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Author Topic:   why are bad words bad words?
DC85
Member (Idle past 370 days)
Posts: 876
From: Richmond, Virginia USA
Joined: 05-06-2003


Message 1 of 26 (101223)
04-20-2004 2:35 PM


I really wanted to post this in the Coffee house .... but we can't now
so here is the question
Why are some words considered to be Real bad words. Considering many other acceptable words mean the exact same thing? Just a weird thought that went through my head... any Ideas?

Replies to this message:
 Message 2 by crashfrog, posted 04-20-2004 2:46 PM DC85 has not replied
 Message 3 by Dan Carroll, posted 04-20-2004 2:46 PM DC85 has replied
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crashfrog
Member (Idle past 1457 days)
Posts: 19762
From: Silver Spring, MD
Joined: 03-20-2003


Message 2 of 26 (101229)
04-20-2004 2:46 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by DC85
04-20-2004 2:35 PM


Why are some words considered to be Real bad words.
In English, bad words universally either refer to sex or defication (or the parts of the body involved.) This isn't true for every language, I guess - according to my wife Russian swear worlds (mat) are all sexual.
But the real reason is rather circular - they're considered bad words because they're considered bad words. Language is created by the speakers, so if a community agrees that a word is bad, it becomes bad.

This message is a reply to:
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Replies to this message:
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Dan Carroll
Inactive Member


Message 3 of 26 (101230)
04-20-2004 2:46 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by DC85
04-20-2004 2:35 PM


Same reason "murder" is used differently than "homicide", I guess. (i.e., nobody is going to see one person killing another and scream, "HELP! HOMICIDE!")
Over time, certain words pick up social weight because of prior use. After that, they've got emotional connotation in addition to literal meaning. For instance, "n*gger" and "african-american" might mean the same thing literally, but given the prior use of "n*gger", the emotional connotation it carries gives it a very, very different meaning.

"As the days go by, we face the increasing inevitability that we are alone in a godless, uninhabited, hostile and meaningless universe. Still, you've got to laugh, haven't you?"
-Holly

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by DC85, posted 04-20-2004 2:35 PM DC85 has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 4 by Melchior, posted 04-20-2004 2:57 PM Dan Carroll has not replied
 Message 5 by Cynic1, posted 04-20-2004 9:33 PM Dan Carroll has replied
 Message 7 by DC85, posted 04-20-2004 10:17 PM Dan Carroll has replied

Melchior
Inactive Member


Message 4 of 26 (101235)
04-20-2004 2:57 PM
Reply to: Message 3 by Dan Carroll
04-20-2004 2:46 PM


Add in the fact that individual people interpret words differently, and it's more or less impossible to classify some words as bad.

This message is a reply to:
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Cynic1
Member (Idle past 6065 days)
Posts: 78
Joined: 03-29-2004


Message 5 of 26 (101362)
04-20-2004 9:33 PM
Reply to: Message 3 by Dan Carroll
04-20-2004 2:46 PM


What is even stupider is that it is the actual letters of the words that people find offensive. I can write out sh*t, and everyone knows the word and its meaning. If you take out one of the letters, the word is acceptable. Similarly, you get the first and last sound in T.V. and radio when the word is "bleeped."
Is this all because the actual letters that form the word are evil, or that we have a stupid double standard regarding social mores?
Hey, has anyone ever noticed that when "Goddamn" is bleeped, only the "God" part is bleeped and not the "damn?" Is "God" a bad word?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 3 by Dan Carroll, posted 04-20-2004 2:46 PM Dan Carroll has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 6 by DC85, posted 04-20-2004 10:09 PM Cynic1 has not replied
 Message 9 by Dan Carroll, posted 04-21-2004 10:52 AM Cynic1 has not replied

DC85
Member (Idle past 370 days)
Posts: 876
From: Richmond, Virginia USA
Joined: 05-06-2003


Message 6 of 26 (101375)
04-20-2004 10:09 PM
Reply to: Message 5 by Cynic1
04-20-2004 9:33 PM


Hey, has anyone ever noticed that when "Goddamn" is bleeped, only the "God" part is bleeped and not the "damn?" Is "God" a bad word?
This one I understand more then others.. and why it would be looked at as "Bad" When you use God in things like that you offend many people and I respect that. the reason "God" is bleeped is because you can say damn on TV.... I can see why GD would be offencive to people... however alot of people who look down on the use of GD still use God in sentences "it shouldn't" like "oh my God" or "for God's sake" .... so that I do not understand....
[This message has been edited by DC85, 04-20-2004]

This message is a reply to:
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DC85
Member (Idle past 370 days)
Posts: 876
From: Richmond, Virginia USA
Joined: 05-06-2003


Message 7 of 26 (101376)
04-20-2004 10:17 PM
Reply to: Message 3 by Dan Carroll
04-20-2004 2:46 PM


what emotional connotation do words such as A$$ , Sh!t , B!tch , and even f^uck have?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 3 by Dan Carroll, posted 04-20-2004 2:46 PM Dan Carroll has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 8 by Dan Carroll, posted 04-21-2004 10:41 AM DC85 has replied

Dan Carroll
Inactive Member


Message 8 of 26 (101537)
04-21-2004 10:41 AM
Reply to: Message 7 by DC85
04-20-2004 10:17 PM


I'm not a linguist, so take what I say with a grain of salt. It's guesswork on my part. But the words you list tend to be ones used out of anger or frustration. If you were trying to insult a woman, would you call her "bitch", or "female dog"? Why not "female dog"? In literal terms, they mean the same thing. But "bitch" carries more weight as an expression of disdain, or even hatred.
Similarly, if someone is walking down the street, and they suddenly yell the word "fuck" at the top of their lungs, do you figure they mean "sexual intercourse", or can you safely assume that they're trying to express some sort of anger?

"As the days go by, we face the increasing inevitability that we are alone in a godless, uninhabited, hostile and meaningless universe. Still, you've got to laugh, haven't you?"
-Holly

This message is a reply to:
 Message 7 by DC85, posted 04-20-2004 10:17 PM DC85 has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 16 by DC85, posted 04-21-2004 9:59 PM Dan Carroll has replied

Dan Carroll
Inactive Member


Message 9 of 26 (101538)
04-21-2004 10:52 AM
Reply to: Message 5 by Cynic1
04-20-2004 9:33 PM


quote:
What is even stupider is that it is the actual letters of the words that people find offensive. I can write out sh*t, and everyone knows the word and its meaning.
Yeah, but tossing the asterix in at least shows an effort to keep things clean, you know? It's like emptying the ashtrays when you have company over, even though you've left empty beer cans all over the living room table. Sure, you didn't really accomplish anything, but at least people can see you care about not offending them. (I'm in my mid-twenties. To me, this is a really good metaphor.)
quote:
Hey, has anyone ever noticed that when "Goddamn" is bleeped, only the "God" part is bleeped and not the "damn?" Is "God" a bad word?
Still guesswork, but it's probably just what happens when one group censors another, rather than a person or group censoring themselves. The group being censored obeys the letter of the law so they don't get screwed, but breaks the spirit whenever possible.

"As the days go by, we face the increasing inevitability that we are alone in a godless, uninhabited, hostile and meaningless universe. Still, you've got to laugh, haven't you?"
-Holly

This message is a reply to:
 Message 5 by Cynic1, posted 04-20-2004 9:33 PM Cynic1 has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 10 by Melchior, posted 04-21-2004 10:59 AM Dan Carroll has replied

Melchior
Inactive Member


Message 10 of 26 (101539)
04-21-2004 10:59 AM
Reply to: Message 9 by Dan Carroll
04-21-2004 10:52 AM


I wouldn't say. I've encountered quite frequently online the usage of **** as a way to curse more than usual because 'it's okay to curse if you don't spell it out'.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 9 by Dan Carroll, posted 04-21-2004 10:52 AM Dan Carroll has replied

Replies to this message:
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Dan Carroll
Inactive Member


Message 11 of 26 (101541)
04-21-2004 11:04 AM
Reply to: Message 10 by Melchior
04-21-2004 10:59 AM


Well... it's also rough business trying to read reason or logic into the way anyone behaves online.
I like to explain internet behavior this way.

"As the days go by, we face the increasing inevitability that we are alone in a godless, uninhabited, hostile and meaningless universe. Still, you've got to laugh, haven't you?"
-Holly

This message is a reply to:
 Message 10 by Melchior, posted 04-21-2004 10:59 AM Melchior has not replied

TechnoCore
Inactive Member


Message 12 of 26 (101543)
04-21-2004 11:19 AM
Reply to: Message 2 by crashfrog
04-20-2004 2:46 PM


I once red that protestant countries use bad words connected to devils, hell and so on. And almost none with sexual content.
Catholic countries tend to use sexual words or the holy mother. In Italy they say thing like "I will piss on your mothers grave" and so on. Since USA is a mix of both, they use both i guess. And through globalization bad words are getting mixed together much more nowadays.
In sweden (protestant) all bad words are about heaven and hell. Just now recently you can hear people curse with words like cunt, f*ck and so on. It sounded relly weird just a couple of yrs ago though.
What is the curses in muslim countries? Pigs and family ?
And in asian ?

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 Message 2 by crashfrog, posted 04-20-2004 2:46 PM crashfrog has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 13 by Denesha, posted 04-21-2004 11:31 AM TechnoCore has replied

Denesha
Inactive Member


Message 13 of 26 (101546)
04-21-2004 11:31 AM
Reply to: Message 12 by TechnoCore
04-21-2004 11:19 AM


A good bad word must be short spelling.
One syllable is fine.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 12 by TechnoCore, posted 04-21-2004 11:19 AM TechnoCore has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 14 by TechnoCore, posted 04-21-2004 12:06 PM Denesha has replied

TechnoCore
Inactive Member


Message 14 of 26 (101553)
04-21-2004 12:06 PM
Reply to: Message 13 by Denesha
04-21-2004 11:31 AM


Depends what you will use it for. If you just got hurt and are in pain, you just want to say something quickly to relive you of anger and pain. Then a short word is perfect.
If you are to insult someone, I think longer words or even sentences have a better effect!

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Replies to this message:
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Denesha
Inactive Member


Message 15 of 26 (101574)
04-21-2004 1:54 PM
Reply to: Message 14 by TechnoCore
04-21-2004 12:06 PM


Yes indeed. We must not forget all the word we "think" but never spell. The collection should be larger. In fact, I think many of these words but just retain them even when I'm alone or in a little group. This is cultural I guess.
"Don't you dare say naughty words..."
Never heard that before?
Denesha

This message is a reply to:
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