Thursday, 26 June 2008
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What the bleep?
by mr. pine "What the...."
Which word you insert after those two words? I usually say "freak" when I'm around people who've never heard me curse, but lately I've been using the word "crap" for some unknown reason. What's bad is when I get caught in between the two and wind up saying, "What the frap!!" - like I got the wrong order at Starbucks or something. I have a friend who used to combine "What the Hell!" with "Holy Cow!" to make the less offensive combination of "What the Cow!" But there was a time in my life where I would have used the full-blown, high-octane words there without even a second thought.
I've been thinking about this lately because this past Friday at work, the 'sh** hit the fan' with one of the projects and there was a possibility we might lose a very lucrative contract. When people were calling me asking for an explanation, the simplest thing I could think of to say was... "the sh** hit the fan"... but I wanted to not be rude, so I'd say... "the crap hit the fan." But I felt that these words fell short of describing the situation to the fullest extent. So as the day progressed and ran deep into the night, my words migrated over to the the more profane words. It just seemed more appropriate.
What's funny is that the day started with my father asking me to call a man with whom he had been arguing over not delivering something he bought from him on eBay. My father had tried to talk with him the previous day but didn't get far because of the language barrier. As the debate got heated he described the guy as being verbally abusive to him. I believe my dad's words were, "He kept saying to me f***, f***, f***, f***!!!" At first, the sound of my father trying to curse in his Korean accent was just too funny, but then I started getting a little angry that someone could be so disrespectful to him.
So why do some of us curse? Some people say that it just feels good. I remember seeing something on TV where they actually took brain scans of people who were subjected to hearing a series of words with curses peppered among them. They said that the curse words triggered a different part of their brain that was more associated with emotions and primal instincts. I believe it. I know that there is a bit of a mental jerk when I hear someone curse... especially someone I don't expect to hear that from.
So what's so bad about cursing? Aren't curses just words? I'm not sure. I think that people curse to elicit an emotional response. So in a way, it's a little manipulative. I know that when I do it, it's to add a little emphasis to it without having to use too many extra words. But is it beneficial in the long run? Is God glorified by it? Obviously not. In fact, Colossians 4:5,6 it says, Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Now, note here that it doesn't say "act fake or holier-than-thou with your words" or to "clean up your words so that people will know you have a pure heart." It's not prohibitive. It's proactive. What it's saying is that you should be so busy blessing people with your words (and the Good News) that there's no room for the other stuff. But if in your heart you wish harm on others or disdain them, the words you do or don't say are the least of your worries.
Do your curse when you speak? Does it bother you when other people curse?
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Comments (63)
I honestly don't believe $hit is such a horrible word. I try not to let the words flow around those who I know are offended by them, but usually I let them go when appropriate. George Carlin, anyone?
Words have the meaning that WE bestow upon them. I'm not going to curse every 10 seconds, but I don't see the point of not cursing at all. People that get extremely offended just because someone randomly uses a curse word (not directed at them) are really silly, in my opinion.
I usually try to find an alternative to the hardcore curse words - but sometimes they fall short of describing the severity of my emotions haha.
Good post :)
Oh and yes it's very shocking / surprising when someone you don't expect to swear, swears :X it kinda spoils my image of them (hypocritically D:)
I think that, even in a Christian mouth, there are certain life situations that make a bad word appropriate. I've always thought that "cuss words" are overused. When you use something too many times, it becomes meaningless. And I feel they make me sound ignorant. I make a point of only using them when it really is the most apt word I know out of the whole English language (and I know a lot of words) to describe the situation. Like if my dog got run over. Or if I was so broke that all I had to eat were eggs and then I burned them.
I think people who cuss alot are either trying to be shocking, or just plain offensive. When I hear gratutous cussing, I don't get offended myself, but I do get offened at the way foul words are used frequently around kids. Even if you let your kids say that, you shouldn't inflict it on others'.
I once cussed quite a bit when I was out of fellowship with the Lord, and I found it so hard to get back into the groove of not cussing. It actually took around 2 to 3 years for me to stop completely. I believe that it all depends on your environment. If you are around a group of people that cuss, it will be more difficult to hold you tongue, same goes for the same of music you listen to and the type of movies you watch. People hear some phrases so often that it just so happens to pop out of their mouths. Sometimes, they don't even know that they're doing it. I know while at school that I ask people not to cuss in front of me. In most cases, they get upset and say that they didn't cuss, then realize that they did it out of pure habit. Once you start, it is hard to stop. So, I say that cussing is a bad force of habit and it is safer to never start than the start and have to stop. Trust me, I know what I am talking about. And besides, cuss words tend to make you look super unintelligent. God bless.
I don't curse or like hearing curses because the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. It is so true. When I am frustrated or disgusted, I try to avoid curses or anything like them. I usually come out with "bummer!" or "argh!" It is much better, though, when I step back and pray about what I am going through. God offers me patience and peace, if I will trust Him. Christ is helping me grow in this area and trust Him what He has allowed.
Personally, it grieves me when I hear known believers swear because they are diminishing their witness (not that it offends me). Christians are instructed in Scripture to live holy lives to please God and turn others to Christ. Unfortunately the contemporary church has under-emphasized or ignored this. Thus, we have lost much of our saltiness and effectiveness in this culture. Where are the mature Christians who lead by example? It seems that only severe discipline and persecution will rekindle our repentance and purity.
hey what about dung, the bible uses the word dung do you think people went around saying oh dung or dung hit the wall or something of that nature. We can get away with saying dung but you get looks for saying sh--t . should we say the stool hit the fan since it is the technical term for it. How about were you BORN IN A BARN! I say that alot then a thought came to me the other day could that be sacreligious? after all Jesus was born in a stable which is a barn. That sounds bad when you look at it like that. You could go on and on with this subject.
I think that cursing is kind of an attitude, the way you use it. I do not curse, but I understand why people do - somehow it lets out some kind of emotion. The thing is, what, exactly, defines a cuss word? I have been raised that even words like "heck" "jeez" "dang it" and "crap" are not appropriate, although others are certainly worse. But the idea is that you're just replacing a cuss word with another word that doesn't quite sound as bad, which means it's still cussing because it's portraying the same emotion. That was my family's logic. And if that's the case, I could replace cuss words with anything and it would still be cussing! For instance, for a while I used "sugarplums!" in a cussworthy way. And I think my family's right about this, because I think that using words that way does arouse the feelings and emotions in an unhealthy way. It is better to keep control of your tongue and use words that are always edifying to the hearers.
I do curse. I got in the habit of doing it because I thought it sounded cool but my younger sister [my shadow] has picked up on doing it too and I don't like that. Therefore I don't like that I do curse and I am working on getting out of the habit of using curse words.
It doesn't bother me that other people curse but it does lower my opinion of them and a lot of my good friends are bothered by me cursing.
It depends on how bad the cursing is. I rarely (if at any time) use the *s* word, and I do say darn a lot...
I rarely curse and it doesn't bother me when others curse. Although, I find it annoying when someone curses during special occasions (e.g. like my friend's drunk cousin who kept saying, "This is the s***!," throughout the evening at her wedding last year).
Sometimes, people can't help cursing due to habit or in one case, an interviewee. The was a young man who came to my uncle's company for an interview. I came out to send a fax, and all of a sudden I heard the words: "F***!" The interviewee said, "Sorry. I have Tourette's Syndrome. I'm a little nervous, so I couldn't help it."
"I think that people curse to elicit an emotional response."
Exactly. Yes, it is manipulative, unkind, and immature.
It's just like passing gas in public.