If a profane word becomes accepted by society, is it still profanity?

Question

I asked this in the etiquette section, but I think philosophy is probably a better place for it.

So, the premis I'm coming from is that what makes a word profanity is that it's unacceptable to society, which means that what's considered profane would change dependeing on where you are. Consider the word shag in Britain is very obscene, but considered a funny British word in the US. Conversely, the f word is very obscene in the US, but not as much in other countries because it comes from the Puritans' "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" law, which was only in the US.

So with certain words being more and more allowable on TV and other public forums, do they become less profane of they've become more accepted? Think about the word "b*****d", that used to literally be a fighting word, duels have been fought over it, but now, anyone can say it on TV and it's okay.

What does everyone here think?

BTW, not advocating cursing, not something I do anymore, just wondering.

Answer 1

If I recall, Lenny Bruce once argued that it was the suppression of the word that gave it its power. (I'm not about to repeat the key line of that routine.) Similar arguments lay behind George Carlin's "Seven Words You Can't Say on Television" (and I'm DEFIITELY not going to list them!)

On the other hand, Sherman Alexie suggests the opposite: that the usage of the word makes it objectionable. (See source.)

By the way, I don't know where you got the notion that the F word is an acronym, but I doubt that's true. The etymology is pretty well known, and there's never been any notion of "unlawful" connected with the meaning in any case. (And surely it's obvious that the Puritans would never have put the word "for" at the beginning of the title of such a law!)

Answer 2

I think everyone has a different idea of what profanity is. If we look at the norm its pretty rare to see old folks say "WTF?" so yes we have accepted this profanity to become an everyday part of our conversations. Whos to blame? Blame our media, Blame the numerous TV and movies that use these words.

So with all this promoting of the word it becomes a part of our everyday language and while it won't be accepted by everyone it will be acceptable for the most part to the generation who grew up hearing these words.So is it still profanity? Thats all depends on who your asking, if you ask someone much older then you they will say yes, if you ask someone the same age as you who uses this profanity obviously they will say no.

Times change and our acceptance of different words changes as well.

Answer 3

Well, I guess the short answer to your question is that if a word is so accepted in society that you can say it to your grandma, it is no longer profanity.

But to go into more depth, you have to differentiate between slang and cursing.

A word like "shag" is slang, although now it as been appropriated by a very large group of people. I don't think it's really considered very obscene anywhere, though I probably wouldn't use it in front of grandma. In any case, that is what happens with slang words. As slang they are ephemeral, which means they do not retain the same meaning and usage for a long period of time. Either they are appropriated by a larger group of people, like the word "shag" (which was probably originally only used by youth and is now for sure used by at least thirty- and fortysomthings) as well as words like "cool," which at this point you could definitely say around grandman.

Curse words, on the other hand, are very old and still profane. I don't who fed you that story about the origin of the word "f*ck," but it's bullsh*t. The f-word actually comes from Anglo-saxon, and it will probably always be considered profanity. "b*****d," on the other hand, is not really a curse word. I think originally it was a legal term (or at least had legal implication--b******s couldn't inherit the throne or property). Anyway, the term b*****d pejorated, which means it acquired a negative connotation, but now it is not considered so bad, although still profane enough not to use in front of grandma.

Anyway, sorry for the long windedness but I love this stuff. So I guess yes, profanity can become non-profanity, but it is much more likely to happen with slang, than old curse words like "f*ck" and "sh*t."

Answer 4

My personal opinion on the subject is that when society begins to use a once vulger and offensive word in mixed company or on prime time tv then it went from a curse word to just a slang word.  Or in the case of just going across an international border a word can instantly change meanings.  Here in the U.S. if I use the word "***" I'll be called a homophobe, but if I go to England use that word I'll be offered a cigarette and no one will be offended at all.  Another example could be along racial lines such as in todays racial climate.  I know I'm a white guy but I have been situations where a black person looked at me and used the word "white" like it was a bad word.  He tried to hurt me with that word in other words.  I didn't let it bother me of course but I agree with another answer before me when he/she said that it isn't an offensive word if you don't let it offend you.  When I hear ,especially young people, people using curse words in almost every sentence or every other word I just wonder if their vocabulary is limited to just the seven words you can't say on tv.  Its sad really.

Answer 5

No, because society is what deems things profane.

Answer 6

Zounds!  (formerly short for "God's wounds", considered quite a profane oath), The bloody language is littered full of old profanities.  Wasn't too long ago that certain ladies thought "table leg" was too vulgar, so in their company we referred to them as limbs.

Answer 7

it all depends on the person's opinion. There are some words that I don't consider curse words like h**l and d**n but others would consider them just as bad as the f word. It just depends on the person. But I think as our society grows we also grow to accept a more diverse vocabulary. Some words that aren't even profane today, some 10 or 20 years ago would be considered such.

I personally don't mind them- mind you I don't cuss like a sailor- but when someone says f*** as compared to gosh darnit I know that the first one is a harsher word so I get that they're more upset.