I'm a 55-year-old grandmother and I curse. Every day, more than once. I do it for emphasis and when another word just won't do. What I don't do is call people names or question their worth as human beings. You don't need curse words to do that - "stupid" or "ridiculous" or any one of a number of other perfectly ordinary and acceptable words will do it. It isn't the curse words carte blanche, but the sexist or racist or similarly hate-filled words that we should be trying to discourage and challenge. That, and the general nastiness that people hurl at each other. But give up the F-word? Never!
I'm a 55-year-old grandmother and I curse. Every day, more than once. I do it for emphasis and when another word just won't do. What I don't do is call people names or question their worth as human beings. You don't need curse words to do that - "stupid" or "ridiculous" or any one of a number of other perfectly ordinary and acceptable words will do it. It isn't the curse words carte blanche, but the sexist or racist or similarly hate-filled words that we should be trying to discourage and challenge. That, and the general nastiness that people hurl at each other. But give up the F-word? Never!