Why are there dirty words? Why is it that some people are so offended by them, and others seem to use them almost continuously? Why are kids constantly being admonished to not use profanity, and why do they so love using it when the grown-ups aren't around? Why is this speech acceptable in some circumstances but not in others? There are different kinds of obscenities, too. Some are of religious origin, "Lord's name in vain"...that sort of thing. At least, that makes sense. But many refer to perfectly ordinary excretory functions, or have sexual connotations which are just as ordinary when you stop and think about it. And why are some of these terms so taboo, while more formal medical or scientific terms for the same functions are more acceptable? Is cursing a common feature of all languages, or is it peculiar only to some of them?

These are not just trivial questions, controlling dirty words seems to be a mission in life for some people, something worth punishing their children severely for, socially ostraciszing other adults, even setting up quasi-official agencies to scrutinize and censor literature and art. Books are pulled off shelves for this, and careers ruined, or at least, they used to be. Obviously, this is really a big deal for some people. There's a lot more than just manners involved here. In spite of all this, I believe pretty much everyone recognizes both how futile and how ridiculous this all is, as the George Carlin comedy monologue about the "seven words" so brilliantly exposes. And of course, the opposition to foul language is almost guaranteed to provoke others to use it, just to provoke the prudish.

Personally, I have no objection to using dirty words (I do love that phrase!). I have been known to occasionally spice up my language with them, for effect, emphasis, anger and humour, although like all of us I have been indoctrinated in the appropriate times and places where they are most likely to be accepted. I avoid offending other people's religious sensibilities, as long as doing so poses no severe restrictions on my own, and I recognize some may feel uncomfortable around foul language and it is only good manners to not be deliberately provocative or insulting (unless you are deliberately trying to do so!). I also find the overuse of profanity in the arts to be, well, just bad art. It is a crutch to get a cheap laugh or provoke shock. These uses can be legitimate, but I find them much abused in comedy, literature and popular culture. A little bit goes a long way, and even a good joke twice repeated loses its punch.

Still, the lengths which opponents of obscenity go to to erase it from our consciouness are so childish and pig-headed that I sometimes wonder what could possibly be their motivation, and if they are so simple-minded that they don't realize their puerile efforts to control the speech of others is having precisely the opposite effect they are seeking. I suspect profanity and obscenity would practically disappear if we just ignored it altogether. It would be demoted to mere slang, and lose its emotional loading altogether.

I believe (with the possible exception of religiously motivated proscriptions), that attempts to set up dirty words and to forbid their use are merely attempts to intimidate and browbeat others into submission, to control the dialogue and inject initial conditions into any conversation under the guise of decency and etiquette., and to establish the moral superiority of the censor. I don't accept that. It is a ritual form of bullying, much like the forced insistence (disguised as free exercise) of religious and patriotic rituals. In that case, I gladly say, fuck 'em! But the insistence on the use of profanity and obscenity, especially where it is clearly inapproriate or needlessiy offensive (yes, even I can be offended under certain circumstances) is nothing but a reaction to the efforts to ban it, and rarely plays any useful or esthetic role in its own right.