Comments on: Is it Manly to Swear?

By: Aaron

Aaron — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:29:34 +0000

Swearing should not be debated as a “When should I” topic. Men, manly men, say exactly what they mean and without mincing words. A man should swear when appropriate and when such a word will convey the right amount of emotion.

Let us not forget, that modern swear words have become popular because they are the jack of all trades. There used to be about 50 words and hundreds of combinations to say the word ‘whore’ for example. Yet whore is used more often because it’s quick and everyone can understand it.

I will swear when appropriate. I will be more likely to pause before calling someone a curse word and instead say something like “Turd” or “Whelp” which in Modern society clearly states that you intended to call them something worse. Yet if someone is being totally barbaric, cruel or simply will not listen to reason – then I shall curse gladly. Think of some of the most manly jobs. A fighter pilot will avoid swearing on the radio but in an intense moment he may very well tell his wingmen “I’m fucking locked up” when a SAM site has him targeted. The same as soldiers. “Fucking move it” informs the all that they need to move with haste and immediately far better than “Move quickly”. This can mean the difference between life and death and such a true Man acts decisively.

A manly man conveys exactly what he means in a way that everyone understands. If a swear word is necessary, then he should swear. Provided he does not swear every 5 minutes, a single swear word is enough to leave people speechless, which makes cursing a very valuable tool during critical moments or conflict.

By: Albert

Albert — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 03:44:39 +0000

Greetings to all, I would like to share an observation regarding swearing, recently I was watching some old movies on TV and was surprised on how much swearing has been allowed in film industry recently, I was noticing that in the 3 films I saw I believe that the strongest word I heard in the dialogue was ” stupid” and that drove the other character insane, I guess currently we have been exposed to so much swearing it really does not feel that odd to include it in our daily expression, of course you do only notice until you are around women or children that you can converse without swearing, maybe it is our modern response to the fact we cannot roar like a lion ?

By: Santiago

Santiago — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 02:11:10 +0000

Gentleman, let us recall Hemingway’s definition of guts: “grace under pressure.” A man, I think we could all agree, has guts–that is, a man that could proudly call himself a man. It is perhaps one of the most distinctive characteristics of men and certainly one of the most noteworthy traits of the male gender role. But even more importantly particular to a man is the ability to adeptly restrain our emotions. This does not mean that we cannot feel emotions. No, emotions are essential for experiencing lives as authentic human beings. However, we must–as men, proudly heralding our manlihood–not allow our emotions to govern our conduct. All our actions must be dictated by sound reasoning–that is, the logical side of our brain. This, perhaps, is one of the traits that most notably differentiates us from women. Thus, let us always strive to maintain our composure, and thwart any courses of action guided by our emotions, especially under extremely stressful and difficult circumstances. I sincerely doubt that anyone has ever perceived Connery, Moore, or Brosnan to have lost their coolness under pressure. And might I firmly state that using swear words–or any form of uncouth language, for that matter–demonstrates a severe lack of self-restraint. It emblazons emotionally-steered behavior. Therefore, despite being involved in an abhorrently chaotic situation, we must always behave as stoic, graceful gentlemen. And that, dear friends, is fucking manly.

By: Derek

Derek — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 14:00:29 +0000

I had just such a discussion with a young friend of mine. I pointed out that his parents didn’t care for him swearing but it didn’t bother me if we were upstairs in the game room playing halo. It’s all about context. I got this philosophy from his older sister (my girlfriend) who will swear like a sailor in front of me but still avoids saying anything in front of her parents.

By: Joe

Joe — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 04:15:48 +0000

All four of my grandparents swear profusely. Each has his or her own particular style and preferred expressions. My mother swears freely but my father refrains. Then again, my mother is the more genuine and likeable of the two, while my father is staunchly middle-class and obsessed with appearances (not too manly a trait, I think). I was never really stopped from swearing, except for warnings about letting profanities slip into my speech at school. I think swearing is an innane and integral part of familiar speech, becoming less appropriate (and effective) as the formality of a situation increases. I think that euphemism is a much greater sin than swearing, and is a symptom of lower-middle-class aspirationalism. Nonetheless, swearing is generally least effective, in my opinion, in those cases where we often consider it most necessary. In my experience, serious matters call for serious language beyond the scope of simple swear words.

By: Steve

Steve — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 17:53:25 +0000

There is a time and a place to use profanity. And sometimes, a good curt swear word is what it takes to get the point across. Swearing around women, children and elderly is off limits.

By: James Reid

James Reid — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 17:48:59 +0000

There are two types of swearing. One I call “Profanity” made up of sexual or scatological words. The other I call “blasphemy” made up of words related to a deity. And of course mixtures of the two. I was taught by my parents to avoid both although when provoked enough both might cut lose with the occasional “shit” or “damn” I don’t remember either parent “taking the Lord’s name in vain”. I’ve learned by their example without much thinking about it.

By: Tyler

Tyler — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 08:55:20 +0000

Swearing has to be balanced. Like so many things in our lives like trying to maintain grades while pursuing a relationship and being a VP of a club, its essential to remember when its appropriate to use certain words and when not to. I am involved in my schools ROTC (Reserved Officer Training Corp) which is geared towards teaching budding minds to become Military Officers. The Military really has a culture of its own. To sum it up in a handy dandy acronym would be K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Stupid. Keeping things simple helps individuals communicate with relative ease and communication is an essential factor in the armed forces. Like all words, a cuss word carries a certain amount of power. On the occasions that I happened to forget an article of clothing or failed to follow an order a common response would be ” There you go, F@@@ing up again Dumba@@”. After this had been slung at me I was instantly filled with feeling of regret. A feeling that I was none to keen on experiencing for a second time. Yes, the statement may have been harsh but it conveyed a message. Do not make this mistake again. Swear words can be used and understood by people of varying intelligence from a genius to a dunce. They can emphasize the authority of an individual when used in the right context and send a message home faster than a regular sentence. But does this make swearing manly? I should think so. Communication is a key factor in our everyday lives. Its true that too much swearing can make a person look less intelligent but that is because he is communicating in a way that is unappealing. Swearing is manly when the one who is using a curse word can use it in the correct context to communicate a thought or a feeling to those around them. A man should be wise enough to know when the use of a curse word is needed and when to filter what he is saying.

By: Ben

Ben — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 01:55:06 +0000

Swearing is like four-wheel drive on a car. In certain situations, it can be perfectly acceptable, and remarkably useful. In some extreme cases, it may even be the only option. You use it whenever you need a little extra oomph.

But if you never shift out of it, you’re doing it wrong.

By: Phillip

Phillip — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 19:56:59 +0000

What a lame question.

“He swears like a sailor.” You should use any and all words within your reach. There is a time and a place for everything including SWEARING.

People who feel the world will be ideal if we stamp out some words are confused.