Dang! It’s Still a 4-Letter Word

Some people swear. Some people swear a lot. As the saying goes, they swear like truckers or sailors. Every other word out of their mouth is F this or S that.

Some people don’t swear. And they live in convents or are under the age of three. Or, they are me. Seriously. I feel like I need to join some special group to admit that.

“Hi. My name is Barbara. And, I don’t swear.”

Swearing has become such a part of society and culture. It’s everywhere. Heard everywhere. Seen everywhere. Sung everywhere. But, should it be?

Now I’ve heard swear words used positively, like, “Hot Damn!” and that doesn’t bother me at all. It just seems that most of the time swear words are used in anger or in a negative way. Are we so “glass-is-half-empty” in our society that we can’t find better things to say about someone or something?

This is from a great Youtube video that actually has a swear word in the title.
I replace "stuff" with the regularly used S word.
"Stuff" Yogis Say
Totally, totally funny. Oh, yea, and they bleep out the F word in it once too.

I’ve tried swearing. I had a friend who was trying to get me to swear more. It just didn’t seem natural. Maybe it was the years of getting my mouth washed out with soap that keeps me from cussing? I swear I was sixteen the last time I tasted a bar of soap (probably Irish Spring or Fels Naptha. They were both used frequently on me).

Yea, I got my mouthed out with laundry soap.
Don't you love the warning: "Caution: Eye and Skin Irritant?"
Once the wrapper is gone, parents don't see that.
This also works good on drying up poison ivy by the way...

So, now, the harshest word I usually say is, “Dang!” “Drat!” would be my second most used word of that sort. Dang seems to be one of those words that you can say and people don’t even flinch at it. Not really even considered a swear word by most. I don’t think the “Dang” sounds that bad from me, especially since I’ve noticed that my drawl seems to be coming out more lately. It may be because I am very relaxed again combined with the fact that I talk constantly with a friend who also has a drawl. You know, one of those sexy drawls… Don’t ask me where mine came from. None of my family or friends in Upstate NY seems to have my same accent. But, it sounds kinda southern so the Dang just slides out.

Is that what happens with people who swear? The words just slide out? At least when I say, “Dang,” I’m rarely angry. It’s more of a ‘Gee whiz, Beaver,’ kind of usage. Maybe people should just smile more and swear less? Take things with a grain of salt (or a spoonful of sugar)? Sure makes life taste better than a mouthful of soap.

So, do you swear? Do you swear a lot? What do you think about swearing in public? Or, in front of young children or older folks? Please leave your comments below.

@Ybbeige

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