S. Pinker on Swearing
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4 thoughts on “S. Pinker on Swearing”
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Settler words&music in S'ólh Téméxw, (leanpub.com/upsun) living where privilege meets precarity in MST country. she/her/they———– Novels: Midnite Moving Co., Upsun; Sweep Off Those Waves coming soon, Hair Sinister after that. —Restore All Indigenous Lands!
Stephen is as always lucid and enlightening. Wow! What a great essay. MANY things explained.
To me swearing just indicates a limited vocabulary and low intelligence. It is much more fun to insult someone using words they don’t understand. I know, i’m a jerk.
Jerk? Nah. To be fair nautilus3 has remarked that the only time you swear is when you’re driving; however, as you drive in Victoria it is really quite understandable.
I have mixed feelings on swearing. Generally, I think it just doesn’t look good on a person OR should be used in moderation. For example, for my daughter, I think it makes an educated girl sound like a high school drop out. On the other hand, my best friend had what her husband referred to as “potty mouth”. She was highly educated, brilliant, artistically gifted and 5’1″ tall — when she got mad, WOW! I always found it amusing when she went into one of her rants AND full grown men would back away from her with fear in their eyes. To be fair, the recipient of this rant was usually deserving.