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Sunday 18 January 2009

Oh, shit!

The other day I came across the results of a survey into attitudes towards swearing. You may have seen it too. For the most part the results did not strike me as particularly surprising, though some of the conclusions drawn from those results certainly did. I just wondered if it was me ploughing another lonely furrow or if they might strike others the same way.

Here are the basic findings - or as many as were reported in the article I read. I hope I have not misrepresented any, though some conclusions did strike me as a little inconsistent:-

90% of British adults admit to swearing every day.
Those who don't are too fearful to challenge those who do.
The average Briton swears 14 times a day.
90% of adults are no longer fazed by the use of expletives.
Only 8% of adults are offended by swearing in an adult context.
Nearly everyone of the 2,319 individuals polled has sworn in anger.

My immediate reaction was that there was (in the report I read) no indication of what was meant by swearing. It may be thought that this can be taken as read, but I know from my previous experience of talking to pupils' parents, for example, that there is often great division of opinion on this score. Complain about a pupil's language and father might say something like: Ow come on, that's not swearing! and mother might but in with: Of course it is! What did I tell you! There might be great division of opinion as between Damn and blast!, bloody hell! B****r! and F***!

Neither was any distinction made between, for example, swearing at another person and swearing at an inanimate object -This car's a bloody nuisance! and You're a bloody nuisance! This seems particularly relevant as many of the inferences were drawn by members of, or those associated with, the Campaign for Courtesy

The word Only before the 8% seems like an attempt to prejudge the issue. Here are few reactions:-

The influence of T.V. was cited by many critics (of what? Not explained) who want the government to intervene (community service or ASBOs for swearing, perhaps?)

Esther Rantzen (patron of The Campaign for Courtesy) said: Everybody would agree that there is too much swearing on television.

John Beyer (of Mediawatch U.K.): This sort of language is damaging our culture. Also: Children as young as four, five and six are copying it, and it is undermining our language.

My immediate reactions to these comments were firstly that I do not hear a lot of swearing on T.V. I know there is one chef who infamously rattles off the F-word like it's coming from a machine gun, but I do not watch that programme - as it happens. Maybe I just watch the wrong (or the right!) programmes.

The whole thing seems to be getting very close to saying that everybody swears and everybody agrees that nobody should.

During its long(ish) history there have been many attempts by Governments, committees and others to rein-in. improve or straight-jacket it by creating an academy, French style, to produce a (the) correct version of the English Language. None has succeeded. Neither, given the spread of English across the globe and the uses to which it is put, do I think any ever will. It has always gone its own way. Certainly just now I think the Government probably has enough to keep it busy for a bit.

What is and what is not a swearword is largely a matter of fashion. The F-word has been a perfectly acceptable word in its time, one used in polite company. Maybe by proscribing words as being socially taboo we encourage their use at the expense of a greater variety of vocabulary. It is very noticeable that those who swear a lot tend to have a much restricted word pool to draw upon. To that extent swearing impoverishes the language.

I think maybe that by setting out to react to the individual remarks I have over-complicated the issues involved. What we really need now is some of your laser-like comments to cut through the crap!

Before I leave the subject, however, here is a find I cannot resist including:-

BRITISH celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay almost made it through his first Australian press conference without swearing.

That was, until he dropped the large swear jar he'd just been presented with to help curb his potty mouth.

"Oh shit," he muttered, as the glass bottle smashed on the ground.

"F*** me."

The 41-year-old chef was the special guest at the launch of the BBC Australian Good Food magazine at the Sydney Convention Centre today.

He has come under fire from a senate committee which has proposed changes to broadcasting standards thanks to his expletive-ridden outbursts.

Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi complained one episode of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares contained "the F-word" 80 times in its 40 minutes.

His self-control came undone when food writer Lyndey Milan presented him a special gift.

"We're not all wowsers, we do sometimes swear," Milan said.

"So mate, this is a great Aussie tradition, it's a swear jar.

"Every time you swear, you've got to put something in there - money."

The swear jar lasted less than 20 seconds.


I have also, in my researches come across studies which conclude that swearing is a valuable way to relieve work place stress - though I must say that it doesn't seem to work for Gordon! If true, would that justify the practice? Does it even need justifying?

46 comments:

Maria said...

Thank you for your visit on the Crappy Blog and your comment:)
Well, isn't it is amazing how great snapshots can be sometimes? :))))
Have a nice Sunday!

Dave King said...

Maria
Thanks for returning the call.

Acornmoon said...

Good old Gordon, that story of the dropped swear jar made me smile. I wouldn't dream of swearing on my blog though, I think the blogosphere is very gentile.

High Desert Diva said...

Love the image you chose for this post. (only two more days...)

I do agree that those who swear a lot tend to have a much restricted word pool to draw upon.

I do find, however, that sometimes F*** is exactly the right expletive.

Unknown said...

An entertaining post Dave! I can't claim to be innocent in these matters but I do believe there is a limit and, like you, I choose not to watch Mr Ramsay.

Acornmoon, however, may just be inhabiting a rarefied part of the blogosphere.

Anonymous said...

Love the post Dave (and the title... and the picture).

Without wishing to either brag or self-berate, there's a fair chance that I am the most prolific swearer who visits your excellent blog. However many of my acquaintances might not be aware that I do it at all. I only swear where I am comfortable doing it. This means that my blog, (like yours, I sense) will only be rude where the context requires it - then, no problem.

I worry that some people may be offended if they knew I mostly swore in certain company. They might say, "huh, he swears when I'm around, am I not good enough for his considerate side?" The opposite is actually true - the people I swear at should be complimented as it is they with whom I am most at ease.

Missing from this post (for me) is a little more insight into your own relationship with expletives - perhaps another post might follow sometime??

Dave King said...

Acornmoon
I agree about the blogosphere - parts of it, at least are gentle. Should not the wider world be, too?

High Desert Diva
Actually, it was the only relevant headline image I could find - much to my (very pleasant) surprise. I had hoped to find one a little less extreme.
Intriguing your last commment - elaborate?

Derrick
Me too, I think. Maybe I should spread my wings a bit...

Ken
You raise a couple of interesting issues which I did not: gratuitous swearing and the context in which he swearing occurs. I did consider raising the both of these, butdecided against the first on the grounds that I see no possible justification for it and wanted to sit on the fence a bit. The second, I considered in the context of gender, I being brought up in the belief that you did not swear in the presence of the fair sex. Didn't want to muddy the waters by bringing in questions of feminism. (I thought this one dead in the water until the other day when our local newsagent told me that he would never swear in the presence of a lady.) Wow, now I've opened a can of worms - possibly.
I do believe thateewe (most of us) have a host of different selves: I don't behave in church the way I do at the rugby club, but do not think this necessarily hypercritical.

LR Photography said...

As far as I know there is a lot of swearing behind close doors. I see children as young as four swearing, where did they learn it? Home off course…

hope said...

I agree with Dave [which means Ken as well] on the point that we have different "faces" we show to people in our lives...not to be confused with being two faced. :)

You speak differently to your boss than you do your buddies [or even about your boss to your buddies]. I can keep it clean when I'm working with the kids, yet let fly a word my mother wouldn't approve of if I'm at home or alone.

I don't think that makes us hypocrites...I think it makes us considerate of those around us.

Okay, now I'll admit to liking your photo for this piece. :)

Janice Thomson said...

Having been raised strictly on a quiet farm I do cringe when I hear certain words especially when vocalized by youngsters who neither understand the meaning nor know how crude and rude they sound.
I have, though, on rare occasions heard very prim and proper individuals use a strong swear word in stressful situations and must admit it brought a grin to my face because of the complete unexpectedness of it. I don't like to hear or use it myself as I don't really see the point of it. But swear words aren't the only words we use excessively; "I hate" and "I love", for example, are used as frequently and with as much impropriety as the f-word.
Thought-provoking post Dave.

Noelle Dunn.... A Poet in Progress said...

This is very entertaining and something to chew on for awhile. Thanks for posting this. :)

Sarah Laurence said...

Amusing post. I’ve noticed a distinction between Brits and Americans having lived in both countries: Brits swear much more than Americans. I fear I’ve picked up English swears from my husband. At least most Americans wouldn’t recognize them as swears. We both try not to swear around the kids.

Did you see the cartoon in Private Eye showing Gordon Ramsey’s alphabet soup? You can guess what word the pasta noodles spelled. The kid eating it looked non-plussed.

Anonymous said...

Interesting topic. It seems to me that which words are offensive and to whom is such a relative thing. Plus, I'm a free speech person, who believes we self-censor by changing the channel, putting the book down, not buying the CD.

NAVAL LANGA said...

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I have read some of your posts and would like to revisit.

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Naval Langa
SHORT STORIES by NAVAL LANGA
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Linda Sue said...

Etymology of swear words is fascinating. Fun, with super posers to cut through the pretentions of others trying desperately to be righteous, the "smoke up your arse" sort.
There is a dictionary on line of every swear word or phrase in every language- Some are hilarious, making no sense at all.I make frilly little pillows of vintage fabric and lace and embroider these saying on them- people do not know what they are getting usually, just another pretty little hand made object for their pretty little lives...

Anonymous said...

Ha! My uncle taught me that if you're going to curse "Be damned good and original at it".

I simply shut up if I'm upset. Interesting research Mr.King!

-Clay

Khaled KEM said...

When I was young I use to swear only between guys. I never did it while being with family or relatives.
The question makes you a bad person or is just a way of expression to get the rage pumped out so you do not hold angry any more.

Elizabeth said...

Gosh!
I'm a genteel old relic.
I even wondered if joining in the 'crappy photo blog' would seem a bit vulgar - though I love it.
I hate it when people swear a lot and every other word is F***. I think some people don't even notice it.
For some reason, it is one of the first word immigrants to the US learn (I wonder why!?) but it sounds more FUN when spoken by a native Russian or Urdu speaker.
Question: Are these new English speakers quite sure what they are saying?
One horribly foul-mouthed student in the high school where I taught never swore at ME.
To this day, it makes me think of the sweetness that lay under his horrid veneer.

Kelly Warren said...

Interesting post, Dave. Sarah (above) answered my question..I was wondering how British swearing and American swearing compare. I live in part of the Bible belt in American (Southeast), and while I don't hear much swearing from the general public, I do work on a college campus and it seems to be more prevalent there, sometimes for the shock value alone. Having twin five-yeasr-olds, my husband and I have to mind our P's and Q's!

Bee said...

I would say that I swear A LOT LESS than the average Brit. (As Sarah mentioned, Americans do swear much less than Brits.) However, I've never been able to take "bloody" seriously. It just doesn't sound like a "bad word" to me!

I saw a Hugh Laurie interview the other day and they asked him to name his favourite swear word. "Fuck and all of its cognates" was his answer. (Somehow, I don't think Laurie suffers from an impoverished vocabulary. I do agree with you that others would do well to acquire more adjectives.) Gordon uses and abuses the F word terribly; so much frequency dilutes its potency of any good word!

Opaque said...

Swearing, eh? I have done a lot of it in the past. But, I reckon you grow out of it. Or, may be not.

I met this 60 year old "zoomer" a few days back who was an absolute gentleman. But, I changed me opinion right 5 minutes when his lady excused herself to the rest room.

The number of times he dropped the f-bomb; Jeez!!! I lost count.

I think it is a way to truly though harshly express yourself.

I recall being at home when I try to diffuse the f-bomb by "hissing" my f's. And my baby sister would go, "What is that?" She even tried google-ing it.

Yea, Gordon seems to use the F- word more than anyone I've probably seen on TV.

I agree with Bee that persistent use does make it less effective.

Any ways, an entertaining post!!!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Yes Dave - I admit to a little swearing of the "bloody" and "hell" variety if something really gets to me, but I cannot accept todays violent swearing - it is somehow as though the swearers are doing it for effect! My father used to say that people who swear excessively have a poor command of the English language - and I am sticking to that view point.

Jeanne Estridge said...

My favorite line -- nearly everybody swears and nearly everybody agrees we shouldn't.

Unfortunately, I sometimes think verbal bad habits are the hardest to break -- they become so autonomic.

Louise | Italy said...

Morning Dave. Check my blog. I'm sending you an award!

Dave King said...

Adrian
All too true, I'm afraid.

Hope
No, I don't think it makes us hypocrites, though I know folk who do.
Does it relieve the tension when you let fly?
Glad you like the photo.

Janice
Interesting that you raise the point about crudeness. It is possibly one of the ways in which the language suffers, not because the word itself is crude, necessarily, but because of the way in which it is used.

Noelle
Thanks for the comment.

Sarah
Didn't see the cartoon, no. Wish I had! Thanks for that.

Deborah
I am sure that is right, the problem might arise in dealing with individuals.

Naval
Welcome and thanks for making the visit. I shall certainly give your blog - and the other link - a try.

Linda
Like it... like it very much!

Clay
Original, yes. Reminds me that when I was a school lad, the worse swear word we could think of - and only brought out on rare occasions - was: District Nurse! It topped even Nickers!

Drive-thru
I guess that was pretty much my experience - once I'd got past District Nurse.

Elizabeth
A lot of interesting observations, there. I, too, can think of foreign-speakers who have used the F-word and only succeeded in making it sound humerous. Not what was intended, I am sure.

Kelly
I have a feeling that swearing is most often employed for its shock value. However, given its prevelance, I wonder if there is much shock left in it. Glad to hear you shield the children. (are the students not local?)

Bee
I agree, though I know some who think, because of its religious derivation, that it is one of the more damaging words. I am not sure ho many swear habitually because they have an impoverished vocabulary and how many have a poor vocabulary because they simply swear instead of trying to drag up a more appropriate word.

Brosview
Defusing the F-bomb... I like that. And the point about it being a way to truly though harshly express yourself. Thanks for the contribution.

Weaver of Grass
I suppose it might be the most acceptable form of violence at the end of the day - but that is not saying much in its defence. Thanks for that.

Jeanne
I think you have hit upon an important truth there. I do think we underestimate the difficulty of breaking the habit - especially in a social context, maybe with peer pressure.

Louise
I will do that - and much thanks!

Rosie said...

I must admit I don't like a lot of the swear words that are used nowadays and hate to hear them in just everyday language where they aren't at all necessary. However, I guess we all utter an expletive or two if we stubb our toe, or break a piece of china or fall down the stairs - quite understandable. I just think, for me, some of the words used now seem seedy and quite affected and make the person using them seem so as well.

Anonymous said...

I'm with Weaver of Grass on this and I avoid reading or watching anything I'm likely to find offensive. Swearing is yet another trait that doesn't enhance the image of a Brit. When my children were at school, my daughter who is a Christian, told me that her brother who is not, used much worse language when not in my presence. He also used to take his friends into the garden to smoke so I suppose it comes down to respecting one another's values.

Shadow said...

what i agree with the most, is your statement of "everybody swears and everybody agrees that nobody should." i think that sums it up pretty perfectly. i think movies, more than tv, influences kids to swear, as do the speaking habits of their parents. as for parents, me being one, have to admit i swear. mostly when i hurt myself or am real angry. but, ultimately, nothing justifies it.

Unknown said...

Dave this is hilarious! In my daily life of spoken word I am a big proponent of cursing, those words are just words after all and great for emphasis. Strangely enough however when I write it is rare that you will catch me cursing. When I do it is definitely very purposfully placed and always only for emphasis. I do write in my voice, its just that I tend to censor that voice for the reader's tender eyes. Thanks for the laugh this morning.

Tommaso Gervasutti said...

Anyway, Bush deserves that swearing, and much more. Actually he should be in La Hague along with others... Mugabe and Olmert for example, indicted for crimes against humanity and genocide...

Andy Sewina said...

Sugar baby love!

Barry said...

You can always have too much of even a good thing. Most expletives are good, in their place.

I just happen to seldom use them.

Jim Murdoch said...

What gets me, Dave, is that I've watched people switch it off and switch it back on. I've never sworn much, even when surrounded by those who do and I have said to people that they swore too much. I used to work with a young girl from Springburn - a lovely young girl from Springburn I should add, and intelligent - who swore like the proverbial trooper. I was embarrassed for her.

I did my own post about swearing a while back and one of the questions I asked then was: Is anyone inventing any new swear words to replace the ones that have become tame with overuse?

Here's a link if anyone is interested.

The Solitary Walker said...

The 'F' word used to be fairly taboo in the media - now it's common in the newspapers and becoming commoner on TV.

I notice that the other big taboo word, the 'C' word, is now appearing in the newspapers and magazines more and more - and it won't be long before it's all over the TV channels.

Now, I've nothing inherently against swearing - like the use of any word, an obscenity is perfectly OK in context. And I curse as much as anyone. But actually I hate Gordon Ramsay's self-promoting continual use of the 'F' word; and I don't think I'd ever get used to widespread use of the 'C' word in the media - unless used only for special occasions, as it were! If you see what I mean. Once again, context is all.

Dave King said...

Rosie
Welcome and thanks for the response. I guess only the habitual swearer would disagree with that.

Watermaid
I do find gratuitous swearing a complete turn-off - particularly when it occurs in film or T.V. drama when it is supposed to be reflecting real life.

Shadow
Interesting that you think films more influential than T.V.

Jenn
welcome and thanks for that. Could have been me writing - you state my case very well!

Tommaso
Maybe one day....

Sweet Talking Guy
Sweet-sounding words!

Barry
I seldom over-use them.

Jim
Thanks for that - and the link. I guess words become taboo over the course of time and others that were taboo lose that status. Perhas the new swear word is Bush.

Solitary Walker
Welcome and thanks. I agree with your last point whole-heartedly: I can't see me ever becoming comfortable with the use of the C-word. Why. I wonder, is it deference to the female gender? I remember early in my teaching career taking a football trial, telling a lad who had just scored 2 goals that I was replacing him to give another boy a go. He let loose a whole stream of expletives calling me a C*** among much else. I was just about to deal with it when the Headmistress - something of a character(!) - appeared, called him out and spent some considerable while patiently explaining to him why I couldn't possibly be what he had just called me!

Mary Ellen said...

Interesting post. I'm not a fan of overused words of any kind, including those used primarily for cursing. I tire quickly of television shows, movies and people who repeat themselves more than necessary for clarification purposes. That said, there are times that call for a strategically placed expletive - at least in my head or under my breath. It can be ever so satisfying.

Conda Douglas said...

Fun post, really, Dave. And swearing is one form of freedom of speech!

As a writer, I always remember what a teacher once told me: Shakespeare has swear words. All words are to be used in writing. However, using swear words merely to shock and for no other reason is lazy writing."

Fiendish said...

I generally curse for three reasons: irony, anger, and emphasis.

Naturally, this varies depending on social contexts - which I agree isn't hypocrisy; it's not as if I pretend to act the same in front of everyone.

But I do find when speaking to people my own age, swearing breaks the nervous laughter barrier and gets them to like you quicker.

I, like Ken, swear most around the people I'm most comfortable with. And am mildly dismayed that Ken doesn't seem to swear much in my company. ;)

As for breaking it up along gender lines - puh-lease! Quite offensive. As far as I'm aware, women don't tend to keel over at the mention of the f-word.

Marion McCready said...

I'm not in the least bit offended by people swearing, it's down to individual choice init?

I do my best to never swear in front of others, in fact most people who know me would be utterly shocked if they knew the amount of swearing that goes on in my head or under my breathe for that matter, lol!

I hate hearing kids swear or parents swearing to their kids, and with a toddler I'm more aware than ever of language on tv.

Natalie said...

Ah yes, the good old Aussie swear jar. We had one as kids, but Mum was the one putting all the coins in !

Rachel Cotterill said...

"There might be great division of opinion as between Damn and blast!, bloody hell! B****r! and F***!"

Your continuum of swear words is interesting - particularly, the point at which you start obfuscating letters.

I don't swear on my blog (although I wouldn't worry about it if I were quoting in a story). I wouldn't swear in a factual article unless it was a very exceptional circumstance. On the other hand, writing fiction, my characters swear if that would be appropriate.

Roxana said...

and how much I liked this! I have been thinking about making a post on the same topic, now I will certainly do it :-) It is fascinating to compare swearing words in different languages, this tells a lot about so many aspects related to culture, gender, Weltanschauung etc. and I can't get enough of the richness, the creativity languages offer in this area (or not, as the Japanese, for ex., where it is almost impossible to swear).

Anonymous said...

I find it extraordinary that across 42 comments no one has sought to explain what it is about the inscription or utterance of a small group of specific words that causes them such anguish, pain or offence. There seems to prevail here a tacit assumption that the perception spectrum of distaste to revulsion that is brought to bear on the swear word is entirely rational and reasonable.

It would, of course, be crass simply to reduce words to their basic units of phonemes, morphemes and graphemes and claim that they are no more than noises in the air or glyphs on a page. Clearly words like 'nigger' or 'yid' have an intrinsic value whose sole purpose is to vilify and condemn and as such they possess a negative power that transcends context.

But the two words 'fuck' and 'c***t' (and here, although I don't share them, I must, out of courtesy, yield to the sensibilities expressed in these comments) simply do not carry the same associations. Their territory is sexual. In widest usage, the first is a verb meaning sexual intercourse and the second is a noun synonym for vagina. That’s it.

That in the 21st century we are able to discuss sexuality seriously, calmly and sensibly is one of the more positive legacies of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Most of the sad and debilitating ignorance and much of the clammy, inhibiting shame that attended sexual consciousness during most of the 19th and 20th centuries has been dispersed. So how is it that whilst a television audience will tolerate – even be indifferent to – casual or elaborated violence and, through advertising and pre-teen TV channels, the sexualisation of children, it will jam switchboards at the utterance of the word ‘fuck’ before the 9.00 watershed?

In short, what is it about a pair of words that can energise us so extravagantly over the representation of deeds?

Dave King said...

Mary Ellen
I think I would endorse both your points.

Conda
I heartily agree with that, too. Thanks.

Fiendish
But I think there still are a lot of women who appreciate - or appear to - the fact that a man doesn't swear in front of them. Not sure how they feel about women swearing in front of them!

Sorlil
I'm with you when it comes to swearing in front of the kids - or them swearing at their parents, come to that!

Natalie
Very satisfying, no doubt, your swear jar!
I can relate to your other points.

Roxana
I shall look forward to reading it.

Dick
Precisely the area on which I had hoped for comment. Obviously, I didn't lead strongly enough in that direction. I think maybe I should have been more focussed and not taken the blunderbus approach.

Karen said...

Dave -- great post! Just look at the number of comments you elicited with this.

I learned something: bloody is a swear word! I always thought that was the way Brits kept from swearing.

While I have a wide-ranging swear vocabulary, having grown up in a rough area where NOT to swear was to tag oneself a victim -- I rarely utter those words aloud. Unfortunately, they pop into my mind way too often!

Fantastic Forrest said...

Dear David - I am so excited that you are following me! Your blog is so thoughtful and interesting that it's a great honour. Unless you accidentally hit the follow button. Hmm....

I wanted to comment on your most recent post, but really have nothing to add about Burns. Wonderful poet, I love the same works you do.

So I did a little exploring. This post tickled my fancy, particularly the illustration. I've found that my constant swearing is starting to bore me. Worse yet, it's being copied by my Amazing Children. THIS WILL NOT DO. So I am searching for alternative expletives. (That would be a great name for a band, don't you think?) I've been focused recently on bull and horse derivatives. Bullpuckey, horsehockey...you get the idea.

Anyhoo, thanks for following, and I shall return the favour now.