If you think American speech has slid from a “PG” to an “R” rating, you’re not alone. It appears that profane speech is becoming more common in America.
A corporate research company recently studied transcripts of conference calls. It found the use of expletives among call-attendees rose 80 percent between 2018 and 2021. And it appears younger generations are more expletive-prone. According to one report, Baby Boomers use profanity 10 times a day, but members of Gen Z swear 24 times a day.
Swearing certainly isn’t anything new to Americans. In the 1800s, Saturday Evening Post editors were denouncing the users of rough speech:
Profanity is as impolite as it is sinful.
Of all the vices…man has been able to invent, there is none that furnishes a more melancholy evidence of moral degradation and depravity of mind, than the practice of profane swearing in common conversation; because it is attended with no possible advantage or pleasure.
Among young men in particular it seems to be fashionable to swear even in ordinary conversation.
Habitual indulgence confirms bad practices, hence many have become notorious swearers who, a year or two ago, would shudder at the mention of an oath. All immoral practices, it may be said, are disreputable, but that of profanity is more disgusting than any, as it is so utterly devoid of sense, and so completely at variance with the rules of good breeding and politeness....
In 2021, the F-word was heard on television 13,261 times. In 2022, it was heard 17,801 times — a 34 percent increase. Streaming and cable services are largely responsible for the increase. - https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2024/11/do-americans-swear-more-than-they-used-to/
When children are exposed to violence on TV and in video games, studies show they tend to become more aggressive themselves. But a new study reveals that even just exposure to swear words in media may lead children to become more physically aggressive as well.more..In a study involving 223 middle-schoolers in Missouri, researchers at Brigham Young University asked the students about their exposure to profanity in the media — in particular on television and in video games — as well as their attitudes about swear words and their tendencies toward aggressive behavior...
Using statistical models, the researchers calculated that exposure to profanity had about the same relationship to aggressive behavior as exposure to violence on TV or in video games. In addition, they found that the more children were exposed to profanity, they more likely they were to use swear words themselves, and those who used profanity were more likely to become aggressive toward others. - https://time.com/archive/7140198/children-who-hear-swear-words-on-tv-are-more-aggressive/
How using of bad language fosters violence and unempathetic behaviour in youngsters
.. research from Cambridge University indicates that exposure to profanity, especially among male youth, correlates with higher levels of aggression and potentially abusive behavior. This effect is more pronounced in environments where aggressive language is normalised, reinforcing harmful gender norms.
Profanity usage often spikes in stressful or competitive environments, such as workplaces and educational settings, with younger generations adopting more casual language norms influenced by global media. This can lead to physical aggression in young boys and relational aggression (e.g., exclusion) in young girls. - https://apeejay.news/how-using-of-bad-language-fosters-violence-and-unempathetic-behaviour-in-youngsters/
Great post! It is so very sad to see the young swearing so much. It all comes from the parents not teaching them about “bad words”, and it is generational now. Young parents can correct this but it will take years if not longer. And the schools must reinforce it. Yet another reason this Sociology assignment from 1944 is so stunning.