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It saddens me.

There is a lot of cussing, bad mouthing, etc., going on in America, and probably many other places around the world.

Why, just today a nine year old said, "You're a girl in disguise. You cut off your p***y and put a c**k there. A fake one."

I didn't even know what a p***y was until a couple months ago...

Thoughts?

I must confess, I'm guilty of such vulgarity. I use words as not only a tool, but a weapon. Often, I go for shock factor, because I've found it's funnier and easier to say something so out of character and shocking, whoever is getting on my nerves will just stare as I beat a retreat. People expect big words and logic from me. When I respond with a string of vulgarity and cursing, as well as mentions of shanking, people are thrown a bit off-kilter.

Seriously, how old are you?

I've been cursing since the sixth grade. I probably would've started earlier, but I attended a private Lutheran school from preschool to fourth grade. I switched to the local public school for fifth grade, and I must say, it was a culture shock hearing kids saying "Oh my God!" I know that sounds lame to a lot of people, but I really was sheltered for the longest time. Switching to the public school system was the best decision I've ever made, honestly. I hear adults touting the educational advantages of private and charter schools, but I can't say those were the best years of my life, or even good years! The children were shallow and fickle, and when I left the school, many of my old "friends" refused to talk to me because I was now a "public school kid."

I'm rambling off-topic, I'm sorry.

But cursing amongst children has gotten so bad because parents don't have the balls (pardon the metaphor) to slap their child or stick a bar of soap in his mouth when he says a bad word. Lord knows I got smacked a couple times across the mouth and those words never left my mouth in my mother's presence again! Or any other adult's, for that matter! I know when to reign in my language. Kids these days just don't have that sort of solid structure.

Now that this post has fallen into a rant about parenting, I shall bid thee adieu.

[Warning: This post has examples of excessive swearing]

I know swearing is supposed to be inappropriate and stuff, but I don't really use do it unless the situation is appropriate (and with me, interjections are all I use - I never really swear just to insult someone).

-If I'm mildly disappointed about something, you'll hear me say: damn, damn it, or Jesus.

-If I'm fairly strongly disappointed about something (or if I physically injure myself), you'll hear: s**t, ********, God damn it, ******** damn it, p***s-muncher, ******** or mother ******** in mind, I don't normally even say most of those words in polite company anyway.)

Words like 'crap,' 'piss' and 'screw' and terms like 'what the hell' are, to me, not even considered bad words, so I sometimes use them left and right.

But what I hate the most is when people use the more taboo swearwords in their every day conversations... especially using the word '********' for emphasis:

"Like, he ******** said this to me, and I said, 'Oh no you ******** DIDN'T!' And then he ******** told me to ******** off! Like what the ********!? He's such a ******** a*****e, I dunno why I ******** put up with his ******** s**t!"

... Makes me want to kill. I seriously heard some girl just randomly spouting off nonsense to that effect at college the other day. It was ridiculous.

I personally swear pretty often, like when I'm in pain or something startles me, or in regular conversation with my friends. But I don't do it profusely, ie, it's not the only means by which I express myself verbally.

Even if they are "bad" words, they're still words, so people should be able to use them if they desire. But they are adult words. I say that because children do not know how to use them correctly. They think that if they use those words, that makes them "edgy" or "cool", and raises them up in the eyes of their peers. So they use the words, and often, even if it's not a situation that really calls for language of that kind.

These words shouldn't be banned or anything like that, but parents shouldn't allow their children to use them until they are mature enough to understand that these words have different connotations than others, and also to realize that there are other ways to express themselves. Otherwise they'll just wind up with a stunted vocabulary, and will only be able to express themselves like in the example Hawk_McKrakken gave.