We never did find out where the bastige ended up.
Posted on 03/23/2025 7:04:15 AM PDT by DoodleBob
The other day, this headline from Elizabeth Nickson’s Substack appeared on a website I visit daily: “’Give Us Back Our Fu**ing Money.’ How Washington Stole Everything.”
Breitbart ran the following headline the same day: “Kyle Busch Threatens Opposing Driver: ‘I’m Gonna Wreck His A**!’” As reported in the article, that was the mildest of the NASCAR driver’s profanities.
A post covering the appointment of talk show host Dan Bongino to the position of FBI Deputy Director included an obscenity-laced rant Bongino wrote in 2022 after that agency’s raid on Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. You can read it here.
These headlines aren’t unusual nor are the commentators from all parts of the political spectrum who now freely weave profanity in their reporting. In 2021, for instance, the popular Megyn Kelly said, “I (expletive) love the swearing.” Media personalities Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson routinely toss around profanities during their interviews with guests.
Some celebrities also show an affinity for what was once considered crudity. Robert DeNiro lost the respect of many of his fans for the F-bombs he spat out at Trump. Novelist Stephen King left X in November because it was too toxic, but returned on Feb. 20, saying: “Just wanted to say that Trump is a traitorous, Putin-loving dips**t! Goes double for Elon!” King apparently missed the irony of his own toxic words.
Given our propensity for four-letter words, it should come as no surprise that America leads the world in swearing. A 2024 analysis of 1.7 million English-language tweets show that our nation ranks far ahead of the closest runner-up, Great Britain, in our use of profanities.
Wordtips, the blog that conducted this study, tells us, “Swearing has become fun again,” and “that just means we’re going to be exposed to more of it and that’s going to normalize it, and so people have become inured.” Mental Floss sums up what some contend are the advantages to cussing: “[L]etting curse words fly has been linked to everything from intelligence and honesty to an increase in our ability to tolerate pain.”
If obscene language is acceptable, why do so many editors and bloggers still use the grawlix, those symbols like %#, for swear words rather than the word itself?
Plenty of people I know never or rarely curse, but I have a friend who routinely constructs a string of obscene words, some of them vivid and disgusting, when we’re alone. When we’re around my grandkids, those same words never make an appearance. So, if cursing is so swell and dandy, then why do parents and almost everyone else attempt to protect children from vulgarities? And do we really want our four-year-old declaring, “I hate fu*#ing broccoli and I’m not going to eat this s%#t?”
And finally, what does our increased use of once-obscene language in our conversations and in the public square say of our culture? Does it elevate our social and civil interactions, or is it one more sign of crudity in our increasingly ragtag civilization? Does it add or subtract to the dignity of the human person?
Some public commentators recognize and honor these concerns. Newsmax contributor and radio talk show host Jennifer Kerns has said:
My goal is to have a show that moms can listen to as they drive their kids to school, therefore it’s got to be clean … we have conservatives, families and religious audiences tuning in. I feel a higher calling in my career to live up to Christian standards. It’s easy not to curse on-air—it just takes some creativity and an impeccable vocabulary.
My mother agreed absolutely with this stance. I don’t remember the circumstances – perhaps I said some word that was never spoken in our house – but Mom sat me down and explained that people cursed because they were angry or ignorant, and lacked the vocabulary and temperament to better explain themselves. That was long, long ago, but the conversation stuck with me.
Language is infectious, which means I do curse from time to time, mostly when I’m alone. But I don’t like that in myself, and I don’t want to die someday with the last word from my lips being some stupidity like “s%#t,” so I’m always working on self-censorship.
If it’s a choice between joining a culture of crudity or heeding my mother’s wise advice, Mom wins hands-down every time.
—
I forgot. Funny
Ruggum Smuggum always works
The number of young women with gutter language also makes me shake my head.
But for a guy who went to L.A. just hoping to play in a rock band Johnny Depp has become the master of creative language when they allow him.
“Send this pestilent, traitorous, cow-hearted, yeasty codpiece to the brig.” — Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Ouch!
He totally saves the movie "Dark Shadows" with erudite scene-chewing and makes you pity the other excellent actors who just stuck to the script.
There IS time and place for swear words but overuse wears on the listener and demeans the person doing that in the minds of their audience. Proper use by the likes of George Carlin, Eddie Murphy et al are integral to their routines when they not only amuse but make you think.
But like handling guns it's best to leave it to those most familiar with weapons if you're but a neophyte. Misuse of foul language may find you blowing a toe off with a mouth that was better left closed.
The movie Johnny Dangerously has some of the best faux curse words ever.
“”The movie Johnny Dangerously has some of the best faux curse words ever.””
Yeah, fargan even beats Battlestar Gallactica’s “frakin”. I’ll make an attempt to ‘switch over’...lololol. Thanks!
“”It works””
Just... not with most of the younger crowd of today.
We never did find out where the bastige ended up.
“My High School English teacher said ‘Cursing is a direct reflection of one’s upbringing or your parents lack of trying.’”
Not 100% true. We couldn’t even say “minced oaths, i.e., gee, gosh, darn, etc., growing up (in a parsonage).
Then I worked for years supporting Public Works construction crews. Language got saltier. I draw the line at the Lord’s name.
If he ever returns to America I’ll kick his farging ice.
“All I want for paneling is yew” ~ Paul Bunyan
Did I write shoes instead of shows? Lol!
Some might call that a Freudian Slip-er!
Yeah, fargan even beats Battlestar Gallactica’s “frakin”.
If you live in Utah, you might hear some of the following delightful euphemisms:
1.Fudge
2.Fetch
3.Flip
4.Frigging
5.Freakin'
6.Suck
7.Fart (the Mormon "f word")
8.Heck
9.Dangit
10.Dagnabit
11.Darn
12.Snot
13.Snap
14.Shut the front door
15.Shoot
16.Butt
17.Bottom
18.Backside
19.Poop
20.Crap (the Mormon "c word")
21.Peeved
22.Oh my gosh
23.Crud/Scrud
24.Golly
25.Gee whiz
26.Witch
Do not forget #10...
Some church lady types might want to sock it to you for making a simple typin’ mistaek.
Now isn’t that just proof positive that a brilliant idea takes off on its own.
“All I want for Christmas is moo” ~ Elsie
"All I want for Christmas is shoe" ~ Thom McAn
All I want for Christmas is woo.
Yeah, I’m a romantic at heart.
"All I want for Christmas is twue" ~ Lili Von Shtupp
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