Thoughts On Cursing

Let’s face it: most of us curse. I don’t curse on a daily basis, but sometimes I find expletives escape from my lips at certain times, and when I do I surprise myself. Still, I am glad that every other word out of my mouth is not a “bad one,” because there are so many cleverer ways to make a point.

Just the other day I heard on the radio that three of the top songs on the radio all have a certain four letter word in the title; of course when the songs are played on the air, the word is replaced or covered up. It got me thinking about how acceptable curse words have become in our daily lives and all over the media, even when they are suppressed.

To be honest, it does not matter to me if a song or song title has the “F bomb” or any other curse word in it. Still, if I hear someone constantly cursing when speaking it does make me a little uncomfortable and slightly annoyed. I know it becomes a hard habit to break, so I can easily look past it. When I get the chance, I would like to ask someone why they always resort to cursing when expressing themselves; I hope they won’t call me a b-word, or worse. The possibilities are endless.

While I am not faultless when it comes to cursing, I would like to think that I can express myself effectively without having to use them. What makes these words so attractive are that they are still forbidden, evoke strong feelings, and are easy to use. Yet whenever I have had to verbally defend myself and set someone straight, I used pointed non-expletives that were extremely effective. I think that is why Jane Austen and her novels still resonate with people today; she knew how to give the best verbal assaults!

What are your thoughts on cursing?