As often seems to be the case, the person I most agree with in this discussion is Balanthalus.

I swear. Not to little old ladies, or children, or people I don't know, or anyone who I think might be upset by it. I'm sure I've "trained" myself that well, even though I don't remember ever consciously doing so. And if I ever accidentally did swear in front of someone who was offended by it, I would of course immediately apologize for offending them.

I am not offended by any word in itself, but rather how it is used. Many of the so-called "bad" words have useful connotations, and I feel it is appropriate to use them around other people who feel similarly. For example, the usually considered offensive verb meaning "copulate" has different shades of meaning than any of the synonyms you'd feel free to say in a public setting.

The only words that offend my ear are ones used insultingly toward a community. There are certain words used against African-Americans and homosexuals, for example, that are usually used in a very insulting manner, and I will certainly let the speaker of those know my feelings on the manner. Once again, however, it is not the word itself that is the problem, but how it is used; witness the way African-Americans and homosexuals have "reclaimed" those words, finding ways to use them noninsultingly in their own cultures, though they would still be offended by their usual insulting use by others.

I do think it's possible to disagree on this without resorting to the name-calling some people in these threads have used: "immature", "feeble-minded", and so on. Really, is that less offensive than swearing?

I think there are far more important issues to worry about than swearing. For example, the things that often cause offensive language, such as sexism or the hatred of groups different than one's own. But that is obviously a very different thread.

-- Trip