Do you think young people have a more rational view of swearing?

I think a lot of Gen Y is waaaay too fond of swear words.

 

I like swear words. I learned most of them from my grandparents when I was a kid.

 

I think they have no more or less meaning or value than any other word created by humans

 

I don't know if it's that they see them as just words (it'd be great if they did) but with people our age and younger, being for anything older generations are irritated by seems to be trending. It'd be nice if they did see them as just words...but that's rarely the case.
It also doesn't help that words like 'fuck' and 'damn' are used in everyday conversation as much as 'like' or 'umm.' It's at the point where it's not used so much for any intended meaning, but because they were told not to use swear words when they were growing up, so they did it to 'rebel'...except now they just use it out of habit. Words only have the meaning that we give them, but swear words have devolved to nothing more than filler.
Personally, I see using swear words that often as a sign of a weak vocabulary and, typically, a pretty boring personality. I love swear words though, because they can be used as a great way to emphasize but, like any word, overusing it just takes away its impact and makes it harder to be taken seriously.

So to answer your question, no, I don't think young people have a more rational view of swearing, it's just irrational for different reasons.

 

The adults that I know generally dont give a fuck about swear words?

 

I don't swear very often, but I'm not strictly speaking offended by swearing. Only slurs are offensive.

However, there are times when swearing is simply inappropriate. To say that they're only words is correct, but we attach significance to a word and to say it is to do so in full knowledge of the implications of swearing.

 

I don't personally swear in front of youngsters and ladies but I am known to use minced oaths such as "gosh darn it" and "heck."

Among males in informal situations, I will use cuss words.

My sister, who's 13, knows most of them but doesn't use them because my family doesn't approve cussing in the house. That said, I have heard many kids her age use expletives like they were going out of season. It seems that younger people either consider using swear words as a non-issue or feel that it makes them seem "mature" because they grew up seeing their peers and elders use them.

 

Swear words is not good. Swear words is not bad. Swear words is just swear words.

All things in moderation, peeps. Goddamn fuckshit.

 

I agree with resu here.

Also, from my experience, many younger people have a much more limited vocabulary with diminished diction and grammar and often use words out of their correct context. All this text speak doesn't help either.

It bugs me when I have conversations and they can't understand some of the English words I'm using. It's one of the reasons I enjoy conversing with people older than myself who have a better grasp of language.

Please note though, I'm not saying all younger people are like this.

Happy days

 

Perhaps it's become a habit for some.

 

The shock factor has gradually diminished. I swear frequently, as do most people I know, but only in informal situations. I wouldn't call my supervisor at work a fucking dickhead, but I'll happily call my friends that, and worse.

I'm quite fond of the word c*nt - quite possibly my favourite word in the English language. It's so expressive and gets the point across really well, although there is still a huge taboo surrounding that particular word and most people consider it extremely vile - the most insulting word in English.

I don't use swears as a replacement for other words though - just in conjunction with them.

 

It's how I view cuss words but I know a lot of my peers just see them as "cool" or rebellious. I think that people put meaning to things the shouldn't like cuss words. But you can't really generalize a whole generation to say they are more or less rational (well you could but it probably wouldn't be accurate). You only have experience with people you meet so it doesn't display the diverse minds of the whole generation. It's like convenience sampling.

 

Swear words are not just words. For most people anyway. There was a study... I'll have to find it... in which the brain was monitered while the subject spoke. Conversational words lit up all the standard language hot spots, but swear words activated completely different areas of the brain.

 

I do tend to swear quite a lot but I'm a Brit - it is simply how we are raised (blame the parents!). When I was going up "twat" was a very common playground jokey insult in primary school (like "idiot" or "stupid"); it wasn't until adulthood that I learned the meaning of it.

Also "bloody" is a prominent feature in my speech, although I personally don't see that as an expletive many of the older generation recoil in horror if they hear it.

 

My mother will never swear and gets upset if we accused her of it! My mothers mum hates swearing too. My dad and his side swear relentlessly

 

I also agree with resu. In addition, I'd note that (at least as of when I posted this) none of the younger people here have posted an actual chain of reasoning or argument for why swearing should be thought of as no big deal. Instead they've either just said it isn't without much in the way of objective justification or described their personal behavior in this regard. Neither of these counts as a rational argument to do/not do anything.

And younger people have been finding behavior to annoy or shock their parents/older generations with for as long as there have been people. Your kids/the next generation will be doing it to you to in due course

Todd

 

I completely disagree.

Don't get me wrong, it CAN show it, but my problem is that most people I find who take this view insist that is ALWAYS demonstrates a limited vocabulary.

My vocabulary isn't exactly extensive, I don't go around reading dictionaries for pleasure any more, but I'm not lacking in my choice of words. But you know what, sometimes you just need to tell someone to FUCK OFF, because it just doesn't cut it other ways.

There are plenty of people who swear too much, but that doesn't mean 'swear words' don't have a legitimate purpose or that it always demonstrates a lack of usable vocabulary.

Not to mention the amount of second rung curse words like "heck", "dang", "fugde" and so on that people use instead. It's not swearing 'technically' but it doesn't exactly make it better...