Free the Profanities!

 Swearing is so ugly, that it has become a beautiful thing. The word F-U-C-K has a nice ring to it; it’s easy to say, is widely accessible, and can be applied in many circumstances (linking perfectly to my previous blog on heteroglossia). I don’t understand why swearing or profanities aren’t considered “good” language. Shouldn’t all language have the right to be used in all contexts? I think the segregation of words is atrocious, and I call an end to all wordism and word-discrimination right now!

The social setting in which an individual is engaging with, seemingly determines the language they use. People are encouraged to use certain words, please and thank you, and shamed if they use others, fuck and slut – but why? Someone once decided that fuck (which has no definitive meaning as it is constantly changing) was a negative word. Why we are still living amongst these archaic rules that restrict and control what we say and when we say it?

I decided to complete an ethnographic study and execute an unofficial participant observation. On a bus, as a group of school students herded on, every second word coming out of their mouths was a swear word – as if it were the native song of teenagers. Later that day, I heard a group of adults relating their stories, slipping in some “naughty” words as intensifiers and expletives e.g “How are ya mate?” “Fuckin’ shit mate”. Yet, it is very rare that the communication between these groups involve the same use of language. If a father asked his son “How are ya mate?”, it is probable the son would answer “Not too well” rather than “Fuckin’ shit”. Some say this is out of respect for the other individual – but what about some respect for the word?!

Fuck, shit, cunt, slut – a range of four letter words that exist under our noses, in our own little groups, yet no one wants to admit their value and share them amongst fellow crowds. So, come on people! Get out there, refuse to conform to the language rules of society, and scream FUCK at the top of your lungs (especially if your grandma is in hearing distance).