Tastefulness is in the ear of the beholder.
I have had problems before because my own ear is – if not more refined – then certainly more Victorian than most. I do not care to swear or curse and I do not care to listen to such things either.
Some people I know cannot describe the size of something without the use of a swear word and everything soon becomes “f’ing huge” or “f’ing big.” But when everything that is long is f’ing long, then the swearing is pointless and added nothing to the meaning. So many other words could have been used instead: it was large, big, huge, towering, humongous, enormous, gigantic, ginormous, colossal, or titanic.
Really, swear words are so frequently used because they are short and guttural like the bark of a dog (and so those who overuse them sound like yappy Chihuahuas). Tasteless words, when used in just the right way, can add this kind of impact to a sentence. They add bite, jaws, and a low threatening growl: that is what good words do.
For example, swearing can be comedic, juxtaposing the snobbish with the coarse. Swearing can be shocking, drawing a second look from the otherwise rushed. Swearing can express exasperation in a way few other words can; I would be happy to see a politician swear from time to time rather than fill their speeches with false feelings of bipartisanship.
In more obscure curse words, swearing can be a delight for the tongue. These words still hold all the bite that other swear words do without necessarily bringing along the baggage of being a word used by the coarse and unrefined. I myself was fond of the word “gyp” and how easily it rolled through my mouth, until, that is, I learned it was a slur against gypsies.
Here lies the crux of the matter: what really makes something tasteless? I could probably run around shouting “Gyp!” all day long without anyone feeling insulted. The world is so rarely used today it is meaningless; I might as well say “Zaphd!” or “Pincleg!” or some other bit of gobbledygook. It is just a word that begins a thrilling affricate and ends on a satisfying stop, devoid of intent beyond that.
Since intent determines tastefulness or tastelessness, those who crow against any kind of swearing are just as bad as those who swear indiscriminately. While it may seem, dear reader, that I fall into this camp, I am simply against mindless swearing. I would rather use a more descriptive word, a more elaborative word, than be lazy and swear; to paraphrase Mark Twain, I want lightning, not a lightning bug.
Of course, the evolution of culture creates an evolution of language, so the vulgarity of the past might be meaningless today. Shakespeare’s bawdiness is now only apparent to scholars and those who read footnotes. Many of today’s vulgarities will undoubtedly need similar footnotes in a century or two.
So what lies ahead for crassness?
My guess is Nazis. Net-dwellers familiar with Godwin’s Law know how ubiquitous references to Nazis become when debates become too hot; and as the intensity of the historical reality gives way to social references such as “Soup Nazi” or “Grammar Nazi,” we might witness the birth of a new curse.
So be careful students of history: the next wave of Victorians might consider your World War II paper rather potty-mouthed.
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