Bad Language
Aug. 21st, 2021 08:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
poliphiloAccording to a recent survey British people swore less in 2014 than they did in 1994.
Yes, that accords with my experience.
The fun of swearing is that it's transgressive. As it becomes normalised- as happened in the 90s- the fun factor diminishes. Where's the dividend in saying "fuck" if no-one is shocked?
There's a fashion is swear words. "Bloody" is well out of favour. From my own observation I'd say the same is true of "damn"- which was considered pretty strong when I was a kid but can now be printed without asterisks in even the mildest of family publications.
Incidentally the convention that you can disguise a swearword by inserting asterisks has always struck me as daft. Is there a person on the planet who is doesn't know what is meant by "f*ck", "sh*t" and "b*gg*r"?|
Yes, that accords with my experience.
The fun of swearing is that it's transgressive. As it becomes normalised- as happened in the 90s- the fun factor diminishes. Where's the dividend in saying "fuck" if no-one is shocked?
There's a fashion is swear words. "Bloody" is well out of favour. From my own observation I'd say the same is true of "damn"- which was considered pretty strong when I was a kid but can now be printed without asterisks in even the mildest of family publications.
Incidentally the convention that you can disguise a swearword by inserting asterisks has always struck me as daft. Is there a person on the planet who is doesn't know what is meant by "f*ck", "sh*t" and "b*gg*r"?|
Re: P** P* B**** B** D*******
Date: 2021-08-22 08:32 am (UTC)"Bugger" has already completed that journey- and is hardly rude any more. No-one takes offence at being called a "silly old bugger".
I caught the Mail putting asterisks in "pussy" this morning- a word which in certain contexts is completely inoffensive.