used to never cuss. Just a total sweetheart like that. The worst thing I think I heard her say was "she act's like such a B-word!" Then she started scoring races at a local dirt track, and after putting up with all the BS from the drivers (and especially their wives) she's now out there tossing around fucks and shits and bitches and assholes and various physical threats like they're confetti...

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[-] Stalinwolf@lemmy.ca 13 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

It was honestly a small culture shock for me when I moved from the US to Canada. Everyone I knew in the States swore rampantly amongst themselves, but in public people were often reserved and proper, and swearing in the presence of a stranger or elderly person would result in some pearl clutching - especially on a retail level.

Up here nobody gives a fuck. It's just in the vocabulary. I've gotten so used to it that I dropped a bunch of things at work recently and muttered "FFFUUCK ME!" in front of an elderly woman who I didn't realize was standing there. I apologized for my language and she was completely unfazed. Thought it was funny. Just went about helping me gather my things. Probably went up to buy her stuff afterward and said something along the lines of "Hope we get a fuckin' chinook.".

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[-] heyfrancis@lemmy.ml 13 points 8 months ago

This is fucking great news

[-] BigTrout75@lemmy.world 12 points 8 months ago

Just means there will be new swear words

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[-] liquidparasyte@pawb.social 11 points 8 months ago

About fucking time!

[-] HawlSera@lemm.ee 11 points 8 months ago
[-] gothic_lemons@lemmy.world 11 points 8 months ago

You're fucking welcome! Lord knows I've been doing my part.

[-] blazeknave@lemmy.world 10 points 8 months ago

You're welcome motherfuckers. Been pushing this in corporate for 20 years. Had a CEO come in and tell us we needed to tone it down bc he found himself doing it at home with his kids too much. Ivy pedigree probably never in his life before that period lol

[-] chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 8 months ago

Does this maybe have to do with changing moral foundations? Like society becoming less religious and moving away from religion-based aversion to mention of sex and bodily functions to the point where they basically don't count as swears anymore, while doubling down on disliking swears denigrating a protected group of people.

[-] Jakdracula@lemmy.world 9 points 8 months ago

‘Bout fucking time.

[-] Linkerbaan@lemmy.world 9 points 8 months ago

When overdone it tends to just make sentences longer for no fucking reason though.

[-] stevedidwhat_infosec@infosec.pub 9 points 8 months ago
[-] Hikermick@lemmy.world 9 points 8 months ago

You're just now fuckin' realizing this?

[-] HerbalGamer@sh.itjust.works 8 points 8 months ago
[-] TheControlled@lemmy.world 8 points 8 months ago

Fucking finally!

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this post was submitted on 06 Jan 2024
512 points (100.0% liked)

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