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Has anyone else decided not to swear?

I used to swear a lot. I decided to not swear at all (except for possibly mild swears), instead replacing most swears with minced oaths.

My family is Christian and I would get yelled at for swearing even if it just slipped out. So far, I don’t swear unless I’m feeling a strong emotion or acting impulsively, but I’ll usually say things like “F/eff” or “fudge” instead of the F-word.

I like to be “creative”, so my go-tos are usually “Go fudge yourself”, or “What the cluck?”

I might say “mother lover” instead of MF

51 comments
  • I disagree. Swearing a useful expressive tool.

    Just don't overuse it and know situations where it's best not used.

  • I've considered removing or at least reducing swearing in my common language usage, but I don't consider it enough to just replace swearing with placeholder words. "What the fudge" doesn't work, in my mind, because it is still clear to everybody what my brain was trying to say before my resolution not to swear intervened. "What on earth are you talking about?" Much better.

    I kind of realised through running that through to its end that what my issue was, with swearing, was lazy use of language. So I still swear, but I try not to lean on the words as crutches.

    Where this puts me, language usage-wise, is in a position where I'm using swearing as a tool to accentuate my meaning or express emotion succinctly, since I don't swear as often it carries more weight.

    For instance, my high school bully was a reprehensible human being but Donald Trump is a worthless fucking cunt.

  • Fuck no! I always found it funny how communities find specific words offensive and look down upon people that use them. Context is important, of course, but the vast majority of cases I witness people swearing are non malicious in nature. (Don't get me wrong, there are absolutely words/phrases I will never say; again, context is key here)

    Coming up with alternative words for the same intent is super silly to me, too. The individual makes it very clear they are aware of the "rules" and are making an asserted attempt to sidestep them. Why bother with all that effort and not simply use the intended word instead?

    • Right, it’s the intent and context of the word that could be offensive, not the word itself. Using substitutes doesn’t change how you’re conveying your emotions.

      Besides, OP, do you think Jesus wasn’t swearing when he was overturning the money changers tables in the tabernacle? He was clearly PISSED. He was definitely rebuking them, same difference.

      Swearing isn’t sinful, it’s what you’re cursing/being hateful about that could be.

      Now, if you’re intentionally not swearing due to a personal choice or by virtue of being intentionally different to not be like the culture you’re in then that’s different.

  • When I was in high school, I was very anti-authority and swore all the time to be "against the man". When I started working in day care I had to cut out all swearing all the time because it was too automatic to ONLY stop in front of kids. When I got a real job, I continued my no-swearing bend as a general rule because -- at least until you get to know the people around you -- people will treat you with more respect if you don't sound like a foul mouthed low life.

    Swearing all the time for no reason is a very low-rent affect. Letting out a rare swear will add considerable emphasis when your peers know it is not your normal behavior. Always swear when you hurt yourself. It helps.

51 comments