Why Some People Use Abusive Words?

1. 75

   jainismusposted 12 years ago

   
   Why some people use abusive words, especially when they are irritated?

   replyreport
   1. 59

      janesixposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      It relieves pain, and vents anger.

      replyreport
      1. 66

         ptosisposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Yup - I'm pretty sure that there was a study on it that when you hit your thumb with a hammer that it DOES exactly that.
         
         Also - when debating on a horror such as genocide - that strong language MUST be used, to soften it up would be an insult to the victims - yes?
         
         But I can't think of a curse-laden public speech at this time. But here is a good one without using foul language:
         
         
         http://www.infowars.com/nigel-farage-ha … an-rompuy/
         
         I have since used the insult "You have the personality of a damp cloth" several times since hearing this.
         
         
         
         
         
         Lickorous glutton, freckled bittor, jobbernol goosecap, ninny lobcock.
         
         Actually - the funny speech on the the word F*CK helped me best on learning English Grammer!
         See link here:
         http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.p … 20sentence

         replyreport
   2. 78

      Chris Nealposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Natural human inclination coupled with cultural acceptance.
      
      Back in the 90's I read a couple of articles about the rise in crude language (and abusive words certainly qualify) among younger people. These were not academic articles, they were ruminations by middle-aged people about the increasing prominence of teenagers and twenty-somethings using "d" and "h" a lot more. And that seems tame compared to what I often hear today, when I have achieved middle-age myself. This is the conclusion they came up with back then and this is what I think now:
      
      When self-determination goes from being a luxury afforded by societal affluence to being the paramount (and indeed, for many the only) good, and societal good goes from being a societal necessity to a personal stumbling block, then modes of self-expression become increasingly debased.

      replyreport
2. 59

   iefox5posted 12 years ago

   We have seven billion people on this earth, so it is not strange to see different kinds of people.

   replyreport
   1. 59

      Friendlywordposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      people have different antagonist depending on the topic.  They're drawn to each other. Some forums are ment to draw friction.

      replyreport
      1. 70

         Cagsilposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Only a clash of egos would draw friction.

         replyreport
3. 75

   Kangaroo_Jaseposted 12 years ago

   I have no &ucking idea, why some people would use irresponsible language and talk like d*ckheads.

   replyreport
4. 73

   brakel2posted 12 years ago

   Abusive language is sometimes what parents use, and children grow up thinking that's ok. Other times the crowd uses such language, and it becomes a habit. Habits can be broken if people try. A woman I worked with used foul language with every other word. Her parents raised her like that.She even became a supervisor.

   replyreport
5. 0

   TrinityCatposted 12 years ago

   Their anger may be too much in order not to let them be focused on what they're saying. There are some people, of course, who simply thinks it's all right to cuss, so they do it. Little do they know that their mouth is so full of poop, it smells. Then they ask themselves as to why people cannot understand them and backs off.

   replyreport
6. 86

   Daughter Of Maatposted 12 years ago

   If we're talking about swearing, I personally think they're just words. I admit, I have a potty mouth, but my dad was a sailor! If I'm irritated or ticked off, it makes me feel better to say "Oh mother f&cker" But that's just me. In fact f&^k happens to be my favorite curse word
   
   Since I had my daughter though, I don't swear half as much as I used to, I've learned my lesson! But I assume most people use them for the same reason. To vent anger or frustration. It's better than hitting someone!

   replyreport
7. 84

   psycheskinnerposted 12 years ago

   Language is only "abusive" when it is being used to abuse someone.  Otherwise it is just expressive.

   replyreport
   1. 78

      Chris Nealposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      But what if someone is being abused despite the inability of the expresser to understand that?

      replyreport
      1. 73

         brakel2posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Exactly the point. A psychologist says you can break the habit by putting a rubber band on your wrist and snapping it when you swear. It conditions you to stop. I think when people get married and have children, it is not an appropriate habit. Each to his own opinion, however.

         replyreport
      2. 84

         psycheskinnerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Abuse is an intention.  If someone is offended by swear words that is how the received the words, not how they were meant.

         replyreport
         1. 58

            MelissaBarrettposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            +1

            replyreport
         2. 78

            Chris Nealposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            True as far as it goes, but it still is another sign of the decline in society that "how I meant it" becomes paramountly more important than how it's received. That doesn't mean ideas that are not received properly shouldn't be explained, they should. But someone who thinks nothing of dropping f-bombs every other word is abusive, whether they intend it or not.

            replyreport
            1. 84

               psycheskinnerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               No, abuse is an intent.  An obscenity may be appropriate or inappropriate to the social context.  That is all.  I, personally, don't assume that contexts in which swearing is appropriate are necessarily  degenerate.  If you don't believe in God and don't think sex is dirty, they are just words.

               replyreport
               1. 78

                  Chris Nealposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  You don't have to believe in God or think sex is dirty to feel abused by language. The intent to abuse is exactly that, an intent, but abuse is often more contextual than intentional.
                  
                  I as much as anybody have been frustrated with the general thin-skinnedness of many people, but the fact remains that insensitivity is abusive, the intention of the insensitive person completely notwithstanding.
                  
                  And the fact remains that, even if the reason the person drops f-bombs every other word is more a matter of being desensitized, it is nevertheless an abusive use of language.

                  replyreport
            2. 61

               Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               You may find fbombs offensive, but offense and abuse are not the same thing.

               replyreport
               1. 78

                  Chris Nealposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  True. But someone can be abused as well.

                  replyreport
8. 60

   Online-Russianposted 12 years ago

   Are we talking about "swear" words or abusive words? Many words (such as "fat," "ugly," or "stupid") can be used abusively.
   
   As for "swear" words, they are just sounds signifying an emotion, a feeling, or an act. Changing the word (the sound) we use to express the idea doesn't change the idea.
   
   For example, if I bought a tablet from ebay and it didn't work, I could either say:
   
   I was screwed
   
   -or-
   
   I was f*cked
   
   You can say "screwed" on TV (a crude measure of acceptableness). The other word you can't say on TV, even though the meaning is exactly the same (they are synonyms).
   
   So we are basically being offended by sounds not ideas...

   replyreport
   1. 78

      Chris Nealposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Your point about "swear words" versus "abusive words" is well made. However...
      
      There is a huge difference between someone saying:
      
      "That jerk just screwed me out of my money!"
      
      and...
      
      "That a**hole f**ked me out of my money!"
      
      (Personally I don't even like the first one, it's very crude, but for the sake of argument I will accept it for this example...)
      
      There is a level of disassociation, of unconnectedness, that is present in the second line that is not in the first. They both express anger, but the person who expresses it the first way expresses deep anger and a feeling of frustration with someone they think did them wrong. The second way is more likely to express deep anger and a sense of alienation from the situation, as well as more of a sense of entitlement to say whatever they want, no matter who is hearing it or how they may receive it.
      
      Casual use of such ugly words is more a sign of a debased culture than a mere matter of degree.

      replyreport
      1. 60

         Online-Russianposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I see your point, but, linguistically, we are looking at the same signified. We are, however, treating one signifier as being more "vulgar" than the other.
         
         Signifiers are simply sounds.
         
         "Ship" is not vulgar; "sh*t" is. It is not the difference between the "t" and the "p," however; they are merely sounds. The difference in vulgarity comes from the thing that is signified, not the sounds.
         
         But to get back to my original point, the word "poop" is not vulgar, whereas "sh*t" is, even tough both signify the same thing. So we (culture) are arbitrarily choosing what sound combinations are vulgar and what are not.

         replyreport
9. 58

   MelissaBarrettposted 12 years ago

   I could be far more abusive using standard English than I ever could using curse words.  I curse like a drill Sargent's daughter... which I am.  However they are never used abusively... when I choose to really rip into someone they usually need a dictionary to figure out how badly they have been verbally abused.

   replyreport
10. 67

    Pearldiverposted 12 years ago

    It has been proven time and again that arrogant people rate abusive words as highly necessary, when engaging those with obtuse personalities and those with 'X' tattooed on their foreheads!
    
    It is irrelevant whether they feel offended... ignorance is no defense in law!

    replyreport
11. 84

    psycheskinnerposted 12 years ago

    If life was limited to things that were necessary it would be very dull indeed.

    replyreport
12. 83

    gmwilliamsposted 12 years ago

    Either they have a very limited vocabulary and cannot express themselves eloquently any other way or they are just well.....totally uncivilized!

    replyreport
    1. 78

       Chris Nealposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I think in a way you could argue that one equals the other. I wouldn't make it that cut and dried, but the increasingly limited vocabulary, and the decreasing value that society as a whole places on having a decent vocabulary, is a sign that civilization is being devalued and slowly eradicated.

       replyreport
    2. 61

       Nouveau Skepticposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I would say that adding expletives expands the vocabulary.  They can be very expressive. And they are, ultimately, just words.

       replyreport
13. 61

    paradigmsearchposted 12 years ago

    One poster said to me that he wouldn't piss on my teeth if my gums were on fire. I framed it.

    replyreport