Swearing is something most of us do, unfortunately. I do believe we start to swear because we are surrounded by people who swear thus making it similar to when we first learn to speak; we just hear it over and over again. However, I also think that it is a way to fit in or be cool. In my experience, men swear much more often and use more “hardcore” swearwords. The act of swearing seems symbolize a type of masculinity for men. As Susan Bordo explains in “Unbearable Weight”, “our bodies are trained, shaped, and impressed with the stamp of prevailing historical forms of selfhood, desire, masculinity, femininity.” We learn to swear by wanting to be like others. It has become “normal” to swear for this 1990’s born generation. In fact if you do not swear people tend to give you a weird look of, “did he just say darn and not damn it”. Our cultural conception (Bordo) is to try to fit in with others. Even when I try to get myself not to swear, I feel out of the loop and uncool. When I use alternate words instead of swearing I feel a sense of gain for a gentle person, but a loss for my masculinity. As described in both Leppert and Bordo’s articles, it is the males job to be masculine. An in todays culture, masculinity is signified by several aspects of a mans personality one of which is swearing every time something goes wrong.
Years back when everyone was just starting to swear, I didn't really see the point in swearing and I thought it was a really bad thing to do. Then the swearing never slowed down at all and I started swearing to fit in, and over the years it has grown on me to be a natural thing now; I swear all the time, but so do a lot of people so it seems ok to do now.
ReplyDeleteThis post is very true. Swearing never really comes about unless you hear it somewhere first, just like learning to talk like this post states. No one really starts swearing out of no where without hearing it first. For example, a movie, a relative, a friend or read it somewhere online. I agree with the post that it becomes cool and trendy to do. I'm not much of the swearing sort, but that I believe is because I didn't grow up around swearing. My parents and relatives and friends never swore, although my friends definitely do now. Although I agree with the "guys use more hardcore swear words be masculine" I don't understand with it, but I do agree with it.
ReplyDeletenever thought about swearing being such a common "body practice" but 'tis true. I agree completely with the concept that people swear to "fit in" or "look cool" because someone else in the group did, but however I think that only remins true for the younger communities. I think being adults, we swear to either convey a message with a "stronger" emphasis, swear for humor, or simply out of frustration/anger because we feel it'll help us relieve of our stress. I mean, we're adults and old enough to control when and where to swear. If you're still swearing as an adult just to look cool, I would say that you're not an ideal "adult" yet then. I mean we are still just students but we know our manners/place. Not to say that I disagree with Bordo and Leppert stating that it is a male's "job" to be "masculine" but I don't think swearing exactly makes a male "tough" and it's not so much of a "job", but more the image that society poses-men are to be "strong/tough" because females aren't or "shouldn't be," only because society puts us in that position.
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