Question of the day: Why do so many people seem to believe that profanity makes them sound “adult”?
Honestly, folks, it really doesn’t. In fact, it makes you sound a lot more like an adult trying to relive the teen years.
Now, I am not here to condemn anyone for the use of a crude word here or there. I do understand the need to have some words that reflect an extremity of emotion, and I won’t deny that I have used a few myself. (And it was all I could do not to let loose with a string of obscenities a few years back when I broke my toe.) I’m not even really bothered when I hear occasional swearing in casual conversation. No, two things really get me going: When it becomes excessive, and when I see it in print.
By “in print,” I do not mean in works of fiction or personal memoirs. People in real life use foul language, therefore realistic characters do as well. There is certainly a point where it can become excessive, and it is painfully obvious that the writer has little clue about writing effective dialogue. Swears seem to be a way to meet some kind of imaginary word quota. Aside from that, I don’t see it as a real problem in storytelling. I am also not referring to personal blogs.
Where I get hot under the collar is when I see it in online newspapers. Aren’t the writers supposed to be professionals? Lacing your writing with the f-bomb does not lend an air of credibility to your work. It comes off as sloppy. Not only that, but where are the editors in all of this? Shouldn’t someone have caught it before it went up on the web? And if it was noticed, why wasn’t it promptly excised?
I am also not impressed by people on social sites who constantly infuse their posts with profanity. As in the case of casual conversation or storytelling, I don’t object to the occasional use of colorful language. It’s when it appears in nearly every tweet or status update that I find myself grinding my teeth in frustration. It makes reading the interesting stuff painful, because I have to sort through the expletives to find it. I have had to hide several people from my Facebook news feed because it was constant, and I don’t let my kids see my page, just in case. I really don’t want to have to explain it to them just yet. (For the record, I do in fact believe it is my job as a parent to keep my kids away from things I don’t want them to see.)
The truth is, constant use of foul language does not make anyone sound more mature. There are thousands of words in this world to choose from, and that’s just in the English language. It is entirely possible to make a point, even a strong one, using much cleaner vocabulary. My point is, if you can’t think of a better interjection, then you need to go out and buy a good thesaurus. Or better yet, use one of the hundreds that can be found online. Practice speaking in coherent sentences without the use of slang terms for body parts, elimination, and sex. Trust me, you will feel refreshed with this expansion of your mind.
