Imagine A World Without Profanity

But, such a world would be a horrid one in which to live, in my opinion.

Whereas I agree that using profanity when talking to your children is wrong, and it makes me angry when I witness it, that's really the only instance in which I can see it being a good thing.

Profanity is just the use of words that some people consider "bad" words. I can make something sound just as negative, just as disgusting, or just as mean, without the use of these words. Why? Because they are just words, nothing more. They can be used, like all words, to be mean, happy, loving, sad, etc. Most people use them to display passion or anger (the two often go hand in hand).

The world you propose wouldn't be all puppies and roses, with nothing but flowers and sunshine drifting from the lips of passers by. It would be a world of censorship, and restriction. One in which you may as well be living in a dictatorship. And, if you're thinking more along the lines of "the f-word was simply never imagined in the first place", there would be a different word in it's place, used to display the same emotional response.

In any event, I don't have a problem with profanity, except when it's used to cuss-out prepubescent children. In some instances, I rather enjoy it. And, when I get angry, in person, forget it! LOL. I'll quote George Carlin here with, "There are no bad words. There are bad intentions..." That pretty much sums up how I feel about the English language.

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but words will never hurt me. Unless you allow them to.

remain in the imaginary world. That's never going to happen. Guess I'm a realist.

Sure i know people who use cuss words in ways to express effection, or to show a special bond with a friend. I just find the use of such words offendsive to listen to, and the people who use them on a regular bases are disrepectful of themselves, and others around them. I think if a person really had a true sense of morals about themself they would refrain from using those words.

No I wasn't proposing a world thats full of censorship, or restriction. Its a pretend world, where the words dont even exist, so people won't even have the words in their vocabulary.

quite true it will never happen i am full aware of it. I was just writing, writers imagine and come up with all sorts of stories. I was just expressing my annonyance in an art form.

Why do you find it offensive to listen to? Would you not be just as offended, if not hopefully more, if different (non-four-letter) words were used to express something negative, angry, or even "disgusting"? If I refrained from telling someone to F-Off, but said "I hate you and wish you would die!" instead, would that not be even more negative? Even more disrespectful, even more disgusting? If I told someone that their life was worthless and they should really consider suicide, would that be less offensive to you then if I called them 'sh--face'?

The use of profanity is no different then the use of any other word in the human language. It's all about how you use it. Saying the 'F' word doesn't show any lack of respect, it's all in how/why, nor does it show any lack of morals, it's all in how/why.

This is why I don't get why you would want it. You would get just as much negativity "violating" your ears. It just would include the use of different words, perhaps even harsher sentences. In fact, expressing anger through the use of profanity may very well prevent someone from saying something outright horrible to someone, like the examples above.

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I protect it well, Well I have to differ with you, using profanity is a bit different than the use of other words just to express you are upset or angry about something. I am not just talking about the F word, but all words of profanity. Its not about how you use it, you can use it in an endearing way to show love -- you candy coat it but that's just the way I feel. I don't even date men who use profanity, and if they do use it I tell them I don't appreciate it, and if they would please not use it.

"Profanity is the attempt of a lazy and feeble mind to express itself forcefully"

I just wrote a post about profanity.

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Just saw a clip from American MTV the other day and words like tits and a** was censored. I mean, you know the words are there and bringing in a big bleep instead of the word just draws more attention to it. Anyway , while american MTV censors words like "tits" european MTV has shows like Strutter on. Double Standards?

"tits isn't dirty..it's a cute name.."

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no I don't consider tits a dirty word, its just another name for boobs, or hooters.

Somebody else probably thinks "tits" is offensive. You'd never be able to create the perfect world where you and everybody else could agree on what's offensive and what's not. It would be like a world where Republicans and Democrats got along perfectly (It would be pretty boring, actually). And profanities are just collections of letters, not physical weapons.

wasn't trying to create the perfect world besides profanity is a bit more than a collection of letters. What about cow tits--is that offensive?
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"Cow tits" are udderly inoffensive to my ears. You and my mother would agree. She still gets upset with me if I say "damn"--forget about the stronger expletives, which I personally enjoy using, BTW. I remember when I first learned the "f" word as a kid, I kept yelling it out loud at the school bus stop. I know, I'm strange.

Back when we were in the Peace Corps/Ethiopia in another lifetime, we learned the rudiments of Amharic, the national language. One of the words we learned was pronounced "twat", which means "morning" and some would consider a profanity in English. So every time anyone would utter the word "twat", everybody would crack up. I guess my point is that words that are perfectly innocent in one language can be profane in another.

Another example has nothing to do with profanity, but it's culturally interesting. Remember the car called Nova? They tried to find a market for it in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries, but it didn't fly, because it means, in Spanish, literally: "It doesn't go," not exactly an attractive name for a motor vehicle.

That's too funny when we were growing up as children the first brand new car my mother purchased was a Nova. It lasted well and ran for years on end.
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Which just shows to go ya, about the weirdities of language.

??? that doesn't show me anything? I didn't get you on that one.
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Meaning that the same collections of letters mean different things in different languages, so people shouldn't take them so literally, in my opinion. Actually it's more the intent behind words that matters, and you really don't need to use profanities to offend someone; you can do it with perfectly acceptable English (or whatever language you're using). Right-wingers became particularly adept at that; they somehow turned the word "liberal" into an offensive insult, for awhile at least (BTW, somebody ought to clue in eggsovaries that it doesn't work anymore).

And, on the other side of the coin, if you're in the habit of using the offensive-in-some-circles "m-f" word constantly, it becomes meaningless, merely serving as a syntactical link to the next word in the sentence.

Actually, "liberal" is just used to identify someone with a flawed statist (state-ist) ideology. This word was adopted by the people who wanted to mold this nation into their own perverted system for government authority. I don't really believe that "liberals" are liberal - I think they are very narrow-minded and intolerant despite their claims to the contrary. A more accurate description for whom we currently call "liberals" would probably be "statists." Of course, we could always call them "stupid" or "inept" and get the same results. They will be offended no matter what they are categorized as - it's just their nature.

As far as the whole profanity issue goes...

What's with all the complaining? They are just words. The only reason they have a negative meaning is because some people decided long ago that these words are slang and beneath "proper" speech. They didn't like the sound of it or perhaps they didn't like that the ones using it were not "educated" enough, so they could then talk down to them or not talk to them at all. It's the ultimate old-fashioned insult...to dismiss someone as a simpleton.

But there is no right to not be offended, so if profanity bothers you, too bad. People use it. They always have and that will never change. I can offend someone using the "Queen's English" even better than using just a few words of "profanity." The problem is, most people are too stupid to know they were being accosted.

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See what I mean, adrienne? Some right wingers are still doing it.

Conservatives live in the past. They worship the status quo. They're constipated stick-in-the-muds. They're con men and not to be trusted. Where liberals are pro (for) the public good, they're con (agains).

Otherwise we seem to agree, though, publius. Profanity is relative. ;)

Thanks, publius. ;)

no I dont see your point, and still dont agree that profanity is just words. Thats just your way of watering it down by saying oh profanity is just a word. Sure you can be offendsive to someone without using vulgar language. You gave an example of right-wing liberals to me thats a very poor example and publius didnt prove your point. The only thing both of you are doing is taking the subject "profanity" and trying to spin it in your direction, furthermore I think you're taking the article way out of context from which I wrote it. If you like using profanity that's your mouth and your business. As the saying goes the tongue is unruly and hard to tame.
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I somewhat agree with you on conservatives...many do worship the status quo. But I think you've made a mistake in your assumption that I am a conservative. I am not. Also, you say that liberals are for "the public good" - but fail to mention their view of what that "good" is.

What is "good" in the mind of a "liberal" is not necessarily good for the public at large. I tend to think that individual liberty and the responsibility that comes with it ought to be in the hands of the citizens. Government is at best a necessary evil...these words are very true. That government is best which governs least...also very true. However, the "liberal" mindset today seems to think that more government - for the wrong reasons - is best for the population, despite the consistent failures of the government which they wish to afford increasing power to and limit the capacity of the individual.

So no, I'm not "proving your point." You'd have to make a valid point in the first place. "Liberals" are what they are. Liberals are not what "liberals" are. You have to understand the definition in question. What is meant by "liberals" in the political sense is not what is meant by the traditional definition of liberals in Merriam-Webster's dictionary. I gave a brief assessment of what political "liberals" are and you seem to have taken offense. You responded with the following:

"Conservatives live in the past. They worship the status quo. They're constipated stick-in-the-muds. They're con men and not to be trusted."

What you have done here is exactly what you accused me (an assumed "conservative" - by you) of doing. This is characteristic of the political "liberal" mentality...and also what I referred to as narrow-minded and intolerant - something that an actual liberal is not.

So, I ought to be the one thanking you for the illustrative example, veghead.

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I know I am coming in late on this one but I have to admit that I use profanity. Not nearly as much as I did before I had my son. I would actually curse a lot but could stop cold when my mother-in-law was in the room because she won't allow profanity in her house. If I can stop for a few hours why not all together? I guess it doesn't bother me all that much.

I do think that there is a time and place for everything. If you are at a football game and your team fumbles then by all means... cuss! But when in other circumstances... not so appropriate. Does that make sense?

OH, and the liberal vs. conservative thing... TOTALLY different subject and I won't get pulled into that one... said the liberal.

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adrienne...

I'm not trying to take the discussion into another direction. I'm simply pointing out what happens when words are used in improper ways and meanings are not understood by the listener or reader. Words are often twisted into a meaning other than its original. Profanity is nothing more than a meaning twisted into a another word, whether it's a previously existing or new one.

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Excuse me,but profanity is just what it is profanity, its not twisted into another word. How can you even justify what you'll trying to say that like saying I don't drink booze, but I have a budlight turned up to my lips. Why do you think its called profanity? If you say "MF" are you saying its the way you say it that makes it bad? Publius I wasnt really directing my comment to you, I think it was veghead who started with the liberal and conservative illustration.
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I understand the football game and youre into the game and you go oh s***. I was really just expressing my dislike for people who are so loud using foul lanuage in public. I was merely expressing that they get on my nerves. I can't yell at them and tell them shut up already, so I was just venting. This discussion just kind of took on a shape of its own.

I don't think it's a matter of quantity but quality. Small government isn't automatically good government, and big government can be very efficient (obviously I'm not including George Bush's disastrous and fascist big government in that).

I was just teasing you about your negative riff on liberals by showing you it can easily be turned around and done on conservatives. I believe there's a place for right, left and center in any government (in fact, if we weren't represented by all of those viewpoints we wouldn't be a democracy), and, although I am a liberal, I recognize that we all need each other. Presently, of course, the true conservative movement is seriously wounded/corrupted because of the Bush shenanigans and needs to take time to regroup into what it once was and once stood for while President Obama takes the helm. But I hope it succeeds, because a one-party state is not a good thing.

i think what people are missing is the difference between profanity and cuss words. profanity is just vulgar language used by those without the vocabulary to properly express themselves. cuss words are curse words. think about it, when you say "damn you" what are you doing to a person? you are wishing damnation (whatever your version of it) upon that person. however "sh!t" isn't a curse word. it is an easy to use word that fits almost any situation and almost always has another (less vulgar) word that it could be replaced with.

Yeah you say a cuss word to curse someone, but that is a different meaning altogether. A curse is an action. Meaning you want somthing evil to befall someone. But cussing and profanity my dear are one in the same. How can you separate profanity from cussing when its the same thing?

I can rattle off a list of cuss words that George Carlin used on his albums and get a laugh or I can yell them at you while I am chasing you down the street with a baseball bat and get additional jail time. It all depends on the context.

Having said that, I am very much against the idea of Politically Correct speech. Part of the concept of Freedom of Speech is the freedom to offend. You and I don't always have to agree with each other or even always say nice things, but using the government to tell me what I can and cannot say affects you just as much as me in the long-term.

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