"You Dirty #$&?*!"

MSNBC asks, "Are we living in an Age of Profanity?"  It certainly appears so:

• 64% of those polled said they use the F-word, ranging from 8% who claim to using it "several times a day" to 15% who claim they use it "a few times a year."
• 62% of 18 to 34-year-olds and 39% of those 35 and older claim they swear during conversations at least a few times a week.
• 74% of women and 60% of men said they are bothered by profanity.
• 39% of women and 54% of men said they swear a few times a week.

The best quote in the article comes from Joe Cormack, a bartender from Fort Dodge, Iowa, who apparently hears customers use the F-word so frequently he feels he needs to intercede:

'Do you have any idea how many times you’ve just said that?” he reports saying from time to time. “I mean, if I take that out of your vocabulary, you’ve got nothin!' "

Additional Info: Jack Yan points out a side benefit of not cussing, namely that "your speech becomes more economical because you have been using the f word as a filler like um or er."  Now that sounds like a darn good reason to me!

Comments

[Ike]

'Do you have any idea how many times you’ve just said that?” he reports saying from time to time. “I mean, if I take that out of your vocabulary, you’ve got nothin!' "

Yeah. They'd be totally f----d.

[Steven Silvers]

It's those f'ing frugal heuristics, I tell you.

[kirsten]

I got razored by my team for using the F word in a blog post. I changed it. Jeez. Wash my mouth out with soap.

kindly,
kirsten

[Andrea Weckerle]

Ike, Steven and Kisten:

There'll be no cursing on my blog, darnit!

[Jack Yan]

It’s funny to note both the high usage and the number of people bothered by profanity!
¶ Looks like I fall into that tiny ‘a few times a year’ category.

[makethelogobigger]

Andrea’s going to have a heart attack, but I’m actually going to answer something seriously for a change. We definitely are more of a profanity-driven culture now.

A few theories:

1) Media/Cable
Proliferation of cable shows with laxed standards for content, in addition to there being more cartoons geared towards adults, but watched more and more by kids. (Family Guy, Simpsons, etc.)

2) Schools and School buses
My kids picked up stuff that would make Chris Rock blush, and I’m sure it’s worse these days considering that was 10 years ago. I thought I was pretty good about watching my language around them until they came home one day and clued me in as to what was really going on.

3) Internet/Blogs/Social Media Sites
They’ve given new life to profanity and what’s considered vulgar/mature content. Everyone's now free to vent on any subject using whatever language they like. It’s the freedom the boomers wanted in the 60’s, only with a Technorati rank.

And, you only have to go to myspace to see content that once was only on a Girls Gone Wild video. (Or so I’ve heard.) Seems like it’s so widespread now that the shock value of things has diminished, and people just keep trying to up the ante.

[Andrea Weckerle]

MTLB:

Excellent examples. We've certainly become looser with our language, but among adults the impact of that is less of a problem.

Among children, adolescents and perhaps even young adults just entering the workforce – who are learning what socially acceptable behavior is within different environments – this is a major issue. MySpace and Girls Gone Wild behavior doesn't cut it in most of the adult world. And knowing how to differentiate between language that may be acceptable during off-hours between friends, and language that is broadcast all over the Internet, is perhaps something that isn't intuitive to the younger crowd.

Certainly exposure to all sorts of adult themes and language via the Internet and social media only exacerbates the problem.

[Sam Smith]

Really interesting post Andrea.

Standards have certainly lapsed over here in the UK and over the last decade or so I've noticed that a few of the 'minor' swear words have started to creep into everyday usage and print/broadcast media without prompting the typical 'yours disgusted' reaction that it would have got in the past. I think, as with many things, the more we become exposed to swearing, the more it becomes accepted (rather than acceptable) and thus loses some of its impact. There's nothing more shocking (and often funny if used correctly in comedy) than a well placed swear word coming from someone you wouldn't expect to use it.

I have to agree with Jack's point that there is a real trend towards laziness in speech/writing (especially) in blogs. Vocabulary seems to be eroded by stock use of cliche and phrases that more often than not include expletives.

[Andrea Weckerle]

Sam,

My take on this is similar to yours, i.e., that a well-placed colorful word or two used to make a point or to express great emotion (usually frustration or anger, but also humor) can be effective. I'm not condoning it, I'm simply saying "effective" as a communications tool to get one's point across. Having said that, there are of course other ways to be effective as well, although they perhaps don't offer the same short-cut as does profanity.

There's a new show on HBO (I can't recall the name) where -- I kid you not -- every fifth word or so is an expletive. In movies such as Scarface, the use of profanity didn't bother me, but in this show it serves as a distraction, at least to me. I haven't been able to sit through an entire episode. Obviously I'm not a part of the intended target audience.

The same words spoken by an adult sound vulger when a youngster says them. Is there a lesson in that?

I'd love to hear more about your thoughts on the "trend towards laziness in speech/writing (especially) in blogs."

[Susan Getgood]

Having used the F-word (without asterisks) recently in a post, I can tell you that I deliberated long and hard about it. I'm not in the habit of using strong language in my blog, and with a 6 year old son, I try pretty hard not to use it in real life too.

But I eventually used it, for just the reason you cite: a shortcut to clearly express my feelings about the specific issue.

[makethelogobigger]

I blanking use it all the time.

Although at Idea Grove, I’ll be on my best behavior, Andrea. Promise.

;-p

"trend towards laziness in speech/writing (especially) in blogs"

This is an interesting point tangental to the discussion, but no less important. It’s not just in the area of profanity where standards have laxed, it's also in language in general.

I’ve read a lot of emails and posts from students where ’vally-girl meets chat-casual’ has taken over the conversation. I also call it “IMS: Instant Messaging Shorthand

“like, omg, do u know what i mean? he was like omg and i was like omg gotta go ttyl.”

Forget punctuation. It’s all shorthand now, and it’s creeping into all forms of their correspondence. I went off on this a while back at the home blog.:

http://makethelogobigger.blogspot.com/2006/02/wtf-happened-2-english-omfg.html

[Andrea Weckerle]

Susan: I saw the post you're talking about :-)

MTLB: My sides hurt! I understood everything except "ttyl" -- what does that mean?

[makethelogobigger]

ttyl = Talk to you later

[makethelogobigger]

Sometimes used with l8r, as in 'later' or 'cya'

[Jack Yan]

Andrea, thank you for the link in your update, and I agree with you and Sam above. While in the make-up room prior to going on air today, Barry said he was ‘f***ed off’ (about a private matter, not the show). Then he said, ‘I was upset, too.’ The problem is, I have no idea of the distinction between the two statements. We have come so far with this “colourful” language that it can’t even be used for exclamation, or, for that matter, clarity.
¶ I remember the funniest we ever got to cussing on TV as a child was the credits of the Brit comedy The Goodies. One of the crew’s name was Bob Flick, and it was typed in capitals. If your TV reception wasn’t good, the L and I would blend …

[Andrea Weckerle]

Jack: Good one!