In the park, I get chatting to another mum, we find lots to talk about and our children are getting on. To emphasis a point I am making I swear, I am in full flow. However, I do register a slight flicker on her part, as I hold forth. Later, when I rewind the afternoon in my head and press pause on that moment, I wonder if I offended her. She didn’t seem the sweary type.
Swearing is everywhere, blood hell even Tatler published a guide to swearing, a posh guide. Apparently, there is nothing better than a sweary Bishop. Thinking about it, there probably isn’t, I love an unexpected swearer. I like swearing, it gives good emphasis. It is a hearty, meaningful insult, when necessary.
I’ve no idea when or where I discovered swearing. My parent’s weren’t big on profanities. If my Mother did swear, it would be a loud, one word utterance and you knew the situation was very extreme and it was best to keep clear. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t swear, my repertoire was significant before my teens.
There are swearing no-nos: I aim to avoid obscenities in front of my child (or other people’s). Unless you count; under my breath if I can’t find a parking space, or the supermarket does not have the item I want, or when I see litter at the side of the road (clearly thrown from a moving car) or dog crap in the middle of the pavement. Didn’t ‘crap’ used to be a bit of a ‘four letter’ word and is now a bit ‘everyday’?
In the presence of the elderly, unless they swear first. The elderly tend not to be big swearers, a bit like Bishops, but when you find one it is a treasure. Ethel and her expletives.
Swearing in the work place is, in my opinion, unacceptable. I would never swear at some one at work and expect the same in return. It is about boundaries, respecting others, a courtesy. Should the same apply on social media?
Social Media is a relatively new terrain in manners and etiquette. The often repeated message is that as bloggers it isn’t good to be sweary as it puts brands off. Does it? Swearing on twitter seems to be on the up. If you don’t like it I guess you can click away, unfollow, mute (best thing ever). If it isn’t at someone, or used in an insulting way – is it, by default, OK. An expression of who you are.
Despite my Docker like love of four letter words, I don’t swear on social media, mostly for appearances sake, a bit like tidying up before people come round to my house, I like to give a good appearance; to brands, to a possible future employer, to anyone who might stumble across my timeline. I like to keep to the non-offence, manilla coloured middle ground. On Facebook, less an open space, I know some of my FB friends are over 70 and church goers, I don’t want to offend them. Conversely, in a private FB group, that I have the measure of, I think four letter words make good describing words and chuck them around liberally.
Is there a time and place or is swearing carte blanche?
