View Full Version : Obscene language
I went into a pub in Thurso last week with my wife. All was well until 4 blokes came in. They were using really foul language. The landlord did not reprimand them and chose to ignore it. We are not shrinking violets, we may have used the same language from time to time. BUT, the nature that these youths were using it was as if they saw no social faux pas in doing so. They weren't bothered that ladies and the landlord were present. They used it as if there was no shame attached.
To avoid making a scene, I just left for somewhere else but was surprised to see similiar bad language being used there.
In my old local pub, if a customer used such language on a regular basis, the landlord banned them for good.
Are we heading for a breakdown in decency or is using foul language just another way of expressing one's self?
I used to work in an establishment where swearing was not allowed at all. When first hearing this, I thought it would be difficult to enforce, but was surprised how well most people took it when told. Of course there were a few who thought they knew best, but given the choice of toning down their language or leaving, most complied. Obviously if the situation was right, no one who would be offended was there, it was allowed, but if there were a few customers in, a quite word was all that was required.
I know people who never swear ever. I also know people who swear in between almost every word. When the two meet, there is no offence caused as people understand that some people have done it for so long, its just the way they speak. However when its strangers in a group cursing away, I think its the proprietors job to try and ensure that everyone on the premesis is equally treated and should ask for things to be either toned down or at least quieter so as not to be overheard. For a pub landlord, having a quiet word should be no problem or he/she should find another line of work. Similarly for a grown man, especially ex-coppers :)
When i moved to live in caithness i found that swearing was much more commonplace and used in normal conversation far more than where i grew up.
I personally dont want to hear it if im in a cafe or a restaraunt or elsewhere with my children however i expect to hear it if i'm in a pub on a saturday night. Im no prude i can throw the odd swear word around with relish at times and there is only one that i never use and would make me flinch to hear it but to be honest there is far less "shame" about it than when i was growing up. I think it depends on the "establishment" as to what is toilerated - i wouldnt want to hear the F word bandied about in Weatherspoons on a saturday afternoon for example but i wouldnt bat an eyelid if i was hearing it in the Camps on a saturday night.
Strikes me its becoming more part of everyday language than anything else - whether thats good of bad im not sure
When i moved to live in caithness i found that swearing was much more commonplace and used in normal conversation far more than where i grew up.
I agree with you whole heartedly there.
Have you ever listened to a bunch of kids in a playground? Unbelievable! I was brought up in a household where no one ever swore, and can't believe that children use it as everyday words! It does appear that it is becoming socially acceptable more's the pity!
I know katarina
Its really quite shocking to hear 6 year olds swear like grown men
Whitewater
07-Jun-05, 16:26
I was brought up not to swear and I didn't hear it at home either, my first real experience was when I began work. However, when I was being brought up was a long time ago and times have changed.
Every TV programme, film or radio conversation can be full of it. The young people of today just think it is socially acceptable as there is no censurship in the media or public plays etc. and unfortunately I have to admit that when at work I am quite liable to let a mouthful fly myself, but I do feel that in puplic places, with your family or at meetings of any sort one ought to be careful, at times in the wrong surroundings it sounds disgusting.
Are we heading for a breakdown in decency or is using foul language just another way of expressing one's self?
Gratuitous swearing cheapens an artform. Swear words should be saved till needed then used to maximum effect not thrown away ten to a sentence.
Whitewater
07-Jun-05, 22:01
Well said Fred. I'm in favour of that :lol:
That's another reason why :) I like Wetherspoons, where you rarely hear bad language.
I remember when I was about 10 years old, I swore in front of my mother. It wasn't anything really rude, just uncalled for that's all. Anyway, she got me by the scruff of the neck and dragged me over to the kitchen sink. Thereupon she squirted Fairy liquid into my mouth and then swilled it round with water. Suffice to say from that point forward, I have been extremely careful who hears me swear! :lol:
I suppose nowadays, the liberal, do-gooder crowd would condemn that sort of behavior as child abuse. Personally, I call it good parenting, shock and awe style...
hrm, banning people from a pub for swearing? your having a laugh right? if we banned every person who swore in the pub we'd have no customers left.... hell, we may as well of enforced a smoking ban!!!
The Pepsi Challenge
08-Jun-05, 04:29
I've been around this world a few times, and there's no doubt people in Caithness swear more than anywhere else around the globe. Just a couple of weeks ago I met some Caithness folk in Edinburgh - every second word (or adjective) was the f-word. But then how do Caithness people know how bad their swearing is when they have nowhere else to compare it to?
I don't think that swearing in Caithness is any worse than the rest of Scotland or the UK. Whether right or wrong swearing has become acceptable now, in fact it seems “trendy” to swear with radio DJs seeming to go out of their way to use a swear word when non ois even necessary. Just listen to some of the music (especially R&B and rap) that is going about now, and think back to when the Sex Pistols caused furor when they used the F word in an interview.
Myself, I can swear with the best of them, but try to use it only in moderation. I left Thurso at the age of 16, not a prolific swearer, but the language in the Merchant Navy was “earthy” and it soon became just part of my vocabulary.
I don’t think Caithness is any worse than the rest of the UK. As for being around the World a few times Pepsi, I trust you know how to sweat in all these languages and not expect them to swear in English…….I have found Russians to be as bad as Wickers in the swearing stakes.
;)
Alexander Rowe
08-Jun-05, 08:29
That's another reason why :) I like Wetherspoons, where you rarely hear bad language.
David do you work for Wetherspoons ?
I trust you know how to sweat in all these languages
If it was warm then probably very profusely...sorry, I couldn't resist
Rheghead your mum was a lightweight!!!!
Bar of soap in the mouth is much better - When you pull it out it leaves a residue on the back of the teeth which is MUCH harder to get rid of......
I neve rhad to wash the kids mouths out - the threat was enough! Once got my eldest as far as the bathroom sink where he squealed and squealed and promised never to swear in the house again - and he hasnt!!!
If it was warm then probably very profusely...sorry, I couldn't resist
:lol:
Problems with fingering my QWERTY again :lol:
i have to agree i think its horrendous about the children swearing.. im no saint in that dept. but have really tried to stop the odd word popping out.. and mine are not even bad! *grins* i say sugar a lot!!
but some words i cant stand to use and hear!
my brothers curse a lot.. and i do not like it.. at all.. and they all know that when we go home to visit that if they want to visit and play with thier nephews then they zip the bad words.. as we do not swear in front of the children period.. my uncle told my grandad that he could just stay at home if he would not stop swearing in front of his children that he didnt do it and no one else was either..
i know you can not protect them forever.. but they are babies and small children.. they do not need to be exposed to it..
had a fit when we went home to bury my granny.. twas the night we got home was in a hurry had just got in from the airport and was at my aunts getting dressed to go to the funeral home.. my cousins husband walks in .. words spewing that would make a sailor blush in shame!
i told him flat out to shut up that talk .. it made him worse and every other word was f this and f that and gd .. and i lost it.. told him we did not say those words and he sure as sugar wasnt.. in front of my kids.. he then went on to say that he cussed in front of his kids.. and i said yeah and riri at the age of three was cursing you your wife and her sisters did that make you proud and the idiot said yeah it did.. that he was proud his childs first words were swear words.. well was very stressed.. just flew two days over xmas.. (granny died x-mas day) and was tired extremly upset and ill tempered .. i told him to leave or shut up.. pref both.. he looked at hubby.. called me a witch.. starting with another letter and asked my husband why he put up with my sugar *G* and said that he should put me in my place..
my husband looks at him and says i agree with her.. and not having an ally in hubby huffs out..
I know katarina
Its really quite shocking to hear 6 year olds swear like grown men [disgust]
Men!!!! have you ever heard grown Wimen in full flow, they can make Bearded &Tattooed sailors cringe with shame :evil
Its really quite shocking to hear 6 year olds swear like grown men
Indeed it is. At this rate, we will soon be saying:
It's really quite shocking to hear grown men swear like 6-year-olds.
My 6-year-old spelled out the f-word the other day so as not to offend his parents! :eek:
Whitewater
08-Jun-05, 12:25
DrSzin
My 6-year-old spelled out the f-word the other day so as not to offend his parents!
what a brilliant and considerate 6yr old :~(
my gandson age 9 tries to stop me watch a TV programm if he knows there's going to be swearing in it.
That's another reason why :) I like Wetherspoons, where you rarely hear bad language.
I concur with the sentiment that it is too commonplace, just shows lack of vocabulary
I've been around this world a few times, and there's no doubt people in Caithness swear more than anywhere else around the globe. Just a couple of weeks ago I met some Caithness folk in Edinburgh - every second word (or adjective) was the f-word. But then how do Caithness people know how bad their swearing is when they have nowhere else to compare it to?
I totally disagree with that comment, not everybody in Caithness swears all the time, I say you should never generalise. I was born and bred here and I don't swear like a trooper.
Maybe you are hanging with the wrong crowd!
........or causes everyone around him to react in such a way :lol:
i have to agree i think its horrendous about the children swearing.. im no saint in that dept. but have really tried to stop the odd word popping out.. and mine are not even bad! *grins* i say sugar a lot!!
I only swear when it slips out.
Golach wrote:
Men!!!! have you ever heard grown Wimen in full flow, they can make Bearded &Tattooed sailors cringe with shame
Yes I agree Golach, I worked for many years in a shop and I was mortified on occasions at the foul language used by some of my colleagues. They didn't seem to care who heard either - some days I could have crawled under a stone. I do think that the swearing in Caithness takes some beating.
I work off-shore, and I have to put up with every other word being a swear word.
I can put up with it when I'm at work as its just the enviroment we work in, However, when I'm at home I hate hearing swear words.
My Grandfather used to say that swearing was a sign of a small brain as you couldn't think of anything else to say instead, and if you ever had to resort to swearing in an argument then you had basically lost.......
cullbucket
09-Jun-05, 20:45
I too spent a lot of time offshore in the past and felt privileged to experience such varied and innovative swearing. At times it was like having a front row seat at the swearing olympics. I don't believe Caithness is any worse(r) than any other place I have been, the NE of England in particular is a hotbed of swearing talent, but indeed there is a time and a place for everything. I wouldn't like my bairn coming home with a mooth like a navvy.
As for not swearing being the sign of a small brain, I know plenty of non swear words to use but none of them sound as funny or apt as a well delivered swear word. Y'
wickerinca
24-Feb-06, 16:21
Gratuitous swearing cheapens an artform. Swear words should be saved till needed then used to maximum effect not thrown away ten to a sentence.
fred..........I have to agree with you
wickerinca
24-Feb-06, 16:36
Just have to add that the swearing is just as bad here..........and in other parts of Canada where I have lived. I have sat in a restaurant with my neighbours and their kids (now 9 and 12) and other people (of varied ages) have come in and sat beside us.........and their language has left a lot to be desired1 I usually point out that there are children present and could they tone their language down a little (I am only shy in the company of people I know). Most of the time they will look a bit sheepish and concur but have had the odd mouthful of abuse hurled at me. Usually results in me requesting a change of table and the Manager dealing with them or I am out of the door and not paying! Neighbours and hubby are usually under the table by now and kids are sitting with their mouths hanging open.................but I just stick to my guns........and if I had them I would be sorely temted to use them at times (And that is a major joke........Look smilies[lol] [lol] )
I can swear with the best of them having spent most of my teenage years in an industrial male environment....but there is a time and place for it....and that is when you are with your mates and you are telling a joke or relating an experience and a word is necessary for the right effect. That does not mean that everyone and their granny has to hear you!!
There is also one word that I just could never bring myself to use and the thought of it makes me cringe!
my partner swears like a trooper, most of the time he doesnt even realise hes doing it! yet when the children say Jesus or Gods sake he goes crazy with them he thinks this is far worse than using the F word.
crashbandicoot1979
24-Feb-06, 17:25
I worked in a hotel where swearing was banned in the lounge bar. If a customer swore, they were politely reminded that swearing was not permitted, and if they wanted to swear they could go through to the public bar. It never really caused a problem. However it was definitely younger people that tended to swear. Most of the old worthies never let a swear word past their lips. As for me, I rarely swear because I was brought up with the notion that women swearing is vulgar. And to this day I cringe when I hear a female curse and swear in public.
Hey - what's going on? I haven't voted on this poll. Hadn't even seen it before but it came straight up with the results and said I had already voted. Is there a ghost badger out there?
landmarker
24-Feb-06, 18:25
It depends on when and where. Given the circumstances you described Rheghead I too would have gone elsewhere. A decade ago or a little more I'd have asked the guys to moderate their language - not any more.
I do not want to be on the end of a kicking. I've taken such a course of action several times and each time has produced results but I'm going back a long time. Things have changed.
I think certain areas of Scotland have a culture where effing and jeffing is the norm, certainly in pubs. This is also the way down here too. I dont like it much when I'm in mixed company & draw the line at the 'c' word, which is nasty.
Soon we will lose the ability to shock with language, and where will we go then?
I should add that in male company I can be foul mouthed and in the work environment I am no example to anyone when it comes to cursing and swearing. In a social environment, in mixed company I tend to watch my mouth.
A good cuss does one the world of good, but there is a correct time and place.
I noticed whilst home last time that DJs on Radio One seem to go out of their way to slip in a swear word or three – is it actually trendy to sound ignorant now?
Me I swear a fair bit, but can moderate my language to the surroundings.
cuddlepop
24-Feb-06, 18:36
Ihate swearing,especiallw when someone is talking to me.My x swore all the time his excuse was that in the building trade its there first language.My son who was 2 at the time told granny to........ off.Thankfully she knew who to blame.I find it makes me uncomfortable ,so would leave recardless of the company :(
Hey - what's going on? I haven't voted on this poll. Hadn't even seen it before but it came straight up with the results and said I had already voted. [...]That's was my reaction too, but then I noticed the date of the first post: 07-06-2005. I wonder how I voted.
I think Wickerinca has been trawling through old threads and dredging them up to try to cause trouble. I feel sorry for George today. :lol:
That's was my reaction too, but then I noticed the date of the first post: 07-06-2005. I wonder how I voted.
I think Wickerinca has been trawling through old threads and dredging them up to try to cause trouble. I feel sorry for George today. :lol:
How strange - I'm so traumatised by having to replace my modem with a router I hadn't even noticed. Who's George? You've lost me again :confused:
wickerinca
24-Feb-06, 20:18
That's was my reaction too, but then I noticed the date of the first post: 07-06-2005. I wonder how I voted.
I think Wickerinca has been trawling through old threads and dredging them up to try to cause trouble. I feel sorry for George today. :lol:
I honestly don't know how that happened. I don't trawl through the old threads.........honest injun!! I only go to the second page if the bottom of the first page is highlighted and I think that I may have missed something!!
Sorry folks........didn't mean to dredge up the past!! It was good to get the rant over and done with though and I have given George (my bicycle) a good seeing to so I am now all sweetness and light!:lol:
willowbankbear
24-Feb-06, 21:23
IN my line of work I am a wee bit wary of swearing but if the customer swears first second & third, then I may join in, But not in front of children or grannies, also there are some folk that you just know will not swear and I decline but you just will them on to roar out a curse for the amusement and the shame it will cause them.
You probably all know some1 like that, drops a bbrick on their toe and they say ouch or flip:Razz .
Away from work I have to admit to using these vulgar describing words rather a lot ,Im afraid but nowadays not many dont
connieb19
24-Feb-06, 21:35
IN my line of work I am a wee bit wary of swearing but if the customer swears first second & third, then I may join in, But not in front of children or grannies, also there are some folk that you just know will not swear and I decline but you just will them on to roar out a curse for the amusement and the shame it will cause them.
You probably all know some1 like that, drops a bbrick on their toe and they say ouch or flip:Razz .
Away from work I have to admit to using these vulgar describing words rather a lot ,Im afraid but nowadays not many dontOh flippers...I do hope i'm not one of these customers...I would absolutely die of embarassment if someone said a rude word in front of me...lol:evil [para]
When i was in the army cadets years ago we had a swear box and every time we swore we had to put in a pound. got to admit we save some money.:Razz
tut tut
Bingobabe
24-Feb-06, 22:16
when i was younger myself and my sibilings were always told never to swear and that manners were very important so the threat of a slapped bum sure stopped myself and one of my sibilings from swearing but this wasnt the case for my middle sibiling. We had a next door neighbour that used to swear all the time so as my mother was to find out that she had taught my sister to swear quite fluently as my sister was quite the little rebel as a child the more she was told of the more she swore. Every child is impersonable but also very diffrent but you cant sheild children from what is considered normal for a majority of people but i dont condon this. But i myself am partilal to the odd swear word now and again:eyes :confused :roll:
I remember a few years ago a wee boy was in his pram outside woolworths he was swearing at everyone who walked passed...[para] wonder what his first word was..
Bingobabe
25-Feb-06, 02:06
I remember a few years ago a wee boy was in his pram outside woolworths he was swearing at everyone who walked passed...[para] wonder what his first word was..i also had simialar experenice a few years ago i seen this wee boy he couldnt of been more than 4 or 5 he was wandering down barons well by himself and it was quite late so i stopped to ask him were his mum was we,ll he turned and gave me the f word and said it was none of my buissness were his mum was this is putting it nicely compared to what the wee boy said i didnt no whether to laugh or cry so needless to say i have never aproached a small child who is by themselves since for fear of what they might say to me lol hahahahahahahah :p :roll: :confused
Bad language is offensive, totally unacceptable and cannot be justified. It's a sad reflection on today's society.
I have to be totally honest in all the places I have lived I have never ever heard such prolific use of obscene language as I have in Caithness!
It seems that wherever you go you hear it from adults and kids and comes across as if this is acceptable and normal- It isn't!
Gratuitous swearing cheapens an artform. Swear words should be saved till needed then used to maximum effect not thrown away ten to a sentence.Indeed. This trick can be used to devastating effect in knife-edged discussions. But you can't do it more than once. Ever.
Well, not in the same company.
I agree with Fred and DrSzin. Mind you, I heard an Irishman from Dublin give a talk once on how he had recovered from alcoholism and it was the funniest talk I have ever heard. I kid you not when i say every other word would have sealed his fate on Caithness.org but in that company of born again sinners it didnt bring the prudes out in us.
That being said bad language does disturb me and i dont really know why. I also think its a bit rich for us to talk about kids swearing. Poor sods are only copying us grown ups and those of us who swear not can cast the first stone.
Bad language is offensive, totally unacceptable and cannot be justified. It's a sad reflection on today's society.
I totally agree with you it is sad
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