I opened up my email the other day and while scrolling through I decided to check out the one from my local healthfood shop. They mentioned a few things and then promoted a seminar, which, as I began reading, I thought sounded good. That was until I read the title of the seminar, smack bang in the middle of the title was a 4 letter swear word starting with 'S'. I didn't bother reading any further, I already knew that I didn't want to attend this seminar.
I seem to belong to a shrinking group of people who finds swearing offensive. It is so mainstream now, 4 letter words are no longer "bleeped" from the television and almost every program on TV begins with "moderate course language". It is part of everyday life and even now everyday language. People swear everyday in their day to day conversations and no one blinks an eye. I will raise my hand and say I do swear, I'm not proud of it but I do. When I am around people that swear excessively I have been known to throw my own choice words into the mix. And I know when I am mega stressed or exceptionally angry, the expletives come out of my mouth at full force. I try to be mindful at all times and am constantly working to get all swear words out of my vocabulary.
When people swear I do find it offensive. I find it inappropriate and I think the person using the swear words may have a little bit of a self esteem issue, why else would they need to use filthy language. I remember buying a best selling book that everyone was raging about so much so they turned it into a TV series. Every. Single. Page. Of that book had at least one swear word. I was so offended around page 50 I gave up, I wasn't going to go any further. A very popular blogger turned author who I followed for many years starting introducing 4 letter words into her writing. It didn't go unnoticed by me and it changed my opinion of her.
Call me a prude but is all this swearing necessary? Do we really need to colour our language simply to get the point across? Does dropping the f-bomb emphasise a point better than omitting it's use? I went back to the email that started this thinking and read a little deeper. I was informed that her "casual use" of swear words was "a refreshing reprieve from the norm" (really, I would have thought it was the norm), and that her use of swear words was "reminding you that you are speaking to a real person". Seriously? I need someone to use offensive language so I know it's real?
Call me old school but I believe in old fashioned manners. I don't answer my phone when I'm out at dinner, I always thank clients for coming in to see me and I use the words 'please' when asking for something. And I try to keep my language clean. In this 'modern age' I find it hard, particularly when everyone around me seems to be doing it and fail as often as I do, I just need to keep going and keep being mindful, because clean language will set me apart from the rest. For the better.
I am a clean language person as well. I don't really see the need to swear. I remember the first time I did in front of my friends at school ( we are talking yr 11 or 12), they nearly died of heart attacks. I am more of a big word user for everyday talking which I am sure annoys people too. I do occasionally let one slip bit it usually involved pain or dropping things, I'm by no means perfect. More often than not, much to workmates amusement, it usually ends up coming out as the well practiced 'sugar', 'woops' (that one amused my ESL students the most), bull and flip rather than the real word. I have always liked and used bugger but it isn't really swearing is it? Anyway it still falls into the pain or accident category or name calling objects that won't do what they are told (honestly you silly inanimate object do what you were told). Mr Sparky says it is just a word and you can make any word do the same such as I do therefore making them swear words. it isn't however the same they just don't have the same stigma. Oh and the 'F' one well that is really offensive.
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