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How often do you use profanity IRL?

IContainMultitudes

IContainMultitudes

Well-Known Member
V.I.P Member
How often do you use profanity in your real-world interactions with people? In my case, not that often. I'm usually pretty careful about keeping my speech pretty G-rated around people until I know for sure that they wouldn't have a problem with me using a little bit of profanity (probably a pretty good policy). That's probably something that got drilled into me at a certain point; I can vaguely remember a few times when I was a kid that I got in trouble for using new words that I picked up without really knowing what they meant (at that age, I think I found the idea of certain words being "bad" or "off-limits" for some reason to be a little strange).

Also, I somehow just never got entirely comfortable with casually using profanity. I can use it in writing with no problem, but actually using it in my speech is another matter. "****" is usually about the strongest cuss word I use in everyday situations; I might drop the occasional "f-bomb" but usually not unless I'm fairly angry about something (or at least really surprised).

I think the reason I thought about this subject in the first place is because I was thinking about a few times that I've used profanity when people seemed a little shocked by that; not so much by the profanity but because I was using it. I wonder if maybe people were a little surprised by that because I seemed a little too "prim and proper" for that or something or because it sounded slightly unnatural coming out of me. I can't help but wonder if there's something a little bit AS-related going on there (I thought this topic would be kind of appropriate to bring up since it falls under the general heading of "social skills").

The one situation where I'm entirely at ease letting loose with a little bit of profanity is when I accidentally hurt myself (often by stubbing my toe). I think there's actually some scientific evidence that doing that provides a little bit of pain relief.

Profanity Bleeps Physical Pain: Scientific American Podcast
 
Now that you mention it, I never really kept track on my entire "do I use it a lot". I might drop the F-bomb sometimes, as well as **** or damnit (or variations thereof). But I rarely use them in case of being "mad" or angry. Somehow they're in my daily vocab. But then again, I'm not an English native, and dutch language has a lot of profanity, but thinking about it, most people use it in daily language more so than to express anger or pain.

I'd probably say "get the f*** out" if I wanted someone to leave, but instead I might say "I want you to leave, now!". But it's that the first phrase comes to my mind more often than the 2nd one. Also, I use profanity a lot for comedic relief. It might sound odd... but blending profanity with everyday speech, amongst interesting subjects and big words, I enjoy listening to something like that (and apparently, people enjoy listening to me ramble about something that way). That being said, I never had an incident where someone explicitly told me "can you use other language". My use of language, is somewhat relying on what the context I'm in... what I'm trying to say. If I don't think "my way" of expression is helping the convo more than "droning" like everyone else does, I might just as well do that... (not to mention I'll end the convo quickly because it bothers me without end to not use creative speech when talking)
 
I don't get offended by people who use profanity, but I get annoyed when people use it too much. It feels really immature to me- like they're trying too hard to come off as abrasive. Otherwise, I don't really care, and can usually find a bit of humor in it.

I myself probably use profanity a below average amount, judging from the reactions I get when I do. Most people are suprised the first time I curse for whatever reason.

I don't curse in front of my family, though. It's slipped once or twice when I was younger, and I seriously doubt they would care, but overall it's a big no for me. There's some people I just don't feel comfortable cursing around. I guess I'm a bit traditional that way.
 
It depends on the situation for me. I curse a lot while reading the (Brazilian) news in the morning, but I'm usually alone or with my housemaid - who thinks it's kinda funny. Other than that, I don't really curse too much. I do call my brother bad names as so he does to me. Sometimes, I do it when I'm driving too. People drive like a-holes here. Sorry.
 
I don't tend to use it much around other people but when I am alone I do use it quite a lot, it's a way of venting anger that I can't otherwise express. I never used to swear until I started working at my current job. Go figure.
 
I swear like a sailor in most informal situations - liberal use of "****". However, I rarely drop the c-bomb unless I'm very angry at someone.

I hold back in formal situations, because it's not appropriate to swear and looks quite bad when you're trying to make a good first impression.
 
My parents forbid me to use any curse words when I was a kid. My mom said it didn't look good on me :) and I usually used them when somebody or something REALLY pissed me off. In Russian those words sound kinda disgusting, I'm not sure what it is, combination of sounds... That's my personal opinion obviously. In English I don't have problems with most of the curse words, they sound ok to me. My favorite word is "crap", I use it a lot, it sound fun, and I don't even think it's bleeped. I don't really like "****", and I rarely use it. Usually I say "f-ing" if I mildly pissed off. I think it's just a habit, nothing more...I could use other words and get used to them as well... In formal situations I would definitely not use any curse words. ...I'm saying curse words but I actually don't know the difference between them and let's say... dirty words... I though it was all the same...apparently it's not.
 
I was taught that profanity was wrong, and thus the number of times I have used even mild forms (when I am not reading a book out loud to someone that is) can be counted on one hand. When I am by myself and something bad happens like I bump my head into a cupboard door, I don't say anything. I will cringe and make some kind of groan or growl or other animal-like noise though. I say "garbage" out of mild frustration, and also again make strange noises. That's about it.

I generally don't mind if other people use profanity though. Just for me, I don't want to.
 
</pirate>I've been thinking about this thread a bit since last night...

It is said that profanity might be used as a "substitute" for physical action.

I sometimes wonder, that, if people refrain from using said language... are they repressing something? Do they rather throw something, out of frustration instead of swear? Or are these people more forgiving about the situation and just settle? I can't really imagine, that even if I didn't use profanity in some cases, I was in need of some kind of "expression', I'd have to do something.

Also; what if yelling profanity doesn't solve it? I can yell the F-word all day long, but in the end I might still be angry. I might have an intensityproblem, a therapist might say... but I rarely get really, really angry. Last time I got mad, I tore a door of it's hinges though... I doubt any profanity can make up for that besides

(if you don't want to read any profanity/swearing, no matter how light/heavy being used, don't click spoiler)

Dammit, I broke it!

So yeah... I sometimes feel that profanity is an understatement... but that might be either me, or just the situations I encounter sometimes.

I don't intend to start a discussion on the entire "throwing something/breaking something solves nothing" issue. So for sake of the argument, treat physical violence against something (not someone) just as a more severe case of using profanity.

<pirate>arrrrrrrrrr!
 
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Depends on who I'm around, my mood, and the situation. Like most children I was profanity free up until I hit puberty, since then I've developed a bad habit of swearing at work amongst co-workers and non-family, but online or around family I usually hold back. I've got a tendency to blend in with the tone of the people I'm around, though recently I've been considering expressing myself verbally without the need for all the explicit "filler". It's been said that people who use more profanity have weaker vocabularies, not that it's true but for the people I'm around sometimes it seems very likely.
 
Creative swearing to me is not using the "standard" stuff.

I believe among those lines a lot of common words used when someone is insulting someone have come into existence.

It's actually even funnier if you're not alone... as it puts in a comedic factor... and that often relieves stress. (and it also shows of you don't have a limited vocab.)
 
I don't swear often and usually refrain from doing so. I swear at my games console/TV on a regular basis though.
 
Back to my previous statement about swearing and vocabulary, I keep thinking of George Carlin. The man made a profit off of it, yet he was quite spoken offstage and nowhere near what someone would consider uneducated. Still, a great majority of people I know who swear like drunken sailors generally come off as irritating or stupid and I can't help but think that it really doesn't help my cause at all when trying to get a point across when it's just added filler. I might swear out of sheer frustration playing the occasional game or in a difficult situation, but I would consider that to be different than in a situation where I'm in control or relaxed.
 
I have been swearing a lot lately, much more than usual, and I am not happy with it. It seems like every other word out of my mouth is damn. I'm not saying I don't drop the f-bomb sometimes, but I usually don't overdo it. I am pretty careful in public, and around friends or family who are more conservative. At home and at work in the area I work mostly in I am not very restrained, but lately I am overdoing it. I am going to try to change that.
 
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