In Praise of Cussing

That wise old, prolific songwriter Cole Porter once observed, ".......Birds do it. Bees do it. Even educated fleas do it....." While, in this case, Porter was referring to falling in love, the same sentiment can easily be applied to cursing. My guess is there is not a soul on the planet who does not curse or use swear words from time to time. Whether that person is a sailor, a high ranking member of the church, the president of the local PTA or even a person who does volunteer work at the local homeless shelter, everyone has "dirty words" as part of their vocabulary. And, yes, this includes little 'ol me.


Given that, what does it say about us? Does it suggest we all possess this inner dark side that lurks beneath the surface of what we try to project as a respectful and decent demeanor? My answer is "no." Cursing is not one of the criteria that distinguishes decent folks from not-so-decent ones. It simply represents a way of communicating that actually can be quite effective. For instance, as written in a 2007 edition of "Theoretical Linguistics," the use of curse words can help impart one's emotions or feelings with great impact than so-called non-taboo words. On doubt, this is one reason why many of us are inclined to cuss when we are upset.


Having said that, I agree there is a time and place for everything, including cursing. For example, I would not swear at my four-year-old granddaughter's next birthday party any more than I would during my inauguration speech when I am sworn in as the next president of the United States. (Somehow I do not see that scenario as being something I should be all that concerned with.) Nevertheless, the use of swear words represents a tool in one's communication arsenal when they find themselves in various situations. Sometimes, cussing works and sometimes it does not. Ideally, all of us should know the difference.