Swearing – Is it Necessary?

There are between 470,000 – 1,005,366 words in the English language, depending on which resource you look at. So why do people feel it’s necessary to use one swear word for every five words spoken?

During a recent visit to the store, a woman in line next to me was speaking with an excessive amount of profanity. As she continued on for several minutes, I couldn’t help but think how immature she sounded. One f-bomb per ever five words spoken, if not every three. Is her vocabulary limited that much?

Aren’t we taught to be considerate of others who may be within earshot? What if a child is present, or even an every day Joe who is repulsed by such language? Not everyone is raised to believe that speaking in such a way is acceptable. On the contrary, most are taught that those words are bad and should be spoken by adults only, which in itself is ridiculous. If words are unfit for a child to say, then wouldn’t it make more sense if they were never said regardless of age?

Furthermore, how can we teach our children not to say or do something when we ourselves are doing it? We are supposed to set a good example for our children. We should behave in the way that we expect them to behave and be who we want them to become.

I realize that there are people who see no harm in cursing around their children, nor do they see any harm in their children following suit. They’re just words, after all. But just because you may teach your children that it’s okay by setting that example for them, does not mean than everyone else does.

Many people also claim that these words help them to better express their feelings and make a greater impact. However, I disagree. There are plenty of words that can be used to express feelings much better than profanity – words that actually have depth.

As far as impact goes, I for one stop listening if a person chooses to use foul language as their primary form of communication. After the first few expletives, their speech begins to sound like nothing but nonsense and an attempt to fill space. In fact, that’s exactly what an expletive is: a syllable, word, or phrase inserted to fill a vacancy.

If you want people to truly listen, then speak with real words that have real definitions. Most of all, speak with respect; not only out of respect for the person you’re speaking to, but also for yourself. Our level of respect is shown by the words we use.

While growing up, I was taught to be considerate of others and to treat others with the same respect as I expected for myself. Sadly, this concept has slowly faded away, along with many of the other morals and values that children were once taught.

I wonder if people realize what they are doing to future generations…

Our failure to teach right from wrong has consequences – which unfortunately we are already seeing.