Swearing

I've just been reading a wonderful book about swearing and swearwords (Filthy English: The How , Why, When and What of everyday swearing, Silverton, Peter, (2009)).

It therefore follows - given I am about to speak of the book and recent Radio 4 broadcasts - that I'm about to swear. 
A lot.
So if you want not to read or hear this filth, look away NOW!

(Otherwise scroll down...)










  |
  |
 V













Cunt, Fuck, Bum. Armpits,

Swearing. 

The Silverton book is wonderful. Please buy and read it.

It tells me that my favourite newspaper (The Grauniad) is easily the sweariest in the World.

HOORAH!!

And the book is also highly analytic - it speaks of how the nastiest words change; eg as we become more attuned to racism, disability, sexism, what we (as a group) think of as unacceptable or allowable alters substantially.

Niggers.

But PS also claims that the strength of the traditional bad words has generally decreased enormously - shit, bastard, fuck, cunt, etc. No one cares anymore...?

Overall, and speaking for myself, I doubt there is an absolute measure.

And focusing on the swearingness of something may mean the politics can get lost.

It is clearly true that when Jim Naughtie spoonerised the name of Jeremy Hunt, our Hulture Secretary (sorry-one of those H's should have been a C) - and Andrew Marr an hour later copied him, it was amusing and the 'bad' word was copied aound a lot.  An awful lot.

But it was too funny, and we forgot the point. 

Given his cutting of the Beeb, it is clear the man is a rotter. So the rude word is probably precisely accurate. Not just funny.

At least he is justifiably hated from within Auntie. 

They say there is  no longer a bad word bad enough for the man.

So perhaps we should all swear at him by what ever means we have, and not pretend it was a slip...