Quote:
Originally posted by Melusine:
Drake, please read my previous post, I tried to answer this question before. 
Your reasoning is just not logical. You assume that there was first a word, and its meaning got invented later. Of course, it's the other way round. The reason why a word like 'shit' can be used offensively and is often thought insulting, is because SHIT MEANS HUMAN OR ANIMAL FAECES. *smiles* It's as simple as that. If you call someone "you little shit" you are in fact comparing them to a REAL piece of shit. Now, since shit is considered unpleasant by most people (I can't believe I'm having to explain this!   ), it would be only logical to conclude that they won't like being compared to it. Take the word ■■■■. In most modern cultures, fuc... I mean "making love", whatever you want to call it, is still considered taboo, in that you wouldn't openly discuss it with anybody (your grandparents or parents for example) and in that it isn't considered normal (for most people, heh.) to do it publicly and in the open. Therefore, the same goes as for 'shit' - people associate the word with all its connotations, even if you use it meaning something other than 'having sex'. I'm sure I don't have to explain c*** to you, now do I?  Same principle, really.
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"""don't get too philosophical - this quibbling on the actual meanings of words will get you nowhere in this case. Besides, I would say that they do have actual meanings, and offensive ones at that. (this is not to say that I never swear, but I do KNOW that they are inappropriate to use and there are a number of situations which I can think of in which I wouldn't swear.) Now, as for your question, these words are considered inappropriate because of what they denote. If you call your grandmother a fuckin bitch, it is most definitely inappropriate (and that's an understatement!!), because these words DO have meaning! Now, if you use 'fuckin' in a 'meaningless' way, as in 'that was fuckin great!' (I'd argue it is not meaningless, as it's an adjective to fortify the word great, but I can see that by meaningless you mean one could just as easily use a non-swearword like 'really'), it still has the same connotations as it does in the first example. Is that so hard to understand?
Oh, and as far as I know, 'ain't' is not meaningless, it is a verbform that means the same as 'am not'. What you mean is that it's grammatically incorrect, but hey, take a look around on the Internet - what isn't? """
is that what your talking about? it seams to me that you gave an example of explicit words being used in a bad way. you also mentiond that ain't is not meaningless, but I don't see an actual reson for why a cuss word is a cuss word.
"Your reasoning is just not logical. You assume that there was first a word" no I was saying that it couldn't have been something like that. so I was asking how it was.
"SHIT MEANS HUMAN OR ANIMAL FAECES. *smiles* It's as simple as that. If you call someone "you little shit" you are in fact comparing them to a REAL piece of shit" yes I don't have a problem understanding the fact that if you call some one "a little shit" it means yuo think that they are a shit. check this out faeces (or feces as it's also know as) means the same thing as crap or poopoo so why is shit targeted as bad and not the rest. or if you called some one a poop(yes I looked this up)you're calling them stupid. so why isn't poop blip out if said on tv?
although what you state does make a lot of sence...I can't help but be curious of why shit and not poop is bad.
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Drake A.K.A. bocaj A.K.A MR.Drake
the HADB thug and keeper of Neil
