A rare serious post from me...about profanity.
In real life as well as online. I interact (as you undoubtedly do also), with people of many different colors, ages, religions, sizes, shapes, intellectual levels, etc.
People who are clean, dirty, rich, poor, smart, dumb, idiots, not idiots, abrasive, calm.
Each person was brought to their station in life by whatever their past consisted of. There are no two people who are alike.
Some people swear profusely. Some people don't swear at all. Some people cannot communicate without swearing. It's like when you know a person who talks with their hands in conjunction with their speech. If you hold their hands down by their sides, they may have difficulty communicating.
I swear. Sometimes I swear profusely. Sometimes, I do not swear at all. Sometimes I use unique swear words (oopsie-fucking-daisy). I'll usually try to judge my audience when I choose the way I speak. For example, I wouldn't say "motherfucker" when talking to some sweet old lady who I just met. But that's me, that's how I talk. That's nothing to to with anyone else, that's just me.
The following is also me...I try not to judge people for the way the speak or write, for the simple reason of "they are individuals, and that's the way they talk". If someone chooses to incorporate the word "fuck" as the middle syllable in every word they say to me, I'm not going to melt. Conversely, if I am speaking to someone who doesn't swear at all, I will most likely limit or eliminate my swearing in the conversation.
DU is a large collection of people. Historically, a large portion of DUers swear. To tell someone that you do not like that they swear is akin to telling someone that you do not like their laugh, or that their laugh sounds ridiculous. And you know what that could mean...they might never laugh again. You may make someone afraid to laugh again.
Telling someone to "watch your mouth", or "do you kiss your mom with that mouth" or "can't you talk without swearing" is to criticize the very way they talk. We have no idea what life circumstances cause people to talk the way they do. If you tell a rabid swearer not to swear, they may not swear in front of you the next time, but they also will not communicate as well with you either. They may not be able to get their point across as well.
It's not up to me to judge anyone in this manner. It's not up to me to judge their grammar, or their education level, or their social status. People communicate with each other in the manner that they feel gets their point across. I'm not saying that I love when people go overboard with their cursing, but it is not up to me to say anything to them about it. It's like telling someone "hey, do me a favor, go back the last 50 years and change every variable in your life that has caused you to curse while talking to me today". Why would it be my place to do that? Why would I want to possibly stifle someone's words? To what end?
Understand what I'm saying, fuckers?
= new reply since forum marked as read
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FUCK FUCKITY FUCKER FUCKFACE!
It's like a disorder with me. 
To each their own, live and let live and all that jazz...but there is nothing anyone can type (short of 'Donald Trump is a genius.') that is going to offend me at my core.
I support anyone's right to swear, not swear or anywhere in bwteeen!
on edit: added little feller with the hat.
Interviewer: What do you consider to be your greatest weakness?
Interviewee: I'm too honest.
Interviewer: I don't think that's a weakness.
Interviewee: I don't give a fuck what you think.
Swear if you want. Who gives a shit?
Please don't wear them out. Expletives are very useful in context, damn it. What do you say when you hit your thumb square on with a hammer? There are words for that and they those words can be psychologically cathartic. They have a contextual value.
Overdoing it wears out the effect Moderation?
There is no such thing as a "bad" word unless you utilize some sort of class-based metaphysics to try to contradict that. Words are words are words, etc. Now, on the other hand, the one utilizing the words and their intent may be at issue.
It is good to see threads like that so we can consider explore the implications of censorship and how it can even court oppression and control by way of assumptions about what kind of words are considered "acceptable" and who is to decide that and for what reason.
Do you blow your father with that mouth?
Variation: Fuckin' aye Jackson, or F.A. Jackson!
That was an excellent contribution to the discussion. I really appreciated what you had to say and thought the story from your childhood was illuminating. I thought you should know that.
sharing. Like someone earlier posted we DU'ers are very candid with each other.
Welcome to DU too!
i’ll try to keep it to a minimum. I’m sure like most, or at least lotsa folk here it becomes harder and harder for us to not swear with the orange piece of shit occupying our house. But I will try. 
isn't that the truth, fires in Australia and those who perished on the flight that got shot down. 
fuck-a-doodle-do, I do understand! My excuse is that I had brothers and I worked at a men's prison.
I find that people who use a varied vocabulary to express themselves are more interesting. My mind tends to drift off when every other word starts with F.
BTW, I loved to listen to Colonel Potter on MASH. He made salty language a pleasure to hear.
Hey, people who do that or permit it ARE assholes!
I try to choose my words carefully. I even toned it down a bit.
Go Hawks!
I try to adapt to the audience and atmosphere, and try not to take it personally if my occasional swearing offends someone. I can be church lady in one setting and sailor in another. Sometimes it can be hard to tell which crowd you're in at the time - at least initially.
I'm an educated man, but sometimes there aren't suitable adjectives for the idea(s) I'd like to relate to others. Some swear words portray a forcefulness that other descriptors aren't capable of portraying. So I swear sometimes when writing just to convey my true feelings at that moment. If someone doesn't like it there are remedies available on DU for the offended to utilize in order to shield themselves from my swearing. Ignore me, alert on me, hide my posts, I just don't fucking care. Like Neil Young said, "doesn't mean that much to me, to mean that much to you."
Great post, LuckyCharms. I like your cereal too!
and limit cursing to extreme situations. I also tried to star out the middle letters of curse words.
That's mostly out the window now. I think the turning point for me was Dump, but I'm not sure.
I'm not proud of my transition into more profanity. I still tend to see it as a respect issue, but I guess I've morphed into a disrespectful person.
Thanks, Dump!
I do watch myself in public, and I don't ever cuss around children.
I told him fuck if I know. 
Since I retired, I dont have much of a filter except in front of strange children or at parent-teacher conferences.
I was a funeral director for many years and had to act right. It was challenging, but now I can say whatever the hell I want. And my hair is bright fucking pink.....because I can. 
Ever since Trump was elected, my internet profanity skyrocketed because I could not find adequate words in the English language to express my anger, fear, despair, sense of horror and absolute disgust with everything Trump and Republican related. I was at a loss for words and profanity seemed to fill the void and also helped me to let off some steam at the same time.
In my real life, most people are surprised to hear me even utter a mild profanity and will comment if I say something off-color. My speech in person is nothing like my internet rants about Trump/Republicans. We had a lunch meeting about a month ago and the caterer sent these pathetic little cellophane wrapped flimsy forks/knives with a napkin that was a shade above a facial tissue. I was opening mine and I said "I can't believe what lame-ass utensils they send us for what we pay them! " Pretty tame, I think. Anyway, a number of people laughed and said "Smirky, that is some pretty strong language coming from you!"
If they only knew how I raged on this board they would be shocked. Sometimes, I just need to rant and get it out of my system. I am well educated, I am from a good family, I am nothing like the stereotype that the original poster who complained about us foul mouthed DU'ers implied.
There are those who think that this is only a place where logical arguments and thoughtful ideas should be shared. And that is one of the strengths of this board and I appreciate that. However, some of us also need a safe place to come and express our anger and frustrations and our language is not always going to sound eloquent or rational. Hell, it beats ripping all our clothes off and running up and down the streets ranting about fascism and Opus Dei. Which, I have actually considered in my weaker moments.
Cheers, Lucky. And thanks for your post!
...then it's annoying as all fuck... so to speak
