Depends on context. Directly cussing out somebody can certainly be an ugly habit. It also sets a bad example to swear in front of children. However, if you're by yourself and a pigeon has just splattered you, I say let the expletives fly. P.S. Don't let an f-bomb drop around your grandmother unless her hearing aid is turned way down.

i swear way too much and it sometimes gets me in trouble...i really have to stop!

Depends on when or where you swear.

I swear all the fuc*ing time bit*h.Is it really all that bad.Even the Bible says ass.

whats wrong with this? they are jsut words. why are they so bad? fuc*, shi*, coc*, as*, dam*. look, i am forced to bleep them...I HATE YOU PEOPLE.

Swearing is one of those things that just how bad is bad differs greatly according to one’s believes systems. It’s one of those things that I personally can tolerate a word here or there, but not with every other breath. There really is no call for it. I’ve watched movies where the actors swear WAY too much, lessening the enjoyment of the film. And as for actual daily life, there is seldom a call for such strong language. But, sometimes, people use a limited vocabulary and those same people I’ve noticed seem to do most of the daily swearing. Oftentimes, for me, hearing someone swear makes me think, “small mind, and even smaller vocabulary.”

I could not agree more with Lord Luzifer on this one. Swearing has in fact become the most versatile method of verbal expression, to the point where it's no longer limited to hostility or disrespect or other negative emotions or behavior. Now, I'll admit that I do this frequently, but it's not exactly as though every other word out of my mouth is "f*ck." So I would say that I'm pretty neutral to this as I could care less about swearing. It doesn't matter to me if you do or do not, so I was just going to give a 3 rating out of indifference. But then I saw how vigilant and ridiculous some of these anti-swearing people are and have decided to give it a 5 just to offset the idiot factor. All of you who seem to have this all-consuming fear of the dangers of profanity are giving words a little more credit than they deserve. I love the fact that ClassicTVFan47 calls swearing "one of the worst 'inventions' during the evolution of humanity." Thanks for making my point, at least as far as the invention aspect is concerned. But what exactly makes it "one of the worst"? Was this pre-determined by the heavens or what have you BEFORE it was "invented"? Last time I checked, language was a tool, to be manipulated by us, not the other way around. Language is defined as "Communication of thoughts and feelings through a system of ARBITRARY signals, such as voice sounds, gestures, or written symbols" (Dictionary.com). In other words, there is essentially no such thing as a bad word. Words were, and still are created out of nothing for no other purpose than to symbolize an object, idea, etc. for the purpose of communication. If a word is deemed bad, it is only so because someone at some point ARBITRARILY decided that it is bad, which is ultimately subjective. Suppose one was to name their child F*cking A$$hole. Emotional abuse notwithstanding, do you have any right whatsoever to tell this person that their very name is composed of "bad" words? Or suppose I created an entirely new language, and I rearranged things to where all things that we associate with positive feeling, ie. love, bunnies, rainbows, kittens, Guinness, etc. were all now represented by words that we have been conditioned to recognize as bad. Instead of "I love you," we now say "I sh!t you." The meaning is the same, but under the new system, it's merely a matter of substitution. Does that now make it unacceptable to verbally express affection for someone, merely because a certain word necessary to do so might be objectionable to the intellectually weak? No, f*ck them (oh my!). Without context, words are nothing more than sounds and symbols, entirely devoid of meaning. But then again, I can't really expect these simpletons who start seizing when someone says "f*ck" in front of them to have much of a grasp on semantics and/or other such Aristotelian logic. The best example of this I have ever seen, happened recently when I saw an episode of South Park called "It Hits the Fan." The entire episode centers around all this hype that is generated by a show called Cop Drama that decides to say "Sh!t" on network television for the first time. After that happens, everyone in South Park decides that it is now appropriate to say "sh!t" at any time - Mr. Garrison trotting down the street singing "Sh!tty-Sh!tty Bang-Bang" is priceless. During the entire episode, there is a counter in the lower left corner of the screen, tallying every occurence of the word "sh!t." After it's been said nearly two hundred times, the word loses its meaning. Less educated people call this desensitization. The proper term for this is mental vaccination against stupidity. You simpletons who go catatonic when someone around you utters a swear word are mental slaves. If you let words - sounds, symbols - offend you, then you have openly declared that you are intellectually weak and subject to invasion by anyone who may wish to manipulate YOU with mere sounds and symbols. A wise man (Morpheus) once said, "Free your mind." This shouldn't even be an issue. Anyone heard of a guy named Hitler? He came to power because he knew what to say and how to manipulate an entire populous with language. Maybe with a little perspective, we can wise up about this crap and make SIGNIFICANT changes to the world around us. Now granted, the very fact that I even posted this makes me guilty of spending a deal of time on this subject, but at least after this I'm gonna go organize my sock drawer or watch paint dry while the feeble shed tears when they hear someone say "motherf*cker."

I personally find excessive swearing to be an immature habit. It just proves to the rest of the world that you do not have anything mature to say. Swearing does not show us that you are macho or smart, it shows us that you are immature and at a lose for intelligent conversation. You do not have to swear to get your point across, having good conversational skills and a better vocabulary are good enough for me.

I tolerate swearing when people are extremely angry and need to let off a little stream. I'd rather they let that steam off through words rather than actions. However, it is very annoying when people swear simply to swear- using profane language as every other word in a conversation. It not only makes the person look extremely unintellegent, but its extremely annoying and vulgur.

I seem to do alot of this when I'm watching the horrible NHL officials. Crooked rat bastards.

Its language. Just language. We have just been taught that it is bad.

. . . okay, I'm guilty of this one, too. I think it's best to try to keep it out of inappropriate situations (in front of children, in a place of business, in intelligent arguments, etc.), but if it's the best word to describe a situation, and there are none around who would be offended, then I don't see a problem with it. It's annoying when it's in EVERY sentence that comes out of a person's mouth, when it's misused and in the wrong context, or when it's done in front of small children. But, it's an exclamation of extremity, like when drop a hefty dictionary on your foot, and the reflexive "!@#$!" comes out, it happens. This is a habit that really needs to consider the time and place.

I Swear i find it;s a great stress realease but i do feel guilty when i do it because it shows lack of vocab and imagination

I HATE IT, BUT HEY IT COMES OUT UNEXPECTEDLY ESPECIALLY WHEN I GET SO MAD OR WHEN I GET SO PISST OFF!!! I NEVER SWEAR JUST FOR THE HECK OF IT.

I'm a pretty liberal-minded woman and I don't consider swearing to be a really bad habit. Everyone has the right to freedom of expression and some people feel the need to express themselves using foul language. I'm not the Moral Police and I choose not to stop them. It does, however, drive me nuts when I'm in a store or restaurant or other place of business and I overhear the employees swearing. I find that very rude and disrespectful to me, the paying customer. I've walked out of a few places empty-handed and never to return because of a few foul-mouthed employees.

There is nothing wrong with adding a little emphasis when trying to make a point, but one does not need to cuss to do it. Call me a "goodie-two-shoes" if you want, but I'll stick to "darn", "heck", and "gosh" when I want to add emphasis... thank you very much!

I'm not sure I understand what all the fuss is about. A cuss word is simply a sound, like any other, that conveys a meaning. It's the meaning of this sound that appears to be offensive. If I cuss at or around a non-english speaking person, do they care? Probably not because they don't understand the meaning. If I speak of "love-making" or "sexual intercourse", do people get offended? Maybe embarassed but usually not offended. However if I use "the f-word" to describe this act, I'll probably offend someone. I guess its a matter of environment and timing. Like someone else said above, when you stub your toe or smash your finger with a hammer, nothing helps soothe the misery like a long string of %$#& and #@*%. Have a great day!

I do swear, but not regularly. The only time I really seem to swear is when I'm extremely angry and I just need to get the emotion out. Otherwise, people using swearwords in what should be a normal conversation is just so offputting and shows a lack of vocabulary. What I find disturbing is seeing four year old children swear with great ease......

This is a habit I wish I didn't have. Sometimes I do it without even realizing it's coming out of my mouth. I really don't think it helps you get your point across any better either. It just makes the people around you take you less seriously.

wish i could stop. i'm often offended when others do it, so i know i sound just as ugly when i get riled.

well face it, swearing has turned into a slang, it's exectly like the word "cool", only much more flexible, as it can be used in a larg variety of situations. the word f**k doesn't even have a meaning anymore, it can express anger, annoyment, intensify something that you say, express amazement, or just be used in a humerous way.. i think it's a great word, very usefull, and it has nothing to do with being rebelious or lacking vocabulery... so praise the word f**k, the magical word that can be used both as a verb and as an adjective, all hail! other cuss words are great too, but this one's the best

I think it becomes a bad habit only when you start to swear constantly.

I don't swear mainly because I've been raised to think it's wrong, and I just can't change that habit. When I think about it though, what is exactly wrong with it? Somewhere somebody declared a few words taboo, and now it's become sinful to say them. They are only words. The most annoying thing about swearing is when those who use the words fail to use them correctly. (ex: juvenile--"Girl you look good, won't you back that a@@ up? You's a fine motherf@#@$%, won't you back that a@@ up?" What kind of girl is fine that f@&*@ her mother?) Oh yeah, I also hate it when people use replacements for curse words, and claim they don't curse. That's about all.

Bad language is a man made concept (specifically by men who were afraid of being told the truth). The only words that are considered to be bad language are those that would verbably hurt (spicifically talk down or insult) a person (which could be many words in any language...idiot moron, jerk, etc.). They are just as bad as calling someone b***h, b*****d, S***head, etc. Using a word like s**t is not bad language because it's another word that is used to describe dung, feces, crap, and so on. The only way swearing is bad is if the words you say are the only words you use (which is a sign of low vocabulary skills).

Swearing is simply unacceptable. Since I found Christ and applied Him to my life, my swearing has gone to zilch. Swearing is a disgusting habit that is inexcusable and only profanes the name of God. my grandmother always said that when people swear, they have nothing really worthwhile to contribute to society, and I firmly believe that.

Nothinjg like throwing a good cuss word in or 2 to make your point. Why is it so bad to mix in a good four letter word for emphasis. Beauty of the language.

I have pretty much no problem whatsoever with this "bad" habit. When you're mad, upset or just generally pissed you say (and do) things you don't always mean. Besides who is to say what words are "bad" words? B*tch is just a female dog; Son of a b*tch therefor means puppy. Those are not "bad" words. Of course you shouldn't swear just for the fun of it (and let's face it, it is fun to swear) but if you slam your toe (or any other part of your physique) against a hard, sharp piece of furniture, or if something happens that makes you angry, then what's a few mere words gonna hurt?

The best explanation for swearing that I've found is one I saw on a sign back when I was a teen-ager: "Swearing is the effort of a feeble mind to express itself forcibly."

Overall I have rarely been offended by swearing which I consider to be mainly a poor word choice issue. Indulging in this practice basically is doing one of two things for the person swearing – it either convinces them they are letting off steam when they are actually in the process of building it up or gives them the illusion that they sound rebellious or cute when they just sound like a jerk. Either way it also proves they have a somewhat limited vocabulary. No, I haven’t always stopped to consider every word that I’ve sent flying out of my angry mouth either and I know that many of these poor choices have often made me look pretty foolish. I feel much happier with myself when I can stay in control enough to say something more intelligent.