Power of Words

The Power of Words:  curse, swear, dirty, vulgar

Abby Weyr October 2011

This has been prompted by a couple of recent things.  One was the too casual use of a vulgar word on a web site that was on my list here.  The other was the inappropriate use of same vulgar word in a specific fan fiction that I had enjoyed reading up to that use.

Curse words are used far too commonly currently, especially by the younger generation.  They are called curse words for a reason.  They are no longer just expletives to express strong emotions.  They have become common adjectives.  They have become trivial to the younger generation.  People have become desensitized to their meaning.

You say to someone “Go to hell!” that is a curse.  You want them dead.  You want them to suffer in the hereafter for eternity.  Hell being a state of outer darkness and cold or burning fire, either one would include suffering for eternity.  How does that relate to having a good time?

You say to someone “Damn you!” that is a curse.  A dam stops water from flowing down a river.  Damning a person stops their eternal progression.  Even in the afterlife we have opportunity to progress.  Can you imagine keeping a 2 year old child at that age forever?  Or being a teenager forever?  It is a curse to keep anyone at any stage of life stuck at that point, to stop their progressing. 

The other three common vulgar words are not necessarily curse words per se.  Sh** and cr** describe something usually not pleasant smelling or looking.  Fu** is the worst of the bunch.  There is a violent connotation with that word making it close to rape.  How does that become an adjective?  Especially out of a 100+ year old vampire character to mean “She looks terrific” not once but twice?  How does it become a casually used word with such violence behind it?  How does it become used in context of making love or having sex in a good way?  How does it become a ‘turn on’ word to a 17year old female character when spoken by that 100+ year old vampire boy friend? 

As a society we have become insensitive to the power of these words the same as we’ve become insensitive to violent images.  This is really a sad state of affairs.  It use to be women would not use these words.  It used to be that men would not use them in mixed company at least if use them at all.  They are words to be used as expletives and hopefully rarely.  Now it doesn’t matter who, what, or when use any of them.  It use to be that using them for adjectives was thought of as an indication of lack of education.  What happened to courtesy, to civility, and to respecting the sensibilities of others?