Get off my lawn you kids!

A funny thing happened on the way to 40...

Well okay I'm not quite 40 yet but I'm scraping close. Discussion in the GFW Radio thread on the subject of swearing in podcasts resonated with me, and I figured it might be worthwhile to have a separate discussion on that.

So here's the deal...I'm not a prude, I'm not religiously driven (my mother once got really pissed at me over the word "damn" -- now that was religiously driven), I have no children to worry about...and yet, recently when I try to listen to some gaming podcasts I find myself wincing at these kids and their swear words. I'm finding that, in combination with the other things that tend to come along with it, a podcast where every other sentence contains an f-bomb tends to drop off my list pretty fast.

It's not a matter of language, really. I love a well-placed swear-word, f-bomb included. But...well, kids, don't wear em out, ya know?

I have no problem with the level of swearing on the GWJ Conference Call or GFW Radio or the like, but in those venues such words tend to be used to emphasize a point or express frustration or some such, not as a comma in every sentence.

I'd say more, but it's time for my daily dose of Metamucil...

Every single person I've ever met who doesn't swear replaces the FCC big-seven words in their vocabulary with synonyms that are just as tired and overused. In the end, why deprive yourself of words that are twice as fun to say?

That's bullsugar.

It's not a question of swearing or not...it's a question of frequency and purpose. If you swear in almost every sentence you say, then you are watering down the potency as much or more as the bullpucky crowd...

I'm only 24 and I'm not a huge fan of swearing repeatedly either. I'm all for it when it's appropriate, and I hate listening to edited songs/movies, but when every other word is a swear, I also tend to lose interest fast. It's usually a case of someone who thinks that swearing makes them sound cooler, or somehow lends more weight to their argument/opinion.

Deadron wrote:

It's not a question of swearing or not...it's a question of frequency and purpose. If you swear in almost every sentence you say, then you are watering down the potency as much or more as the bullpucky crowd...

Yeah, but any potency swearing once had has been watered down pretty much out of existence by now anyway. Cursing is fun. It sounds good, it feels good, and is grammatically amorphous like nothing else. I say, let loose.

I totally understand your point. I love me a good swear word, but to use them ALL of the time is very annoying. I have had a couple of people come through my workplace that would use the f bomb 3 or 4 times per sentence!
Now, I understand that is on the extreme side of this particular issue, but there is a line that is crossed all too frequently, it seems.
I myself am guilty of trash mouth once in a while, especially when having my ass handed to me in an online match. I do try to hit mute on the mic before I let loose, though.
I actually have a guy in my shop right now that overuses the word "dude"... seriously man, it's funny.

My parents taught me that any time you swore you had lost. If it was an argument, you'd lost the argument. If it was swearing to tell an entertaining story, your vocabulary and yarn spinning skills had lost. If it was to persuade, your reputation had lost. Swearing was the protest of a mind void of any better ideas. Swearing was a poor substitute for the geniune thing.

Now, my personal stance is not quite as harsh as that. A good f-bomb is apropos like nothing else in some situations. But excessive use just seems to drive my parents' point home.

Thread title reminds me of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu51v...

It was only a matter of time before some f*cking a**hole like myself came along and made this type of f*cking post in response to this f*cking thread. I don't know what the big f*cking deal is with this type of sh*t. I mean, don't real f*cking people talk like this and sh*t? At least the cool motherf*ckers do. And those podcast motherf*ckers are cool as sh*t. You all are just a bunch of f*cking haters.

f*ck.

FYYFF.

I find that swearing too much shows a lack of intelligence or, at least, poor communication skills.

Swearing is the crutch of an inarticulate motherf*cker. Interactive fiction game made by Quintin Stone told me so.

I think, as I said in the other thread, it's a question of what you're used to in everyday life. I hang out with mostly twenty-somethings, am a twenty-something myself, and work in tech rather than a more people-based service. We don't swear every other word but certainly it's rare to hear a conversation that doesn't contain a curse or five. So for podcasts I find it adds to the authenticity for me; these are how people I know act when they hang out so I empathize with the hosts more.

Of course it's a matter of degree, everything should be done in moderation. But the person consciously avoiding all cursing comes off just as strange as someone imitating Jay from Clerks to me.

Vector wrote:

I find that swearing too much shows a lack of intelligence or, at least, poor communication skills.

I don't think that's true. It depends on the person.

As for synonyms, I wonder what parts of our brain lights up when we hear and a 'proper' swear word and which don't when we hear a 'fake' one. Seems to me that the difference between frak and f*ck are one consonant, one vowel and a lot of conditioning.

I find swearing is a lot like salt or spices. A little sprinkled in here or there can really add some spice and flavor to the conversation. Used in excess it makes everything taste like sh*t.

shihonage wrote:

Swearing is the crutch of an inarticulate motherf*cker. Interactive fiction game made by Quintin Stone told me so.

F*ck yeah.

I swore that I would stop swearing so much but then I swore and then swore about swearing. So I swore that would stop swearing so much but then I swore and then swore about swearing. So I swore that would stop swearing so much but then I swore and then swore about swearing. So I swore that would stop swearing so much but then I swore and then swore about swearing. So I swore that would stop swearing so much but then I swore and then swore about swearing. So I swore that would stop swearing so much but then I swore and then swore about swearing....

Vector wrote:

I find that swearing too much shows a lack of intelligence or, at least, poor communication skills.

I don't agree. Look at Glengarry Glen Ross. David Mamet has a blue streak seven miles wide, and still his writing comes off as extremely intelligent, with an ear for rhythm and dialogue that I would take over a thousand mindless movies without a single swear word in them.

All generalizations are false y'know.

Yoyoson wrote:

Thread title reminds me of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu51v...

Thats EXACTLY what I was thinking of when I entered the thread. Shows some good comedic placement of f-bombs too

bnpederson wrote:

...I hang out with mostly twenty-somethings, am a twenty-something myself, ...We don't swear every other word but certainly it's rare to hear a conversation that doesn't contain a curse or five. So for podcasts I find it adds to the authenticity for me...

See Deadron. There's no problem here you're just an old f*ck

Deadron wrote:

I have no problem with the level of swearing on the GWJ Conference Call

That's a relief to hear. I alternate between trying to tone it down and turn it up when I'm on.

I like swearing. I love it. But swearing just to swear is such a waste. A good curse word is like punctuation. Know what happens when people use commas too much in a sentence? Babies cry.

There are times when saying "f*ck" is so much more prudent than anything else. Outside of the carnal meaning behind the word, it's an expression of an emotion that needs to sound vulgar and crunchy. The fact that our society feels the word is inappropriate is what makes it so perfect for this kind of use. I like angry words, even if I'm not angry, and I like words that symbolize feelings very simply, without the need to paint a picture.

Lewis Black once said that if you walk outside in the middle of a Minnesota Winter and don't say the word "f*ck" out loud, you have anger issues. I love that.

But I'm also totally with Deadron on the over-swearing thing. My theory is that we hear so much swearing on the 1up Podcasts because their core audience isn't us, but teens and kids who swear that much because it's so new to them. Do you remember the first time you were really conscious about cursing? When I said the f-word the first time, I almost felt like I'd just invented it. Maybe that's how "the kids" feel about it today.

I used to be a regular garbage mouth growing up in Brooklyn but learned that the overuse of profanity dilutes the significance. Now I only use it when I really want to emphasize a statement or illustrate a very strong emotional feeling. Seems to work better that way.

I agree on the overuse of swearing issue, but I find it entertaining we're essentially discussing preserving the sanctity of cussing.

Switchbreak wrote:

Every single person I've ever met who doesn't swear replaces the FCC big-seven words in their vocabulary with synonyms that are just as tired and overused. In the end, why deprive yourself of words that are twice as fun to say?

Agree. I have religious friends that will say "frickin'" and "bullhonkey" or other nonsense all the time. Your brain is substituting the real words, so it really makes little difference, IMHO. It's a little prudish. It's definitely overused. I won't disagree there. And I agree with what someone said earlier. Overuse dilutes what the power of the words when you mean to use them. I think in the end people who "swear" too much probably just need a more robust vocabulary to express themselves in general.

Demiurge wrote:

I like swearing. I love it. But swearing just to swear is such a waste. A good curse word is like punctuation. Know what happens when people use commas too much in a sentence? Babies die.[/i]

Fixed.
And I'm going to keep killing them until you learn your lesson, Internet!