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The over-casual use of the F-word

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by Chuck., Jun 29, 2013.

  1. Chuck.

    Chuck. Former Honda Enzyte Driver

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    I'm around a lot of college-age people a lot lately. The end of every phrase tends to have the f-word added - it seems like the replacement for "duh." It tends to get used less in my presence, so maybe they are being considerate?

    Really did not get an answer to my question: "What do you do when you are REALLY angry?" That's the point of that epithet - the overkill has made the word almost meaningless. Except to indicate the speaker is a failure at articulating intelligently or have decent things on their mind.

    Strange, the f-word was as objectionable as Paula Deen using the N-word today. Comics today harp on racial slurs like George Carlin did years ago on The Seven Dirty Words, including the f-word. If Paula Deen had instead called that bank robber a MOFO, is that really an improvement over the word she used?
     
  2. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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  3. RRxing

    RRxing Senior Member

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    A classic...

     
  4. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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  5. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    I guess that's what the c-word is for.

    But yeah, I see your point. Overuse means the word loses its power.

    Maybe it's a generational thing, or a nationality thing, but to me, the N word is a million times worse than the F word. And racial slurs or slurs against disability or gender or whatever are, without exception, far worse in my book than general swear words.

    The F word doesn't single out a group of people and label them as inferior. And that's why I'm way less offended by the F word than by the N word or the P word (which seems to be used casually in America, but it's as offensive as the N word in Britain) or the Ch word or the short A word (in Australia) or the D word or the other C word or any other racial epithet you can think of. She could have called someone an Fing MFing C, and I wouldn't be offended, but the N word is just not right, as far as I'm concerned.
     
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  6. Chuck.

    Chuck. Former Honda Enzyte Driver

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    So perhaps ethnic slurs are worse, but obscenities are not much better and in my books not acceptable casual language.

    Last week I did a DNA test and should get the results in 5-6 weeks. I'd bet most people making racial slurs would be shocked at their DNA results in one way, shape or form. A recent article stated just about every European is related to anyone in Europe if you go back 1000 years. And let's not underestimate those born out of wedlock because some of our ancestors were f-ing around. :D Just to make my point obscenities and slurs are about the same.
     
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  7. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    This is where the PD stuff started. If you got back far enough Europeans have DNA from Africa. We are all people and no one is superior to another. :)

    Using the N word is racist and hurtful to people.
    It should not ever be used.
     
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  8. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    You'd be horrified by Australia. There's an awful lot of swearing here, even on TV news and on the radio. As a British immigrant, even I was mildly surprised by the level of swearing in public discourse here. But after four and half years here, I no longer give a .....

    And you should try Hong Kong. Cantonese as commonly spoken in HK would be best described as ... umm ... earthy.



    Yeah, I agree with both you and JMD that racial slurs are stupid and irrelevant and utterly without scientific basis. But that doesn't make them any less offensive. It doesn't matter whether we are different; what matters is that we're perceived to be different, and that we have prejudices based upon those perceptions, which have detrimental effects on the lives of millions of people. And racial slurs at best prolong and legitimise that ingrained racism, and at worst make the situation worse. Swearing at someone doesn't do that, and casual swearing as part of a sentence, when it isn't even aimed at anyone in anger, has even less effect.

    Again, though, I think there's a nationality thing here. British people swear a lot more than Americans, and Australians swear a lot more than British people, so as a British person who's moved to Australia, I'm far more inured to swearing than an American. But British people and Australians are, I think, maybe more sensitive to racist language than Americans. So that's obviously going to affect my point of view here.

    I once had a bit of a disagreement with an old white lady who was quite viciously racially abusing a young South Asian woman. I swore at the old white lady. She said "There's no need for that." I pointed out that, actually, yes, there was a need for it. It was relevant and pertinent, and gave the necessary force to my criticism; furthermore, it was far less offensive than what she'd been saying.
     
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  9. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    Good old Chuck the N word is highly offensive
     
  10. FL_Prius_Driver

    FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

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    Crud, Criminey, or......(Jiminy) Cricket?
     
  11. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    Oh, you silly bunt. ;)
     
  12. jadziasman

    jadziasman Prius owner emeritus

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    wodga that.
     
  13. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    I suppose since I'm in Australia, it should be crikey.

    Or Map of Tassie. But that doesn't begin with a C.
     
  14. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    I am sure Dr Seuss would have something to say about this.
     
  15. jadziasman

    jadziasman Prius owner emeritus

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    Mr. Bounder:
    Anyway, ehm, you're interested in one of our holidays, are you?
    Mr. Smoketoomuch:
    Yes, that's right. I saw your advert in the blassified ads.
    Mr. Bounder:
    The what?
    Mr. Smoketoomuch:
    In The Times Blassified Ads.
    Mr. Bounder:
    Ah, The Times Classified Ads.
    Mr. Smoketoomuch:
    Yes, that's right. I'm afraid I have a speech impediment. I can't pronounce the letter B.
    Mr. Bounder:
    Uh, C.
    Mr. Smoketoomuch:
    Yes, that's right, B. It's all due to a trauma I suffered when I was a sbhoolboy. I was attacked by a Siamese bat.
    Mr. Bounder:
    Uh, ah, a Siamese cat.
    Mr. Smoketoomuch:
    No, a Siamese bat. They're more dangerous.
    Mr. Bounder:
    Well, listen...can you say the letter K?
    Mr. Smoketoomuch:
    Oh, yes. Khaki, kettle, Kipling, Khomeini, Kellogg's Born Flakes.
    Mr. Bounder:
    Well, why don't you say the letter K instead of the letter C?
    Mr. Smoketoomuch:
    Well, you mean, pronounce "blassified" with a K?
    Mr. Bounder:
    Yes, absolutely!
    Mr. Smoketoomuch:
    Klassified!
    Mr. Bounder:
    Good!
    Mr. Smoketoomuch:
    Oh, it's very good! I never thought of that before. What a silly bunt.
     
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  16. Chuck.

    Chuck. Former Honda Enzyte Driver

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    Almost my favorite use of almost using the f-word.

    (the original Dr. McCoy was better/more passionate)

    BTW, Dr. McCoy managed to f-bomb and slur doing this. :eek:




    This is better....advance to 1:48

     
  17. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    Excellent.

    Nearly swearing, and Star Trek. What's not to like?
     
  18. El Dobro

    El Dobro A Member

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  19. pilotgrrl

    pilotgrrl Senior Member

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    This is where acronyms come in handy, e.g, FFS, ESAD FOAD HAND, and others.

    Japanese is kind of a hard language to swear in because the worst insult is to call someone an idiot, and there are so many ways to do that. I vent at lame people who think they're Tolstoy and insult them like a yakuza while they type War & Peace for 3 minutes. Doesn't resolve their issue, but it makes me feel better.
     
  20. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    Freely admitting sexism here. It affects me less to hear males eructing than from the fairer sex. But gender-free, in Columbus NM decades ago little kids were lighting it up and I was taken aback. The 8 to 10 year demographic was getting awfully graphic.

    For current new-year's resolution I simplified by aiming first spoken sounds any morning to not start with A, F or S and go downhill from there. Made more challenging because my first 'listener' is this very computer, and it doth start poorly betimes.

    Having said many times that I aspire to 'teach' with graphic biology. But it is an acceptable challenge to find milder ways to describe things happening below the equator.