Why do I swear so much? I think I used to do it for shock value, and then it was just habit, something I did without thinking. I think I keep it up still in a slightly pathetic attempt to stand out from the other middle aged Stepfordton moms. I do try not to swear in front of the kids, but still… it creeps in.
I work with a good christian man named T. He’s my workday Ned Flanders — really sweet, and very well mannered, with a lot of Well how ya’ doing there’s. He takes time off during his shift on Sundays to lead a bible study group as part of his church. So perhaps it’s only natural that I’ve started to get a little self-conscious of my occasional swearing tirades. “Jesus fucking Christ!” “God damn it!”
The other day, I was going off when another coworker jokingly turned to T and said, “Earmuffs, T” — a kind of adorable reference to the movie Old School, where Vince Vaughn’s character instructs his young son to cover his ears whenever anyone curses around him.
This afternoon I approached T and mentioned I was working on minding my language. I offered an apology, and told him to feel free to just give me a smack if I ever crossed a line with him. He smiled and laughed good naturedly and commented that it would take quite a lot to get to him. He has, he explained, a thicker skin than one might imagine. We did get to talking about why people swear, though, and it got me to thinking.
Hence this blog entry today. Why do I swear? What purpose does it serve, really? Is it a crutch? Might I not be able to communicate a thought, express myself in other ways? Is swearing just a shortcut? I’m going to give it a shot this week. Why not. No more swearing starting….
(Shit. God Damn. Mother fuck.)
… right now.
image from: http://roboseyo.blogspot.com
eleven bee 
I try not to swear too often and reserve it for when I really need to express emotions strong enough to justify it. I feel that if I overuse those words, they lose their punch. If I rarely swear and someone hears me do so, they’ll think “Wow, Tapati must really be upset!”
I think people swear for a variety of reasons. It may have been common in their environment so they just learned to talk that way early. (My family didn’t swear in front of children, so I didn’t learn it from them!) Others use swear words when young for shock value and then they become a habit. They can be used for emphasis or effect, when more polite words just don’t seem to convey one’s outrage or anger. I’m sure there are other reasons I haven’t thought of.