JSF--Can't tell if you're serious or aiming for sarcasm.  Your argument is akin to 'Well, kids have heard of and know about serious crime, so if they commit it, that's okay.'  Not a good argument.

Jerry Maguire:  'There's such a thing as (decency / morals).'

Disagree.  There are standards and there is decency.

If the words are so commonplace as to be suitable in all places, use them in your workplace and see what happens.

I first read the following in Dear Abby.  I clipped it because my language ain't always the best--I need to improve:


10 REASONS FOR SWEARING

1. It pleases Mother so much.
2. It's a fine mark of manliness.
3. It proves that I have self-control.
4. It indicates how clearly my mind operates.
5. It makes my conversation so pleasing to everybody.
6. It leaves no doubt in anyone's mind as to my good breeding.
7. It impresses people that I have more than an ordinary education.
8. It's an unmistakable sign of culture and refinement.
9. It makes me desirable personally among women and children in respectable society.
10. It's my way of honoring God, who said, "Thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain."

I don't see society attaching goodness to any words. Can you cite some examples?

I consider language profanity to be a social construct- one we can do without.

Playing devil's advocate, this (like so many other "bad" words) depends entirely on the speaker, the spoken to, and the tone.  The very same word can be used (and is used) as a synonym for "friend" or "brother" among some social groups, which to me entirely disproves the notion that "some words are hurtful in and of themselves."  Some words have powerful meaning, and one ought to use them correctly, but I don't think any words are hurtful themselves.

All that is to say nothing of how language changes -- the word you identified being a great example, as are words like idiot, moron, and imbecile.

I have successfully started a debate on sociological language, no doubt my greatest achievement on here.



No, it's not. It's exactly what you just described.



Nor did I claim such power. I merely described what I see and how I think they should be.



Point taken?



There is hateful and harmful language and we should be vigilant against it. However, your very example hurts your argument. If you or I said it, it would be terrible. But it's practically a term of endearment within their community. So is the word itself inherently evil or does its use matter? My point is that there are certain words that people get offended just by hearing them regardless of context. They will be upset no matter how it is used. This is a phenomenon that serves no utility. I'm not arguing there's no such thing as harmful language but that there is no such thing as a word that is naturally harmful. There are words that shouldn't be considered as offensive as they are and words that aren't as offensive as they should be- but that's because of the context, not an intrinsic value.



That's fine. Like I said, it's a social structure and one many are fine maintaining. I accept and live with it. I do think it's outdated, though.

I just saw Alex summarized me in a much shorter post. There are some words considered bad "just because." Why?

You're having some problems understanding. I said I ACCEPT and LIVE UNDER that construct. Is that hard to get? There were people that were swearing near kids on Tuesday, and that bothered me. When the kids I'm in charge of use bad language, I correct them. I'm not in a position to impose my beliefs on others. But I don't think I'm being too controversial in asking if we wouldn't be better off not getting offended by these things.



Your point?

I specifically used the word "outdated" not the more pejorative "myopic."

The line in my bio was included mainly to make my co-workers laugh.