Why do we curse?

mikenostic said:
Not that I'm advocating it, but I'm pretty sure someone who is swearing incessantly at you at any given moment, really doesn't give a rat's ass what you think of it.
I'm absolutely sure that you are correct, there.

Neither does a barking dog. All night, all day, doesn't give a rat's ass what anyone thinks. Which makes it a moronic, worthless nuisance that everyone has to babysit and walk eggshells around and make allowances for, until we can get rid of it.

People, of course, we can't get rid of, exactly. The constantly hostile, like the autistic and the Tourette's sufferers and other mentally crippled folks, are all God's children. Responsible adults try to make allowances for them, and give them jobs they can do and roles they can succeed in.

Then we go off and enjoy life, at a distance.
 
I believe I learned in Psychology that "cursing" is a way for the ego to rebel against the superego.

"
 
For me, swearing comes out of anger and extreme frustration. The Bible says it's what's in our hearts that comes out of our mouths. :eek: I obviously have severe disdain for: anything against my God and country, and cruelty to animals and children. Most of everything else doesn't faze me.

Saying "In the name of Jesus" will p!ss off more people than most swear words. Liberals have made saying "Jesus Christ" so "offensive" and politically incorrect, it's scary. :(
 
would swearing at someone be considered a verbal assault?

Yes and no! Remember, swearing AT someone can be considered verbal assault, but just swearing as they TALK to someone is not.

But, as you might guess, being able to prove such things in court is more difficult than you might imagine ...and it would cost a fortune in legal fees.

Baron Max
 
Neither does a barking dog. All night, all day, doesn't give a rat's ass what anyone thinks. Which makes it a moronic, worthless nuisance that everyone has to babysit and walk eggshells around and make allowances for, until we can get rid of it.
While some dogs--and perhaps some breeds--are just wired wrong or deliberately bred to be high-strung, most dogs that bark too much have a reason. Never made to feel like a useful part of their mixed-species "pack," suspicious noises in the neighborhood that are beyond our hearing, or most commonly a non-alpha dog left alone without pack-mates. A reason we place so many of our Lhasa Apsos with people who live alone. They're almost all alphas and thus comfortable with solitude.

A family's dog is a good window into its level of dysfunctionality. If all else fails, dogs can be de-barked. As breeders with usually a dozen of them around, we routinely have ours de-barked; they can still bark but it drops by 20-30dB so we're all happy. (Twelve of any breed can be noisy.) We can't do that with humans, but in most cases we do have the ability to find out what's bothering them.
would swearing at someone be considered a verbal assault?
Not in most American cities, as long as you don't overdo it. The controversial new laws against "hate speech" are ripe for abuse. Of course if you go into the Bible Belt you're in a 200-year time warp. And corporate policies vary widely as to what's "respectful" in the workplace so you could be fired if not arrested.
For me, swearing comes out of anger and extreme frustration. The Bible says it's what's in our hearts that comes out of our mouths.
I enjoyed the scene in The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho when the shepherd for the first time meets the man who turns out to be the alchemist. The boy is invited to have some wine with his dinner, and having now been in North Africa for several months he says suspiciously, "I thought that violates your religion." The man answers, "It's not what enters men's mouths that's evil. It's what comes out of their mouths that is."
 
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Here in Michigan you can get a ticket for profanity.

STANDISH, Mich. - Boater Timothy Boomer recently ended up in hot water after falling out of a canoe. A sheriff's deputy says Boomer exploded into a three-minute tirade of profanity loud enough to be heard a quartermile away. Citing an 1897 Michigan law that prohibits cursing in front of women and children, the deputy ticketed Boomer.

Boomer, 24, says the incident has been overblown. "There's no way it was three minutes," he says. "It was with a group of friends, just having a good time. There was no anger, hostility, of any kind."

William Street, Boomer's attorney, says even a boorish outburst is protected speech under the First Amendment. "Are we now going to have language police?" he asks.
 
..... Citing an 1897 Michigan law that prohibits cursing in front of women and children, the deputy ticketed Boomer.

I think a law enacted in 1897 might be just a tab out-dated, wouldn't you?

And if I recall correctly, that case AND that law was thrown out in the trial, wasn't it? If not, it sure should have been!

However, just so you know, I think the guy should have been cited for something like "disturbing the peace" rather than swearing in public in front of the delicate ladies and little kids.

Baron Max
 
Agreed Baron. I always wondered how the officer pulled a 1897 law out of his hat.

I know most stadiums/theme parks have rules against profanity. They will kick your butt right out.
 
Agreed Baron. I always wondered how the officer pulled a 1897 law out of his hat.

Actually, if I remember correctly, he didn't "pull it out of his hat" ...he arrested the guy, THEN discovered the law! ...LOL!

I know most stadiums/theme parks have rules against profanity. They will kick your butt right out.

Private property ....laws/rules/etc are different. I.e., they can kick a person out of the property, but they can't arrest him for anything.

Baron Max
 
We swear because we hear our parents/peers/people on the telly/at the movies do it. More pseudo rebellion than actual?
 
At work, my husband swears like a sailor. My husband says our son swears like a sailor.
I rarely hear my husband swear and I have never heard my son swear. Neither one wants to feel my wrath. lol
 
At work, my husband swears like a sailor. My husband says our son swears like a sailor.
I rarely hear my husband swear and I have never heard my son swear. Neither one wants to feel my wrath. lol

Interesting. Does that mean that they're hiding who they really are from you? Lying to you about their characters?

Or is it the other way around? ...they lie to their peers, but are truthful about their character to only you?

Don't it make you wonder?

Baron Max
 
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