Atomic Playboy
Lifer
- Feb 6, 2007
- 16,432
- 1
- 81
The intention behind the word is more important than the word itself. I don't consider "fuck" or "shit" to be inherently bad words because the concepts they describe aren't inherently profane. Sure, you probably don't want to be talking about sex or defecation in polite company, but if you use the word "feces," no one ever accuses you of being profane; so why the distinction for "shit?" Similarly, sex is a natural function, and you can talk about coitus without people labeling you profane, yet "fuck" is the highest form of profanity we have. Why is that? What's the difference that makes "fuck" so much more profane than any other words we have describing sex? Is it just the sound of it? It's very harsh, with that hard "K" sound; it sounds angry. Is that the distinction? I can't figure it out.
People's tolerance towards profanity shifts, as has been mentioned earlier in this thread. You use to have TV shows that used words like "shucks" or "golly" or "darn" because we couldn't have profane language on the TV. Now we have "damn," "hell," "ass" and "douchebag" in primetime on network TV. Our cultural standards on what is considered taboo shift; just look at the bathing suits they wore in the early 1900s as compared to what is acceptable to show on TV, magazines and billboards everywhere today. Similarly, we are becoming more accepting of harsher and harsher profanity. It used to be that saying "shit" on the air came with a fine and firings until NYPD Blue let one fly, and while we've hardly been hit with a tsunami of "shit"s on network broadcasting, it has resulted in basic cable networks loosening their standards. That's how culture works; our standards change over time.
I will say that I still consider some words to be "bad" words; racism, prejudice and bigotry are inherently profane ideas, as they advocate that someone is less human based on arbitrary distinctions. It doesn't really matter what words you use to express the idea that black people are inherently inferior (for example), it's still a profane notion, and significantly more offensive to me than a million "fucks."
People's tolerance towards profanity shifts, as has been mentioned earlier in this thread. You use to have TV shows that used words like "shucks" or "golly" or "darn" because we couldn't have profane language on the TV. Now we have "damn," "hell," "ass" and "douchebag" in primetime on network TV. Our cultural standards on what is considered taboo shift; just look at the bathing suits they wore in the early 1900s as compared to what is acceptable to show on TV, magazines and billboards everywhere today. Similarly, we are becoming more accepting of harsher and harsher profanity. It used to be that saying "shit" on the air came with a fine and firings until NYPD Blue let one fly, and while we've hardly been hit with a tsunami of "shit"s on network broadcasting, it has resulted in basic cable networks loosening their standards. That's how culture works; our standards change over time.
I will say that I still consider some words to be "bad" words; racism, prejudice and bigotry are inherently profane ideas, as they advocate that someone is less human based on arbitrary distinctions. It doesn't really matter what words you use to express the idea that black people are inherently inferior (for example), it's still a profane notion, and significantly more offensive to me than a million "fucks."