Profanity

[PrincessFiona]

On the whole swearing in a foreign language thing....DH often swears in english...and the f* bomb is something he drops way, way, way, way too frequently (even around the kids). To him, it has no real meaning...he hears it at work from colleageus, or on tv and it doesn't have that same connotation that it does for us. It just rolls of his tongue like he is saying "oh darn". I HATE it!

Conversely, I'm likely to say "leck mich am arsch" (kiss my ass..well, literally, it acutally means lick me on the ass, but who's quibbling with words) a lot because it just sounds so funny to me....even though I'd probably not say the english version of that.

It is interesting how language/culture can influence each other...I know that most german profanity is meaningless to me.

I know someone else who does the same thing. I was just going to post about it, Kris. She is also from another country with English as a secondary language and she just throws around f*** like it is "darn."

"Oh, I couldn't get an f-ing parking spot because that guy up there didn't pull up. I would have scraped the f-ing car and I'm sure my husband would be so f-ing upset."

And there is no emphasis on the word...it just rolls off the tongue whether in a social or professional setting or whatever. I think people have tried to warn her about it and she did improve a bit in more professional settings. But it definitely does not carry the weight with her that it does with other people. Like her boss.

[PrincessFiona]

sigh...I know this problem well. We've talked about it ad nauseum, but to him, it's just a work like "duck" or something. The problem is that he here's the word thrown around in context and that's how he ends up using it.

[SueC]

Well, my dh uses the f word quite liberally, and he doesn't have the other language thing as an excuse. Even when he was still a resident or fellow, I would overhear him talking to his attending and say something like "that place was a f***ing madhouse last night". I can't imagine speaking to my supervisor like that! He doesn't usually say that sort of thing in front of the kids, but he and his co-workers can get pretty vulgar.

[PrincessFiona]

I wonder if this is a hospital/medical thing? I can't imagine ever talking like that at work, but I've heard more than my share of the f*bomb stuff being dropped in discussions of call or patients, etc. Maybe swearing is a part of the training....environment?

kris

Well, the training environment would lead me to become one of the aforementioned sailors ... a drunk one, too.

My dh has the same problem with dropping the old JC all the time. Again, he was raised in a Hindu home, so JC is just something he says when he is frustrated. I have raised holy heck (no pun intended) about it with him. Even though I am notat all religous and not personally offended I have tried to instill in him that that phrase (used that way) can be SUPER offensive to a lot of people.

English was my dh's first language, too -- he doesn't even know how to swear in Gujarati. The worst he can do is say 'shut up' or 'go away you're bugging me'.

At one point in high school I knew how to swear in 14 different languages. Some of my friends taught me things I would NEVER say in English ... but I just let them fly in Serbian or Vietnamese. I really should have used my brain more constructively back then ...

[Meenah]

I'm suspecting a medical thing, I used to blush when I heard the F*%* word, but now it flows freely.
Luanne

[Meenah]

Last week I spent several days with a Cardiologist as my preceptor, a very mild mannered person and his language surprised me.
Luanne

Here's my thing. When I am nervous I drop the F bomb a lot. Not good when the things that make me nervous include meeting extended family members, bosses, new coworkers, religous leaders, etc. And I get loud when I get nervous.

[PrincessFiona]

Hmmmmm.

I tend to swear if I get really, really angry. It seems like I go through phases where I have a lower threshold and swear more than at other times. If I'm really upset about something I'm pretty likely to drop some sort of a bomb...and Thomas and I tend to be more liberal with bombs when we're arguing with each other...with the swearwords more for empahsis than anything else.

[rainbabies]

[HeartRN]

The medical environment can definitely bring out the monster...."F" flows freely with me at times, too, Luanne....When I was in the ICU it was "Oh, F, get the crash cart!" or "Where's the F'in (fill in the blank because said supply I need desperately is missing AGAIN). Interestingly, my current job, although stressful, has not really brought out the swear-monster. It's probably only a matter of time......

[Meenah]

I believe you Marla. This afternoon I am working 4 hours in the ER and that is the absolute worst for profanity. When I work in Endoscopy it is much less (also a very controlled environment).
Luanne

[Sheherezade]

Interesting. I like the reference to the swearing of the lower classes "like a trooper" and "like a sailor"; makes me wonder if we can know consider doctors part of the vulgar class. He swore like a surgeon! I like it. I also thought it was interesting that the Victorians would wonder how we can apply our morality based on the forum. For me, my language has less to do with my own "morality" and more to do with the respect I have for my audience. I wouldn't swear in a forum that might include others that would be offended. Not nice! I might consider my own morality more if I was talking about the original definition of "profanity" --using the Lord's name in vain.

SEE!!! I knew that the Deadwood characters wouldn't be dropping the F bomb left and right!