Love this post or F*** you

Dan obviously came up with this post. Sallie's comments... nerd rages are in italics.

Curse words have been around since the dawn of man I’m sure. I can picture a caveman on the hunt for mammoth meat only to turn the corner and come face to face with a saber tooth tiger and uttering whatever grunt combination meant, “Sh*t!” Heck, I’ve even heard my grandma throw a “damn” out there once… and it was HILARIOUS. Thanks grandma for that amazing memory. It will stick with me forever.

Originally curse words were literally meant to curse someone, and I think this is the point that most people miss. I find time after time when someone explains why curse words are so bad and shouldn’t be used, they merely say, “Because they’re bad.” However, when someone says “damn you” they are literally wishing damnation on you. But does that word have as much power as it did say in the 13th century? No, just like someone accusing you of being a witch nowadays doesn’t end with you being burned at the stake. In recent years it has become more socially acceptable for people to curse, and I think it’s great.

The point of curse words, as I see it, is to express sentiments that are so strong that everyday language won’t be sufficient. So the commonality of curse words today, if anything, shows that time has weakened the meaning of those words. Though the etymology may be there to back up the meaning of the word as found in the dictionary, it won’t actually mean the same thing to people who hear it because it’s become so commonplace. Curse words are a prime example of how the English language is constantly changing.

Why the pop trend with using curse words? I think several historical events are probably to blame. I’m assuming the late sixties, during Nam and Nixon, was the shedding of the cultural taboo. Teenagers were dying in a war that no one wanted to be in, punk music became popular, the president was a criminal, and people’s general sentiment toward authority could’ve been summed up easily with “F You!”

Then I feel conservative, older America took some power back with Regan’s jellybean-loving cabinet in the 80s, and wholesome Americana had a short-lived second coming.

The early 90s saw many minorities reclaiming derogatory words back. Homosexuals said, “We’re here and queer,” and the Al Sharpton lead African pride movement along with gangster rappers took the “n” word back as a term of endearment. After people realized the only reason that these words had any power in the first place was because we gave them power, they started using them everywhere and at every chance.

At risk of sounding like a George Carlin skit, I just want to point out that curse words can be used in almost every situation for almost every purpose. The “s” word for example can be an expletive, “Oh sh*t!” or a noun. “I have to take a sh*t.” Even a commanding verb, “Go sh*t.” Not many words are as flexible as curse words.

Grammatically, that’s not quite accurate, but I’ll let him make his argument and save mine for another day.

So what about it America? Let’s give up the remaining fight for the 1950s “Leave it to Beaver” memory we all have of what America is. Give in, we are the youth, and we curse like sailors.

Sal: Granted, I think there’s a time and place for curse words, but I think it’s a waste to use them so frequently that they lose any and all meaning. Inserting a f*ck, sh*t or other curse word into every sentence or after every other word will eventually have the effect of a filler word, such as when people say “like,” “um” or “you know” 60 times in a sentence because they can’t think of anything actually important to say. It makes people sound ignorant, ill-informed and full of steam. If you can’t get out a thought without adding a bunch of meaningless syllables to your sentences, chances are what you’re saying isn’t that important or pointed. Plus, do you really want to sound like a teenage girl talking on the phone with her best friends when what you’re really trying to do is give a serious presentation or argue an important point? Do you want to be speaking, but saying nothing? Because that’s what the overuse of any given word, especially words that are meant to have strong meaning, will end up doing. You’ll sound like a valley girl and nobody will take you seriously. Or I won’t, anyway. And that’s what’s really important, right?

Yes, I do want to sound like a teenager because I will always be thirteen in my mind. My inner child likes four letters words. People tend to point out your space fillers less when you’re throwing the f-bomb in there because they still have enough power to intimidate. Even if its on a subconscious level. If I said “like” in places of the F-bomb, then people would assume I was in fact a cheerleader. I’m no cheerleader. I have no school spirit. Although my legs would look nice in a skirt.