F-Words in Action Films: Why the Curse?

[wolram]

Do you find them offensive, on tv it is hard to find an action film without having to listen to F this and F that, i find this word is embedded in English language mores the pity, why people have to use it is a mystery to me, when i was a kid if i said b--dy i had a smack around the head and told to wash my mouth out with soap and water

 

[Dr. Courtney]

Yes, I find them offensive. I do not tolerate bad language in my classroom or my household.

 

[Bandersnatch]

Langauge has the function of communicating ideas and emotions, and there are times when an expletive is just the right sort of language to express what's going on. Likewise, an overuse or misuse of such words where other words with more appropriate register are available communicates something (not terribly flattering) about the speaker to the audience. In both cases, the swear word serves its function as a vessel for communication.
That's why I see no reason to extricate the language from these words. The half-arsed attempts at doing so in the telly and films (e.g. *bleeping*, or using artificially tamed substitutes) is not only transparent, artificial, misleading and disjointing, but hypocritical - it's worrying about primary-school level type of drilling 'manners' into people by bleeping out or omitting a **** or two (even the forum filters out the most common intercourse-derived expletive in the English language) in a newsreel or an action film, while at the same time having no qualms about showing depictions war, murder and rape, or gleeful, gratuitous killing sprees with blood galore.

Then there's good old George Carlin saying it like it is:

 

[Dembadon]

Do you find them offensive, on tv it is hard to find an action film without having to listen to F this and F that, i find this word is embedded in English language mores the pity, why people have to use it is a mystery to me, when i was a kid if i said b--dy i had a smack around the head and told to wash my mouth out with soap and water

Certain curse words I find offensive at all times, while others only when they're being used to offend. In most cases, I just find them unnecessary and tacky. Every once in a while, though, a well placed expletive feels appropriate.

 

[Borg]

I just read about this site today where you can see F bombs occurring on Twitter - http://fbomb.co/. Nice graphics with a map showing the tweets and their locations. The US and UK seem to be the worst offenders (maybe the Aussies are asleep).

 

[wolram]

I wonder when the F word crept into English language,and what people used instead of it, i am sure language was much milder in the 60is

 

[Bandersnatch]

I wonder when the F word crept into English language,and what people used instead of it, i am sure language was much milder in the 60is

Ah, the joys of nostalgia.

(can't link the entry in the dictionary, since the forum changes/censors the link. Go here: http://www.etymonline.com/ and type in the word)

 

[StatGuy2000]

I wonder when the F word crept into English language,and what people used instead of it, i am sure language was much milder in the 60is

The F word (I will censor the word for the sake of this discussion for those with sensitive sights or ears ;)) as obscure origins, but the consensus is that the word is of Germanic origin, possibly of Indo-European root meaning "to strike". The word itself has been attested in English as far back as the 15th century, in a poem of mixed Latin and English.

Although the word itself wasn't used by Shakespeare, he had alluded to the word (and no doubt the public understood it at the time as a substitute) in some of his ways, including the Merry Wives of Windsor and in Henry V. The word can also be found documented in early 20th literature, particularly by English writer DH Lawrence.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/****

So contrary to your assertion, the word itself has been very much in use since well before the 60s.

 

[StatGuy2000]

Personally, whether or not swear words are offensive depends on the context in which the words are being used. Often times, the words are merely used as a means of emphasizing or highlighting certain points, and if they are used as part of a normal flow of a gentle conversation (as opposed to using swear words in an aggressive, threatening or derogatory manner), I am not in the least bit offended. When I speak to friends I swear quite frequently, and my friends do likewise in just such a friendly banter.

I don't know, but perhaps this is a Canadian thing? In my experience I find Canadians, particularly those born after the baby boomer generation, to be much more relaxed in the use of expletives than Americans (this is particularly true about those from the southern US or parts of the Midwest -- perhaps a reflection of a more conservative culture). Similarly for Australians and Brits.

Of course, there are circumstances where swear words are highly inappropriate and I will never utter them e.g. in talks with clients, with co-workers (unless I know them well and the co-workers themselves are comfortable with swearing, around small children, around my parents)

 

[nsaspook]

Do you find them offensive, on tv it is hard to find an action film without having to listen to F this and F that, i find this word is embedded in English language mores the pity, why people have to use it is a mystery to me, when i was a kid if i said b--dy i had a smack around the head and told to wash my mouth out with soap and water

I find them less offense than the alternatives when they are needed to get someones attention..

 

[zoobyshoe]

i am sure language was much milder in the 60is

Not at all. My personal memory is that it was a lot worse in the 60's. It was just suppressed more vigorously in certain circumstances, especially in film and print.

Henry Miller caused an ongoing scandal with his books which depicted people talking the way the "average Joe" actually talked in real life, as well as his actual sex life.

Tropic of Cancer is a novel by Henry Miller that has been described as "notorious for its candid sexuality" and as responsible for the "free speech that we now take for granted in literature".[2]:22[3] It was first published in 1934 by the Obelisk Press in Paris, France, but this edition was banned in the United States.[4] Its publication in 1961 in the U.S. by Grove Press led to obscenity trials that tested American laws on pornography in the early 1960s. In 1964, theU.S. Supreme Court declared the book non-obscene. It is regarded as an important work of 20th-century literature.

When you read Tropic of Cancer it seems so modern in tone in it's sexual openness, it's hard to believe it depicts life in the 1920's. But it does, and stands as evidence all this goes way back.

 

[nsaspook]

Not at all. My personal memory is that it was a lot worse in the 60's. It was just suppressed more vigorously in certain circumstances, especially in film and print.

Exactly, that's the general impression you would get from studying the censored materials online and in most research databases from that age but the use of 'Creative profanity' was different in your own social group.

 

[wolram]

May be i am a prude but i just can not see the justification for using bad language, regardless of when the word was first coined, i have noted small children using the word
obviously their parents swear , the children have clearly learned the language by rote and have no understanding of the word, the Irish have corrupted the word to feking, it is feking this and feking that their language is clearly going down hill.

 

[Borg]

May be i am a prude but i just can not see the justification for using bad language, regardless of when the word was first coined, i have noted small children using the word
obviously their parents swear , the children have clearly learned the language by rote and have no understanding of the word, the Irish have corrupted the word to feking, it is feking this and feking that their language is clearly going down hill.

I saw a Smart Car ad that was posted last month where they had kids swearing like sailors - supposedly because of the language they learned from their parents driving the wrong car. It was pretty disturbing to watch but it did make me laugh.

 

[nsaspook]

May be i am a prude but i just can not see the justification for using bad language, regardless of when the word was first coined, i have noted small children using the word
obviously their parents swear , the children have clearly learned the language by rote and have no understanding of the word, the Irish have corrupted the word to feking, it is feking this and feking that their language is clearly going down hill.

I agree it's a bad thing to do around children or 'polite' company but most of the world is not a polite place so a few choice words is better than a kick in the head.

"swearing like sailors" It took a while to get out of that bad habit. You know why sailors swear? Because you can't put your hands in the pockets of your peacoat when its freezing cold outside.

 

[SteamKing]

Do you find them offensive, on tv it is hard to find an action film without having to listen to F this and F that, i find this word is embedded in English language mores the pity, why people have to use it is a mystery to me, when i was a kid if i said b--dy i had a smack around the head and told to wash my mouth out with soap and water

I'm still trying to figure out what bad word is "b--dy". "Baldy"? "Bawdy"? "Bendy"?

If it's supposed to be "bloody", you got smacked for nuttin', IMO. People eat bangers for breakfast and then get bent out of shape becuz someone says "bloody".

 

[KSG4592]

Personally, whether or not swear words are offensive depends on the context in which the words are being used. Often times, the words are merely used as a means of emphasizing or highlighting certain points, and if they are used as part of a normal flow of a gentle conversation (as opposed to using swear words in an aggressive, threatening or derogatory manner), I am not in the least bit offended. When I speak to friends I swear quite frequently, and my friends do likewise in just such a friendly banter.

I don't know, but perhaps this is a Canadian thing? In my experience I find Canadians, particularly those born after the baby boomer generation, to be much more relaxed in the use of expletives than Americans (this is particularly true about those from the southern US or parts of the Midwest -- perhaps a reflection of a more conservative culture). Similarly for Australians and Brits.

Of course, there are circumstances where swear words are highly inappropriate and I will never utter them e.g. in talks with clients, with co-workers (unless I know them well and the co-workers themselves are comfortable with swearing, around small children, around my parents)

I can't speak for any other countries, but as a Canadian I will say cursing has been deeply ingrained into my generation. Perhaps it just seems this way because I hung out with a poor crowd in high school and worked in various labor/trades jobs, but I find it extremely common among young generations to curse rampantly. Many people I know even begin their sentences with the F-bomb! I only removed my potty mouth when I changed lifestyles and started going to school. I assume kids being brought up on TPB and GTA has something to do with it.

 

[DrGreg]

If it's supposed to be "bloody", you got smacked for nuttin', IMO.

In Britain in the 1960s, "bloody" was about as offensive then as the f word seems to be today (or maybe even more). When people complained about swearing on television then, it was usually the word "bloody" that they were complaining about. No one would even consider broadcasting the f word then, whereas today you can hear it on lots of TV stations after 9 pm.

 

[lisab]

*le sigh*

I'm pretty sure I diverge from the PF norm on this topic.

I *!@#$ love profanity. Let me qualify that: I love profanity in the hands (mouths?) of masters.

Most common users don't know how to do it. It's like listening to third graders reciting their work at a Bohemian poetry jam - they just don't know how it's done. Even worse, they don't know *why* they're doing it - they're just doing it because they think it's cute or expected of them. Pfft, what's to be done with amateurs?!

I wasn't always of this mindset, though. I was raised quite proper and as such, profanity used to have a strong effect on me. And that's the point, isn't it - to shock your audience. But I changed as I aged, and now I have an almost reverent adoration of skilled users of profanity.

So...practice makes perfect .

 

[KSG4592]

*le sigh*

I'm pretty sure I diverge from the PF norm on this topic.

I *!@#$ love profanity. Let me qualify that: I love profanity in the hands (mouths?) of masters.

Most common users don't know how to do it. It's like listening to third graders reciting their work at a Bohemian poetry jam - they just don't know how it's done. Even worse, they don't know *why* they're doing it - they're just doing it because they think it's cute or expected of them. Pfft, what's to be done with amateurs?!

I wasn't always of this mindset, though. I was raised quite proper and as such, profanity used to have a strong effect on me. And that's the point, isn't it - to shock your audience. But I changed as I aged, and now I have an almost reverent adoration of skilled users of profanity.

So...practice makes perfect .

It's all about timing and delivery. Properly used swear words can make simple sentences hilarious.

 

[StatGuy2000]

*le sigh*

I'm pretty sure I diverge from the PF norm on this topic.

I *!@#$ love profanity. Let me qualify that: I love profanity in the hands (mouths?) of masters.

Most common users don't know how to do it. It's like listening to third graders reciting their work at a Bohemian poetry jam - they just don't know how it's done. Even worse, they don't know *why* they're doing it - they're just doing it because they think it's cute or expected of them. Pfft, what's to be done with amateurs?!

I wasn't always of this mindset, though. I was raised quite proper and as such, profanity used to have a strong effect on me. And that's the point, isn't it - to shock your audience. But I changed as I aged, and now I have an almost reverent adoration of skilled users of profanity.

So...practice makes perfect .

Well, I've had lots of practice over the years!

 

[zoobyshoe]

...and now I have an almost reverent adoration of skilled users of profanity.

Yes, it's not a question of if someone uses it, but of how skillfully they use it.

 

[Pythagorean]

I agree that context matters and that's what I teach my children. The main thing is that they're not insulting or assaulting other kids.

My social circles, even at the University and including faculty, all cuss at one point or another. As long as the word is serving a functional purpose, it doesn't phase me.

However, it does annoy me to hear f'in this f'in that, like it's filler. It's often a mark of people that have diarrhea of the mouth and constipation of the brain.