Can somebody please exlpain why certain 4 letter words are considerd bad? and who's idea was it to make them bad? I mean as far as I know I've never heard of a word commeting crimes or being bad.
Why are ''BAD'' words bad?
- Thread starter miraclefan
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I think it's mostly the intent behind the words. There are certain words that people more often than not use in a derogatory way. Words also can have subtle differences, and some might be considered crude, and therefore inappropriate in certain social settings.
It really depends on the word, the intent, and the company.
It really depends on the word, the intent, and the company.
You can answer your own question:
Hammer your thumb in front of a child.
Hammer your thumb in front of a child.
There's no such thing as bad words. There's vulgarity, swearing and such but those words only become taboo because we make them so.
A
Amaris
Guest
I like making up my own bad words. Words like "Tidwidgets!" and "Farpcrackers!"
J.
J.
How about "crap spackle"? Or perhaps, "jam a bastard in it you crap!"
A
Amaris
Guest
I like these words too!
I use the term "fudgebarnacles" almost constantly.
J.
My personal favorite is, "Make that bitch your bitch, you bastard!"
There was a documentary on the BBC last year, I think, about swear words and why they're considered taboo. It basically said that they became "bad" with the rise of the middle class and the rise of the euphemism. And they said basically the working class use(d) swear words just as descriptive words anyway, and the upperclass didn't care what people thought to them swearing like sailors, only the middle class turned it in to a taboo, and preferred to use euphemisms instead of explicit words, so they became taboo as the world became increasingly influenced by the middle class.
Anyone remember The Charmings, a short-lived sitcom (on ABC?) where Prince Charming and Snow White live in modern times? It starred Christopher Rich and Paul Winfield.
Anyway, for Prince Charming, his swearing included "fe fi fo fum." And the f-word was "fiddlesticks."
Some words tend to keep their shock factor through changing usage. I find that interesting. Other commonplace words have become completely toxic, like nigger. Off the top of my head I would say the Victorians probably banished more words to the naughty step than any other era.
It's just arbitrary social custom. Kind of mildly amusing that people are afraid to use certain words, yet will freely use synonyms.
I'm from North Jersey/NYC metro area, we really do say "fuck" every other fucking word.
I'd say the BBC were talking out of their collective arseholes
Taboo topics and 'bad' words have existed in almost every culture that has language as long as language has existed. Some of our basest 'swear words' are also some of our oldest words. Nearly all cultures focus on the same things: filth (faeces, urine, etc), the sacred ('God's name in vain' etc), and incest (especially having sex with one's mother - be it explicit or implied). These are not things have arbitrarily 'decided' are taboo in our individual cultures, they appear to be so almost universally.
They weren't talking about there not being taboo words, simply that words we consider swear words now, were in the past simply descriptive words.
I'd say the BBC were talking out of their collective arseholes
Taboo topics and 'bad' words have existed in almost every culture that has language as long as language has existed. Some of our basest 'swear words' are also some of our oldest words. Nearly all cultures focus on the same things: filth (faeces, urine, etc), the sacred ('God's name in vain' etc), and incest (especially having sex with one's mother - be it explicit or implied). These are not things have arbitrarily 'decided' are taboo in our individual cultures, they appear to be so almost universally.
It's because you don't use a spellcheck program before posting, or proper
punctuation or grammar (well, I'll give you the grammar, because I'm guilty of that as well). Jeez. Get a life. And a spellcheck program. And if you quit trolling on Trek Tech, I'll quit trolling on you here.
There was a group of twenty somethings outside a pub where we were sitting the other day. If they weren't swearing, they were spitting. They had young kids with them and I hate the thought that these kids are going to grow up thinking that's normal behaviour.
I rarely swear, only when really cross, I find it has more impact that way
I think it mostly has to do with cultural taboos, and what a culture considers to be something you don't talk about in polite company. So, for English cultures, the worst swear words have to do with bodily functions, but in Quebec, for example, most of the worst swear words have to do with the Church. Sacrament, câlice and tabernak, for example, are all common swear words there, due to the once-powerful influence of the Catholic Church in the province.
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