What the hell is so offensive about saying swear words? Even typing and re-reading that sentence makes me uncomfortable. Other people, I'm sure, would have added even more colorful expletives. I've spoken to many people who would never say a curse word and others who interject the f-bomb like it's their job. It's one of those things that is trained out of us or accepted as legitimate Scrabble answers.
From my understanding of curse words, I have categorized them into 2 categories: spiritual & physical. Dualism at it's finest.
Spiritual:
- Damn is a condemnation to hell (refer to next bullet point), and is frequently spelled wrong (that poor "n" is frequently forgotten which confuses this eternal punishment with a cute fort constructed by beavers).
- Hell is Satan's home-base and fearful destination for all sinners... h-e-double hockey sticks (Did that saying come from Canada or Michigan? Go Wings! I don't really care, don't know why I said that...) is an unpopular location described to us in the Bible, in movies, and cleverly on church signs. Yahoo Answers tells me it's an intensifying particle?
- God is not actually a swear word but a triune Savior of humanity / Creator / my Dad. However, his name is used, or truncated and tossed in with a -sh, "in vain" very frequently by pre-teens and grown adults alike. OMG. What is that acronym saying? I prefer "goodness" as my euphemism of choice. When used in conjunction with damn in a sentence... that's just not cool, okay? Can you really speak for the Alpha and Omega?
- Jesus (Christ) --refer to previous bullet. Also Savior and part of the 3-in-1.
So I've grown up in a home that does not tolerate any usage of these words in an a profane manner. The Bible verse "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain" comes to mind. However, unbelievers use these words with no fear of the wrathful God Almighty. The verse seems straight forward enough not to use these words... Interesting that this unknown spiritual side of our humanity leads us as humans to throw these unknown entities, places, and actions out as angry, hateful attacks aimed to destroy and dehumanize. Are we as humans trying to pull from this powerful spiritual world that we don't fully understand, concepts beyond us, as recognition of their existence and fear of them, or as a blasphemy and statement of disbelief?
There are other Bible verses concerning profanities, but they're not as easy to decipher.
Matthew 5:34-36 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
Matthew 23:21-22 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
Excuse me. What?! So can I say any swear word 3 letters or less? Monday through Saturday? Moving on to the more tangible... and dirty.
Physical:
- The a-word (bum, butt, rear, hind-end, @$#), which is shorter spelled out than euphemistically spelled out, is a donkey but is used to describe the backside, the gluteus maximus (yeah human anatomy class...), or a jerk.
- The c-word (... %!$@) is considered by some to be the most profane word in the English language. It should never be used. I'm not sure why but I've been told that enough to have a literal pain in my gut if someone ever utters the word. This word, as well, describes the most wretched of people by calling them a slang word for a female's genitalia. One of many questions being: Why women? Why didn't "testes" take off? (Equal my bum)
- The f-word (f-bomb, eff, freaking, frigging, fricking, freaking, fudge, $%@#) is a vulgar word for sexual intercourse, to dismiss or degrade something or someone, or as an emphasis to an angry sentence that would otherwise have not been communicated as so.
- The s-word (poop, crap, shoot, shite, sugar, $#@!), another 4-letter word, is used as a noun for excrement, stuff, trouble, or displeasure. Really the sailors were just trying to watch out for each other --stopping those exploding poop boats!
(The OCD readers may appreciate that these words were not only categorized alphabetically, but also by the number of letters)
These words are used here and there. Sometimes they are tacked onto other words (e.g. bull, wad, hole, wipe, mother (again, why her? no one had daddy issues?)) that were not interesting or effective enough prior to the addition of their colorful accessory. I find that these words are commonly interjected to add emphasis. Personally, I use them (all but one...), but only when I'm so upset that no other word seems to convey the magnitude of my emotions. Stupid? I think, yes. It seems like a pretty uncreative and unthoughtful outburst of word vomit that lacks the robust communicative potential of other alternatives. In my prime judgmental fashion, when I am pretending I never swear and hear strangers swearing, I like to respond to their vocal tantrum with a thought much like the calm words of a mother saying, "Speak with your words, little one." But, is it a big deal? Words are just symbols known as "letters" arranged and given a meaning that is generally understood by large numbers of people. Won't swear words, much like generational slang words, fade and lose their effectiveness in time? Would it be best to use curse words so much in everyday language that they become devalued quicker?
These physical and primitive words say a lot about the human condition. As we are by nature sinners, we WOULD take these words and taint them and twist them into hurtful, damaging words. But do we see a trend with these words? Not quite as funny as bathroom humor... Sex-crazed, animalistic, hedonistic, donkey hating humans. Doesn't the manipulation of these words to profanity speak loudly to the manipulation of our perceptions of God-given human features and the gift of sex.
Besides speaking to our very nature, doesn't swearing reflect the condition of our everyday life? In my experience, the individuals that I have met that swear the most are people who have not been educated and/or those who are dealing with immense hardship.
Might there be a reason that most curse words are 1-2 syllables and 3-4 letters long? There aren't many words learned beyond elementary school that work as effectively for a profanity. "That game was unsatisfactory!" Don't see that catching on. I was told once that names for pet dogs should be no more than 2 syllables so that the dog can remember it easiest. I'm really not comparing swearers to dogs. Maybe the yippy swearers... However, one also learns outside of the classroom --in the home. Not all parents care about bad language. I have a friend that works with 3 year olds who say the f-word regularly. When curse words are not given importance to an individual, can one blame him/her for the offense? If we judge that is is appropriate to curse when life treats us poorly and when we are expressing our raw emotions, can we look down on those that undergo extreme tribulations and constant emotional pain? Either a person curses and does not mean the words they say or very well mean the words they say. In either case, should we judge ignorance and should we judge genuineness?
In my own life, I find that swearing is either in the heat of a passionate rant or else quoted in a humorous context. Sometimes those words can just be the zinger of a great joke. However, when analyzed to this extent (if you even made it this far reading...), isn't it unsettling? Such common words reveal our hearts. Written and spoken symbols open up ourselves to others and to a listening God to our cry for help. Whether we swear or not, whether the slang shifts with the times, we will consciously or subconsciously seek a way to express our broken hearts.
