OT: Swearing

I often have this debate with my fiance. As a child, if I had used the word "hell" or "damn", I would have been slapped into the following month.

I am a pretty liberal guy in a lot of respects. However, when it comes to children and morals, I'm old fashioned because I was raised that way. I think that anyone under the age of at least 14 that uses anything stronger than "Dang" or "Cooties" needs a good beating. Ok, maybe that's a little too strong.

How would you react to a six year old standing in the store yelling "Mommy I want that damn toy or you can go to hell!" instead of "Mommy, mommy, please get me that toy, please get it for me"

Ok, so they both sound like brats. However, I think I'd be a little shocked hearing that first one. Do you agree? If not, then you may not realize it but you already agree that they're bad words. If, on the other hand, you think it's ok for a six year old to talk like that, well, no comment.

Well, I think it's nothing new that Damn and Hell are swear words. If anything, they are actually less considered swear words today than they used to. They are irreligious words and therefore in a religious society it would be a grave offence to say them. Unless they are used in context of course as when a priest says "Sinners shall be damed and go to hell forever!". But of course if you say "Damn this thing! The Hell with it!" then of course, religiously speaking it is a great offence.
While on the topic, isn't it interesting where the swear words come from in the different languages? In Quebec's French for example, almost all swear words are religious, while I've noticed that in American English, most swear words are sexual. Interesting, isn't it? What does that say about our respective societies?

I choose to express myself from the skit by the 1960's comic Mr. George Carlin. Do not follow this link if you are underage or if it is illegal for you to view "offensive" material in your country - Blah Blah Blah...

http://www.georgecarlin.com/georgecarlin/index.html

The way to view it is -- "What would Ned Flanders do in a situation like this?"

Nice link, and true

I wasn't raised in North America, and I agree, it's often not the word, but how it's said, we would never have got in trouble for saying something along the lines of "I was swearing, so my parents gave me hell", or "This is pure hell", the words "hell" and "damn" carried no more weight than "heck" or "blast", so maybe it's a difference between North American society and English society.

Paxx: I don't have an answer about the origin of swear words, but in France's french, most are sexual too, not religious. Makes you wonder...

Australia must be the rough end of the world....'hell' and 'damn', wouldn't raise an eye-brow....

I was born in 59. I didn't even know those words existed till the 70s. Then..... I spoke them often.

Jafo's not wrong there! The only type of swear words that would probably raise an eye-brow would be "F#%&$#@ A%%@&*%" etc etc etc

(NOTE: for all the kiddies reading this, Is just said: "Fire-truck Ambulance"

I grew up in a somewhat rough part of New York and even some of my toughest friends caught "hell" if an adult heard them say something even remotely harsh. Of course we said it when they weren't around but... and now I'm more of a potty mouth then ever. Not around kids though!

How can "hell" be offensive? Anyway, swearing in English is much more innocent than swearing in Dutch, we toss around all kinds of terminal diseases, religious frolics and sexual things and mix them to make it all longer and more entertaining for the bystanders.

Bytheway, brilliant link, 3rdI.

hmmm crae, that sounds *alot* like the Danish language....