Habitual Swearing
The Inexactitude of Profanity
I never heard a curse word I didn’t like
Profanity is one of the most loved evolutionary aspects of language. Many comedians have made a fabulous living using off-color humor as part of their funny-bone arsenal.
Yet, swearing to high-heaven in almost every sentence of a normal conversation is but a habit.
Telling someone to go fuck-off is more of a conditioned response than it is a conversation starter. Yet, the great thing about swearing is it allows us to use fewer words from our vocabulary with less thought.
Sometimes we like to abbreviate our cursing expressions — for example, “Fuck-n-A!” can do the trick nicely in some scenarios. The phrase has such a positive feel that most people have used it. I have even heard the minister in our church use this pearl of profanity after having a killer Sunday and his coffers were overflowing.
However, the problem with our insistence on using profanity is its inexactitude. Profanity is perfect for expressing a quick emotion or two, yet when it comes to the articulation of an intelligent thought or idea, cursing is limited in depth and clarity.
It can be so easy to just say — “Bite me — Asshole!” — when we get upset. Granted — it is a phrase for all occasions. Yet, replacing a curse word with a more appropriate word may take a little thinking before speaking — especially if swearing is your habit.
I know — I know! It can be so difficult to switch — especially when “Kiss my ass!” is right on the tip of your tongue — ready to come flying out of your mouth like a Ninja Throwing Star.
However, let us give less profanity a try! What do you say? We’re not children anymore, for goodness sake.
When you are a kid, swearing is something you do to make yourself feel like a grown-up. No wonder profanity is so engrained into our everyday speech. Kids are surrounded by adults cussing — then these same grown-ups are telling their children not to swear or they will get in trouble. Confusing for a young mind to comprehend.
I swore anyway — trouble or no trouble I was going to say, “Damn it! & Shit!”, come hell or high water. Although, I never said it too loud if Mom or Dad was in earshot.
My buddies and I would say every cuss word we could think of whether we knew what it meant or not. Later we discovered some of our dirty words were just words we didn’t understand the meaning of — they just sounded nasty.
We thought the word — Pregnant — was a cuss word for a while. Later, we found out pregnant wasn’t a naughty word — however, Child Support was.
As we grow up and mature, one would assume the childish act of swearing to the extreme would fade out of us — not so! This is because profanity-filled conversations become our habit at a young age — changing it can take some work.
My father was a master artist using profanity as he painted his daily conversations with technicolor cuss words. Even though my dad was a well-educated man, with an extensive vocabulary, and an arsenal of other choices he could have used, cursing was in his blood. So, instead of calling someone uneducated, he might replace it with, “You fuckin’ idiot”.
Most of us are guilty of such laziness as we speak and think. I guess it is because swearing can be quite relaxing and enjoyable at times. The problem is that in an argument profanity is our enemy.
People do not take you as seriously or listen to you with respect when you cuss at them. That is why you’ll never hear profanity on a debate floor. A good, sound, and thought-out sentence or two, articulating your thoughts, will always be more effective than a good old “Go Fuck Yourself, Asshole!”
“Although, that phrase is one of my favorites.”
So, experiment for a day, and try paring down your potty-mouth words to a minimum. If you swear habitually, you may find this to be a difficult task. I know it was for me.
Give it a try and if you like speaking with fewer curse words then — Great! If not — Fuck it! Cuss your brains out and have fun doing it.
Peace, Love, and Unconditional Happiness!
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