Usage of swear words

dbnavan

Had a conversation with my missus about this last night and just wondered what other think...

Is the usage of swear words becoming almost acceptable in life now, work place, meetings, dealing with customers....

Some recent real examples,

Employee In popular computer shop to me,

"(insert product here) is fairly sh*t to be honest if you want one i'd buy....."

At a recent committee meeting, context not required
thats a load of Bo**ocks!

College Lecturer to a class
I am having one of those sh*t days

Now I am as guilty as anyone, I am sure I could come up with examples, infact my wife pulled me up last week for cursing infront of my grandmother, I refered to someone as a gobsh**e, I did it without thinking!! so its not like I am gonna report a shop employee or college lecturer for maybe a slip of the tongue or anything, but just wondered what others think?

Edit: Having said all this I need to use *'s here online for fear of being banned!!

Stephen

I wouldn't classify sh1t as a swear word really, its not on the same level as f**k or c**t.

I'd think of those 3 all the same, ste

I don't like swearing myself, I wouldn't say anything worse than bloody/damn, but as long as other people don't do it in excess due to a lacking vocab, I don't mind.
There are indeed some situations it's just not appropriate though...

dbnavan

Stephen wrote:

I wouldn't classify sh1t as a swear word really, its not on the same level as f**k or c**t.

I know its not on the same level, but you still had to use 1 instead of i to type it here, so there must be something up with it

Crucifix

Some of my lecturers swear a fair bit, but I don't see it as a big deal. We're all adults, and it's not really a 'business' setting.
I'd even wager some lecturers out there do it on purpose to try to seen as "straight talking" and such.
I'd still be a little surprised to hear a shop assistant swear.

dbnavan

Crucifix wrote:

We're all adults, and it's not really a 'business' setting.

Its their job! Of course its a business setting, unless you go to a volenteer school.

Crucifix

dbnavan wrote:

Its their job! Of course its a business setting, unless you go to a volenteer school.

lol, ok I guess it is. I suppose what I mean is it's a more informal setting, as opposed to at a business presentation, or someone talking to a business client, or something.
Then again, I suppose how formal it is depends on the lecturer.

Anyone who swears in a conversation with a customer needs to cop on. Even though sh!t may not be classified as a bad swear word, its still disrespectful.

I swear a lot in leisurely conversation. It's become part of my vocabulary to say the least. Yet one thing I wont do is swear around my parents; whether I'm at my family home or outside of.

simu

They're doing to sound less formal but personally, I would think whoever did it was a bit of a ^7*$in' muppet. Lecturers especially - they ought to lay off it unless they do it in ancient Greek!

thebman

I swear all the time and in front of my parents, friends etc..

They are just words. I don't use them in work because I'm representing the business when I'm at work so I'd consider it unprofessional because the company doesn't want me to swear.

Somnus

Its more really in the tone people say it not the word itself,well thats just me.I mean swearing is just like using other words sometimes,you hardly notice it. Some of the teachers in my school swear,but we're seniors and sure you hear worse from the students around you.

I wouldnt see swearing as a big deal unless its being used in a purposely intimidating way.

The Bollox

brim4brim wrote:

I swear all the time and in front of my parents, friends etc..

They are just words. I don't use them in work because I'm representing the business when I'm at work so I'd consider it unprofessional because the company doesn't want me to swear.

I'm the same, my only restriction is when I'm in work

arseagon

I've caught myself swearing a lot more in my business envoronment. Some examples:
On phone to supplier:
"No I don't want brand X, their stuff is sh*t"

On phone to customer:
"I don't supply brand X, their stuff is sh*te"

On phone to Credit card company to check on transactions:
"Those f*ckers are always double charging me"

With the last one I actually heard the girl on the other end of the phone gasp and had to apologise to her for the language.

Archeron

I actually would have thought the opposite. I made a conscious effort to stop cursing about 2 years ago because a new co-worker of mine was really shocked at the amount of cursing in the office, and since then, I've heard less and less people cursing, be that in business or with friends and family.
I'm far from prudish, but if a person in a store or in business generally cursed, I would be taken a bit aback, its just bad manners,

event

if someone cursed to me on the phone in business, id ask them to watch the language

kevmy

What about in books?


"Ride me sideways was another one!!!":D

5starpool

Deleted User wrote:

I swear a lot in leisurely conversation. It's become part of my vocabulary to say the least. Yet one thing I wont do is swear around my parents; whether I'm at my family home or outside of.

I'm the same as that at home. At work though I do swear (office situation) but only only with colleagues who I am comfortable and familiar with and generally friends to one level or another. Wouldn't do it when talking to people from another office or business area though, unless they did it first. Doesn't bother me really one way or another.

bikini

swearing is for people lacking a variety of vocabulary!

Sad Professor

I swear a fair bit but nothing excessive and never in work when dealing with customers or that. Unless I lose my temper in which case the expletives come flowing very freely. I don't really notice or care if other people swear, unless its directed at me

Are swear words more acceptable? Probably. Wasn't "damn" considered a powerful swear word in the nineteenth century but it's perfectly acceptable now. There's also a lot more bad language in movies than there used to be and no one really makes a big deal of it anymore.

Random

bikini wrote:

swearing is for people lacking a variety of vocabulary!

Bollocks. Most "swear words" are part of every day speach. Get over it.

Dr. Loon

ciaranfo wrote:

Bollocks. Most "swear words" are part of every day speach. Get over it.

You beat me to it. I hate it when people say stuff like, lack of vocabulary, and sarcasm being the lowest form of wit. I think it's because they don't have the skill to curse or use sarcasm.

Ye can't beat a good fúck thrown into conversation to intensify it. i.e - Go and fúck yourself you fúckin fúck!

spacecoyote

I rarely swear in normal life (the girlfriend actually slags me off about it sometimes, and looks shocked when i do swear in her company). I don't swear at home, not out of fear of offending anyone, just because i generally don't feel the need. When i'm on my own, playing grand theft auto, or watching a match i can get quite abusive, and in the workplace my language can get very colourful depending on how things are going. To be honest i don't particularly like swearing, its fine in the right context, but i try to avoid it in everyday conversation....and i hate hearing people swearing around young children :mad:

Sparky

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUaWCcDlI5s

The Sweeper

The only people I avoid swearing in front of are small children.

Last full time job I had, I worked with a girl who was very proper, in 30s, still called parents "mummy and daddy" - after six months working opposite me she was at home one weekend and something happened in the kitchen and she reacted as she had become accustomed to reacting... only to have her parents give out to her like a child for how atrocious her language had become.

...my work there was done.

Dyr

Swearing in meetings shows that you mean business.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHuR5eslKhQ

davyjose

"Fùcking" is the best adjective in the world. It's fùcking awesome!

HammerHeadGym

I think we all losing sight of the fact that swearing is cool.

Fuck yeah

Mossy Monk

Oh no. The bad words are going to hurt me.

admiralofthefleet

ive a foul mouth most of the time but would not think of using bad language in work, its just not professional

Binomate

I curse like a trooper. I've no shame, although I often wonder what it would be like to have an absence of most of the words I use in my dialect.

kenzie

kevmy wrote:

What about in books?


"Ride me sideways was another one!!!":D

LOL!!

magpie

Swearing is a lazy shorthand used by shop assistants, managers, lecturers etc (as per the original examples) to try and demonstrate that they are a) Hip b) Down with the kids c) An average Joe who is not trying to rip you off.

Distrust anyone who swears in any kind of formal context, they are usually buffoons.

Dave!

I swear all the time. It's great.

karen3212

I remember when i was growing up most people i knew didn't even understand what most bad words meant or where they'd come from. I don't know how I became such a swearer as at home bad language was rarely used. I swear whenever I like and see it as opression if anyone looks at me funnily. Conform you bastard, conform. When I was in Uni my whole house became foul mouthed after about 6mnths listening to me. It was great,