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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by CtrlAlt n Del on May 9, 2002, at 15:23:55
just ain't sexy .Used properly once for effect yes , used excessively in humor can be ok but generally I think a lazy way of expressing dissaproval etc...
It becomes the "erms ums and you knows" the fill-ins so often used in conversation passe and sometimes irritating.
but that's just me ..
Posted by Krazy Kat on May 9, 2002, at 15:50:48
In reply to Re:direct Swearing in my opinion, posted by CtrlAlt n Del on May 9, 2002, at 15:23:55
good redirect! but where's my post? :)
Posted by Krazy Kat on May 9, 2002, at 15:52:08
In reply to Re:direct Swearing in my opinion, posted by Krazy Kat on May 9, 2002, at 15:50:48
i agree. in writing, it is just distracting unless it's a certain sort of cleansing thing.
i prefer not to swear at all, and if i do, it's the old-fashioned ones. i swear very little nowadays.
isn't it always easier to be provacative and shocking, than to craft something delicate?
my favorite semi-swears are:
"laudy me", southern for "lordy me"
"i swanny", southern for i don't know what
"damn it all to hell", damn What all to hell?
Posted by CtrlAlt n Del on May 9, 2002, at 16:15:25
i agree. in writing, it is just distracting unless it's a certain sort of cleansing thing.
i prefer not to swear at all, and if i do, it's the old-fashioned ones. i swear very little nowadays.
isn't it always easier to be provacative and shocking, than to craft something delicate?
my favorite semi-swears are:
"laudy me", southern for "lordy me"
"i swanny", southern for i don't know what
"damn it all to hell", damn What all to hell?
should we move this to the social board?
Posted by CtrlAlt n Del on May 9, 2002, at 16:21:51
In reply to Re: Swearing in my opinion, posted by CtrlAlt n Del on May 9, 2002, at 16:15:25
Posted by CtrlAlt n Del on May 9, 2002, at 16:25:34
In reply to Re: KK... oh i see you've already redir... (nm), posted by CtrlAlt n Del on May 9, 2002, at 16:21:51
Posted by Krazy Kat on May 9, 2002, at 16:33:32
In reply to where's my mind going : ) (nm), posted by CtrlAlt n Del on May 9, 2002, at 16:25:34
Posted by beardedlady on May 9, 2002, at 16:38:59
In reply to here's my post... :), posted by Krazy Kat on May 9, 2002, at 15:52:08
I remember a bully handing me a textbook during English class and asking me to read what was scribbled in it--out loud. So I did (I don't remember why, though!). I said, "You are a mother fffffffather." (Good thing I was a fast thinker!)
Mother-father is now my cuss of choice (and an appropriate one, probably). Frick helps me, too, when I am with the child in the car, yelling at the a-hole in front of me. (My daughter has taken to yelling, "You moron! Idiot driver!")
beardy : )>
Posted by SandraDee on May 13, 2002, at 19:15:25
In reply to Re:direct Swearing in my opinion, posted by CtrlAlt n Del on May 9, 2002, at 15:23:55
My motto is:
Don't say anything I don't want my 2 yr old repeating. Of course that doesn't always work... there are those slip ups... but when I heard her even repeat me saying "You suck" I cringed hahahaha.
Posted by Mark H. on May 14, 2002, at 17:51:52
In reply to My motto: » CtrlAlt n Del, posted by SandraDee on May 13, 2002, at 19:15:25
I find it curious that our culture consistently mislabels the use of common slang as swearing and cursing. Even a moment's reflection on the meaning of the words makes it clear that swearing refers to the improper taking of an oath (in anger, for instance), and that cursing is invoking ill on another (such as from divine sources). Neither cursing nor swearing has anything inherently in common with the use of sexual and scatological slang, which often originates in the vernacular and finds its way evenutally into both literature and educated spoken usage.
It is basically a middle-class affectation to ascribe great emotional significance to certain words borrowed from the vernacular of the street. In private, the use of such words is often considered titillating and daring, while public use remains forbidden and "in poor taste."
This arbitrary and fundamentally hypocritical distinction may seem odd and even amusing to an outsider, yet major interpersonal conflicts resulting in physical violence, litigation, enormous financial losses and even death occur daily over just such distinctions, from drive-by shootings to class-action suits precipitated by racial slurs uttered in the ill-assumed "privacy" of a corporate board room.
Labels and usage offensive to politically organized subclasses of society have become the new "swear" words, and the reaction to their use is in direct proportion to how well the subclass has publicized and found acceptance for its negative interpretation of the "offending" language. It's important to note that having a strongly negative reaction to any word or phrase is a learned response -- there is nothing inherently "offensive" about certain words. Words become "offensive" only when a fairly large percentage of people agree on their offensiveness.
Ironically, during a time when the most explicit, degrading and artless pornography is universally available to anyone with a computer and an internet connection, we are experiencing more limited restraints on our use of language than at any other time during my life, including the 1950s. The result is the promotion of those who tightly control their speech over those who are emotionally honest and open, both in business and in politics.
I don't wish to wrap up my comments in a neatly phrased conclusion. I'd rather these thoughts open outward, inviting additional consideration from those who are willing to look at how our judgments about language use shape our lives.
With kind regards,
Mark H.
Posted by krazy kat on May 15, 2002, at 9:46:47
In reply to Re: Swearing, Cursing, and Taboo Word-Use, posted by Mark H. on May 14, 2002, at 17:51:52
Mark,
I agree with you, and must summise that you have been a professor at some point in you life. :)
It seems that words alone have no real significance, but when strung together in a phrase, that changes.
"mother"
"your mother"
"your mother is a"
"...."unless the last word is "saint", the final phrase is what really causes the problem.
There's a new book out called (I'm nervous to post it here, even though it exmplifies exactly what you've stated) - I'll post the link.
It's controversial, I'm sure, and I have not read it, but it does provide a forum for discussion on this subject, and actually refutes my comments. Hmmm...
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0375421726/drbobsvirte00-20
- kk
Posted by Zo on May 16, 2002, at 23:00:20
In reply to Re: Swearing, Cursing, and Taboo Word-Use, posted by Mark H. on May 14, 2002, at 17:51:52
This is the end of the thread.
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