Why do the Irish not realise swearing is offensive?

Yorky

It never ceases to amaze me how much the Irish swear- just in routine conversation & the more relaxed they seem to be the more profane they get. Men & women alike - young or old - men in front of women, women to women, women to men, even adults in front of children.

It's especially cringeworthy when listening to a non-Irish national whom, after being here a while, would make a native blush. I sometimes contemplate the rude awakening they will get if they move on to another English-speaking country.

Is it simply high-level ignorance - Do they actually understand what the words mean?

super_furry

Waaaaaaaaah!

listermint

Its not offensive.

You sir offend me with your off the cuff comments and general sneary attitude

Reoil

Oh **** off. They're just words. Go and find something significant to be offend by.

Mocha Joe

Because it isn't.

LostBoy101

If you go to England, you'll find the same there. It's not just in Ireland it's everywhere.

An Coilean

Why should Irish people give a toss what you find offencive?

FatherLen

it's only offensive if you let yourself get offended by it.

they are only words ffs.

Da Shins Kelly

Swearing isn't that offensive.

Henlars67

Great, another thread about people being offended for no good reason.

If you're offended by someone throwing in a 'f***' mid-sentence then you need to get a life.

Tiddlypeeps

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LHDxqigCco4/TpeLXt1w0GI/AAAAAAAADf8/4_aWa4D_QEE/s1600/fry.jpg

smash

Yorky wrote: »

Is it simply high-level ignorance - Do they actually understand what the words mean?

No, clearly we're all thick :rolleyes:

davet82

ah go and fcuk off will ye :P

iDave

Only ethnic minorities are allowed to be offended by stuff

Monty - the one and only

Yorky wrote: »

Is it simply high-level ignorance - Do they actually understand what the words mean?

Thicker skins I would imagine. We just dont care as much as others might.

hawkelady

You should try swearing op. the louder the better .. It'll make you feel better about your f#*king self.

frank reynolds

it doesnt show ignorance, its just a cvnting dialect. fvck sake,. sh!t

Sofiztikated

Noone is that offended.

Why? Because few people are actually listening to each other, they're just waiting for their turn to talk.

gobnaitolunacy

Whatever about Irish, couldn't believe how Aussie women in a particular bar in regional Oz turned the air blue with repeated use of the word 'cnut'..... pronounced 'cant'. I wouldn't mind the odd f word but this was a whole new level of swearing.

faceman

OP, why don't you just go **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** which is also my bank PIN number.

What are we talking about again?

MurdyWurdy

because it's not offensive.

Also, other nationalities swear just as much. In NZ the term cúnt is even used as a term of endearment, as in "he's a good cúnt". Is that offensive?

Living there (and watching Jim Jefferies stand-up) made me embrace the beauty that is the c word - sometimes other words just won't do. I keep it for special occasions though!

mike65

Swearing is the refuge of the inarticulate

BizzyC

I live in London, and I can say it's worse here.

The word c*nt gets thrown around an unbelievable amount.

Yorky

Might've known the sort of replies that Boards would attract...

endacl

It's only swearing if you mean it.

FFS

super_furry

mike65 wrote: »

Swearing is the refuge of the inarticulate

Not at all. You tell me of a word that has the same meaning, impact and felixibility as fcuk.

Yorky

mike65 wrote: »

Swearing is the refuge of the inarticulate

With the exception of this one. It simply displays a distinct lack of vocabulary.

krudler

Fuck is the greatest word in the English language.

Agricola

Because over our long history of colonization, oppression, famine, church and state sponsored depravity and economic disasters, we have realized that there are far more offensive things in this world than words.

FatherLen

Yorky wrote: »

With the exception of this one. It simply displays a distinct lack of vocabulary.

how?
You can't keep throwing out these statements without at least trying to explain them.

jimjimjimmy

Aussies swear just as much if not more than the Irish. Especially the word c*nt.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-SUhJT3g1c

Mark Tapley

Op you are a sensitive little flower, too good for this world. insert sarky emoticon

mike65

super_furry wrote: »

Not at all. You tell me of a word that has the same meaning, impact and felixibility as fcuk.

You're missing my point (quite deliberately I'd suggest), there is an art to the use of foul language but most people use swear words like a sawn off shot gun in a hen house. Its a lazy shorthand for people who are essentially ignorant and proud to be.

runawaybishop

mike65 wrote: »

Swearing is the refuge of the inarticulate

Swearing is a really important part of one's life. It would be impossible to imagine going through life without swearing and without enjoying swearing... There used to be mad, silly, prissy people who used to say swearing was a sign of a poor vocabulary -such utter nonsense. The people I know who swear the most tend to have the widest vocabularies and the kind of person who says swearing is a sign of a poor vocabulary usually have a pretty poor vocabulary themselves... The sort of twee person who thinks swearing is in any way a sign of a lack of education or a lack of verbal interest or -is just a ****ing lunatic... I haven't met anybody who's truly shocked at swearing, really, they're only shocked on behalf of other people. Well, you know, that's preposterous... or they say 'it's not necessary'. As if that should stop one doing it! It's not necessary to have coloured socks, it's not necessary for this cushion to be here, but is anyone going to write in and say 'I was shocked to see that cushion there, it really wasn't necessary'? No, things not being necessary is what makes life interesting -the little extras in life.

Stephen Fry on the joys of swearing. Stephen Fry: Guilty, BBC4, September 8th 2007

mike65 wrote: »

You're missing my point (quite deliberately I'd suggest), there is an art to the use of foul language but most people use swear words like a sawn off shot gun in a hen house. Its a lazy shorthand for people who are essentially ignorant and proud to be.

Did you just stereotype most people as lazy and ignorant because they swear? How ironic.

Where To

The OP has a ****ing point in fairness. I cringe sometimes when I hear the language of people here. A lot of it is ****ing filthy.

super_furry

mike65 wrote: »

Its a lazy shorthand for people who are essentially ignorant and proud to be.

That's an entirely different argument to 'swearing is the refuge of the inarticulate'.

Caliden

“It’s now very common to hear people say, ‘I’m rather offended by that.’ As if that gives them certain rights; it’s actually nothing more….. It’s simply a whine. It’s no more than a whine. ‘I find that offensive,’ it has no meaning, it has no purpose, it has no reason to be respected as a phrase. ‘I am offended by that.’ Well so fcking what?”

- Stephen Fry

Yorky

mike65 wrote: »

You're missing my point (quite deliberately I'd suggest), there is an art to the use of foul language but most people use swear words like a sawn off shot gun in a hen house. Its a lazy shorthand for people who are essentially ignorant and proud to be.

Well said. It does have its uses & has a far greater impact if used selectively for emphasis. I used to have a boss who could be incredibly profane but was fully in control of when to use it; Never in front of women or polite conversation & only in extreme emphasis.

smash

Caliden wrote: »

“It’s now very common to hear people say, ‘I’m rather offended by that.’ As if that gives them certain rights; it’s actually nothing more….. It’s simply a whine. It’s no more than a whine. ‘I find that offensive,’ it has no meaning, it has no purpose, it has no reason to be respected as a phrase. ‘I am offended by that.’ Well so fcking what?”

- Stephen Fry

post #11

krudler

Yorky wrote: »

With the exception of this one. It simply displays a distinct lack of vocabulary.

Assuming that because a person swears implies a lack of vocabulary is far more ignorant than swearing itself.

HTML5!

Did you ever hear of context? It's quite f*ckin' important here I think...

Dravokivich

Yorky wrote: »

Is it simply high-level ignorance - Do they actually understand what the words mean?

Meaning through spoken communication requires intention and with the casual use of swearing in the manner that we generally do, offence usually isn't intended.

Yorky

runawaybishop wrote: »

Swearing is a really important part of one's life. It would be impossible to imagine going through life without swearing and without enjoying swearing... There used to be mad, silly, prissy people who used to say swearing was a sign of a poor vocabulary -such utter nonsense. The people I know who swear the most tend to have the widest vocabularies and the kind of person who says swearing is a sign of a poor vocabulary usually have a pretty poor vocabulary themselves... The sort of twee person who thinks swearing is in any way a sign of a lack of education or a lack of verbal interest or -is just a ****ing lunatic... I haven't met anybody who's truly shocked at swearing, really, they're only shocked on behalf of other people. Well, you know, that's preposterous... or they say 'it's not necessary'. As if that should stop one doing it! It's not necessary to have coloured socks, it's not necessary for this cushion to be here, but is anyone going to write in and say 'I was shocked to see that cushion there, it really wasn't necessary'? No, things not being necessary is what makes life interesting -the little extras in life.

Stephen Fry on the joys of swearing. Stephen Fry: Guilty, BBC4, September 8th 2007



Did you just stereotype most people as lazy and ignorant because they swear? How ironic.

It's pointless even attempting to reason with the likes of this

MurdyWurdy

Yorky wrote: »

Never in front of women

because we women are so weak and would swoon and faint at our poor, delicate little earsies hearing such uncouth language?

I think we can take hearing a bit of swearing - it doesn't kill you

runawaybishop

Yorky wrote: »

It's pointless even attempting to reason with the likes of this

Then why did you bother quoting it? Feel free to launch into a discussion about how swearing is linked to poor intelligence, or just lazily stereotype people.

krudler

Yorky wrote: »

Well said. It does have its uses & has a far greater impact if used selectively for emphasis. I used to have a boss who could be incredibly profane but was fully in control of when to use it; Never in front of women or polite conversation & only in extreme emphasis.

How sexist, as if women's poor little ears can't handle a swear word, little flowers that they are. I know and work with plenty of women who swear.

Seaneh

In my opinion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqPcjm-X5GQ

ejmaztec

BizzyC wrote: »

I live in London, and I can say it's worse here.

The word c*nt gets thrown around an unbelievable amount.

Near the Tourettes ghetto?

I find those at the bottom of the social ladder in the UK have mouths like drains, whereas the rest of the people restrain themselves, and "ladies", for example, only swear when it slips out.

In Ireland there's no fucking restraint from anyone, whichever bit of the ladder the person happens to be on.

sheesh

Yorky wrote: »

It never ceases to amaze me how much the Irish swear- just in routine conversation & the more relaxed they seem to be the more profane they get. Men & women alike - young or old - men in front of women, women to women, women to men, even adults in front of children.

It's especially cringeworthy when listening to a non-Irish national whom, after being here a while, would make a native blush. I sometimes contemplate the rude awakening they will get if they move on to another English-speaking country.

Is it simply high-level ignorance - Do they actually understand what the words mean?

women ? swearing ? Oh Saints preserve us! :eek:

someone phone joe duffy.

**** off!

MurdyWurdy

MurdyWurdy wrote: »

because it's not offensive.

Also, other nationalities swear just as much. In NZ the term cúnt is even used as a term of endearment, as in "he's a good cúnt". Is that offensive?

Living there (and watching Jim Jefferies stand-up) made me embrace the beauty that is the c word - sometimes other words just won't do. I keep it for special occasions though!

Cunt is such an excellent word, it's onomatopoeic (spelled that properly first time without spellcheck, get in! :pac: ) for all it's uses, whether "You're a funny ****" or when a computer crashes and you call it a ****, or on rare occasions in the boudoir. :pac:

krudler

Yorky wrote: »

It's pointless even attempting to reason with the likes of this

An articulate argument?