She Loves Four-Letter Words
February 2, 2015
ABIGAIL writes in response to a post on women who “curse:”
I am not tattoo-ed or particularly raunchy but I curse a lot. I enjoy it! Cursing is not solely used to avoid fistfights. It’s used in a variety of contexts for a variety of purposes. I curse when grumbling to myself (or occasionally shouting in pain) in response to life’s various frustrations, such as misplacing my keys or hitting my head. I curse when joking about with like-minded friends. I occasionally curse, again with like minded friends or work colleagues and consistent with whatever culture I’m in, when I’m trying to convey a point with particular bluntness. Mark Twain makes this point about the value and enjoyment to be gained from cursing better than I.
Despite my love of the handful of mildly taboo words in our culture, I value courtesy. Thus, I believe strongly that, regardless of one’s sex, one should never curse AT someone (except perhaps in response to a physical threat or attack, or in a purely joking manner) and one should take pains to avoid cursing in front of people who dislike cursing. Read More »