On Swearing
In today’s world in which most envelopes have been pushed for decades, what words truly remain taboo? I was surprised by how much swearing would occur in front of my girlfriend’s sister and commented about how I intend to have a swear jar in my child’s future but that got me to thinking, how many words would I collect on?
When I was very young my logic got me into trouble, somewhat unfairly. A neighbour had treated me poorly and I sought my mother’s advice in trying to comprehend why. She said “she just likes to bug you“. I found this explanation unsatisfactory and requested clarification.
“So she’s just a bugger then?” I asked.
“What did you say?” my mother inquired.
Thinking perhaps that this was not a real word I attempted to rephrase, “so she just likes to bug people? For no reason? Is that what you’re saying? That’s not much of an answer.”
“Don’t try to make excuses, I heard you the first time” she said, grabbed my hand and took me off for punishment. It wasn’t until after being punished that I figured out what I was being punished FOR. I thought it was maybe for using a disrespectful tone or telling my mom her answer wasn’t satisfactory but it eventually came out that she said I had swore. It took me some time further to deduce which word had been forbidden as the adults weren’t about to repeat the bad word, thinking I was trying to trick them into saying it.
The incident stood out in my mind as it was my first memory of being falsely accused and my first encounter with injustice. I tried to state my case, even days later, but no one would give me a fair hearing.
It was also one of the first times someone overestimated me, every time I brought it up they’d say something like “don’t be a smart aleck” or “I know what you’re doing and it won’t work“. I didn’t have a clue as to what underhanded motives they were ascribing me and with no court of appeal and no one willing to discuss it I was left with a mystery.
Was not a “bugger” defined as “someone who bugs others?” and if not then what DID it mean?
Every time I hear the word I’m reminded of that incident, and I’ve never seen anyone else treat it like a swear word, including when I caught my mom using it a week later!
That was when I discovered hypocrisy and what righteous indignation felt like, although I didn’t know how to describe either beyond “not fair” and I sure as hell wasn’t going to ask!
So bugger’s not on my list.
Ass is a donkey, bitch a female dog, and bastard a child with unmarried parents.
Hmmm. Interesting point, that last one. Can’t very well criminalize a word that could fairly describe the child. Talk about hindering self-expression.
Damn is a curse, not a swear in my books. Jack Bauer says it all the time. Discouraged, but not outlawed.
Hell is a place in the Christian religion.
So that leaves F-bombs and S-bombs and of course the forbidden C-word.
Apparently schools censor things to a far greater degree but I’m told you can’t even use the word gay, regardless of context, in school anymore and I have no intention of following that strict a PC protocol.
So given that there will only be 3 forbidden words I think $1 per word seems fair. Now the question is, what should the jar be saving for?
