When did the F-word become so common?

Question

Back in 1978, George Carlin created a list of words you cannot say on the radio, or you could go to jail. One of them was the F-word.

Today, not only do you hear the F-word said often, on the radio, on TV, in movies, at work, and even teenagers and younger saying it.

So, when did the F-word become so common in everyday speech? And why?

WhiteSteve · Accepted Answer

I think like anything, you just get accustomed to things. The thing I always agreed with Carlin on about this is that they can’t really justify WHY a word is bad (demographically-based individual/group-targeted slurs notwithstanding). Somebody just tells you that it is, and that’s that.

That’s the part that never really made sense to me. I’m not against following rules in society; but it is IMPERATIVE that a rule make sense, TO ME, in order to follow it. I don’t do “That’s just the way it is; comply, or else.”; I don’t think that makes me “bad” or a disorderly citizen for requiring that. I’m EXTREMELY at peace with the calibration of my moral compass; I don’t think it’s leading me anywhere I shouldn’t be going or to conclusions I shouldn’t be making. I can get down with the majority of our societal codes and laws, because they do make sense and I can justify them without too much intellectual or moral conflict. “Don’t run red lights; someone could die.” Ok, great, GOT IT.

Cussing, as an offense, just seems completely arbitrary to me. I give a little societal leeway just to accomodate everyone else who can’t see it as clearly as I can; I can manage to not be vulgar around your kid, that’s fine. I think the kid would be fine either way. The worst language I ever heard was on the school bus from older kids, lmao. I don’t think I’ll be the one befouling your kid’s innocence, but I can play ball for the sake of getting along.

Still, I’ll always think pearl-clutching over curse words is kind of silly. I mean, we HAVE TO have more pressing concerns than that, I’m sure of it.

For me personally, I’m a Boston guy, and “fuck”, or more accurately, a stand-alone “fuckiiiinnnn’” as a pause word similar to “ummmm” or “uhhhh” when I’m finding my next word…it’s just part of the dialect. That would be so unbelievably hard for me to train out of myself. I think I’d literally have to move away to do it, lmao.

A lot of us just talk like this, and it is what it is, man🤷‍♂️😂

https://www.youtube.com/embed/P8Vjd_hdYYw https://www.youtube.com/embed/oVZACDtwmh4

If this is too much for anyone, I would implore them to never visit Boston, lmao. This is what our some of our realest people sound like😂 You either talk like Mark Wahlberg (when he’s on for the cameras…he went Hollywood🙄) or Bobby Brown around these parts😝 Young Bobby kept it clean here for TV, haha

https://www.tiktok.com/@stonetaylor5/video/7391620119991946527

But anyway, the point is, we swear when we mean to and when we don’t mean to. The former can be controlled, but the latter is tougher to rein in. It can definitely be tough professionally or in family-friendly environments; but I promise it’s not even intended to be vulgar.

As far as the increased prevalence culture-wide…I think we loosen up and become less square with each passing generation. I don’t know the history of swearing and why and how it came to be a “sometimes” social taboo, and I’ve probably expressed adequately that I think it’s foolish. I don’t want to get on a political rant on a non-politics question, but I’ll notice a lot of the same crowd that gasps at cussing will simultaneously want to exercise their “free speech” in some pretty undesirable ways, the content of their message being far more offensive in my eyes, even said without swearing. I don’t know, doesn’t even need to be pointed at anyone in particular; I just mean to say that, as are most people with many things, we’ll see some hypocritical attitudes and actions across the board.

I kind of just had a thought in this moment, too…. you and I might not be as keyed into this either: video games. I briefly dabbled in online gaming vs others when I was in my early 30s. I’m not the biggest gamer; I do pour myself into certain sports games, and maybe Grand Theft Auto for a spell once per decade…but circa 2011-12, I was trying to play that Call Of Duty game, where everyone has military equipment and you run around a big map trying to shoot each other. That lasted maybe two months before I got sick of being ruthlessly (and indefensibly, cuz I suck at the gaming part) mocked by pre-pubescent voices over the headset😂😂😂

But I bring that up to say that the way these kids were talking to one another over essentially “the internet” via these games was CRAZY. Racial slurs, homophobic slurs, you name it…and it was kind of done for the shock value, it seemed. So what is “the F-word” anymore? We now use that to describe the homophobic slur that rhymes with maggot. “Fuck” on its own has become pedestrian, for better or for worse.

I guess the short answer, 835 words in now, lmfao, is “desensitization”, and the shifting of the “Overton Window.”

FunkyMonkee · Accepted Answer

You've been watching him, too, eh?
Probably about 80 years ago although people just didn't use it quite as often until the late `60's.
No, that was back in `72 on his 4th album. His 3rd talked about "shit". His 5th talked about a lot more "dirty words". I think `78 was his last album on Little David. After that, he was on a lot of small time labels.

purplepoppy · Accepted Answer

I think people have forgotten it's a swear word and not an exclamation mark. Perhaps it's the rise of Internet porn that's softened it's harshness turning it from vulgarity to family friendly.

You don't hear the word bastard much these days though.

Nikki1989 · Accepted Answer

You can regularly hear it on TV here most times of the day. When or why this has happened, I really don't know. Most of the time, the cursing is completely unnecessary.

gasman70 · Answer

it's because it's something you shouldn't say, so it became a rebellion word, so the rebellion word eventually became used so much, it just started to get used in every day conversations. I don't use it, but my dad says it all the time in regular conversations with me. He says, that's how I talk to my buddies and I consider you my buddy.

LiamJHayden · Answer

It is rather repulsive how such languages is so common in everyday speech. Smash your thumb with a hammer? Okay, that is undersandable. But not, "Hey, did you see "f" Jim. He was "f" late again and the "f" boss caught him.

DryGermanGuy · Answer

Certain Americans like to tell me about their great freedom and how we in Germany wouldn’t have that! 😂 Well, we don’t have such silly word lists or bans, that’s for sure.

Shiprex · Answer

After the Great Plague of London when the King at the time proclaimed that in order to rebuild the population, citizens were to Fornicate Under Command of the King

Billlewis · Answer

When we entered the iPhone era, and then a second time when the Dems decided to try and out-Trump Trump.

sage2021 · Answer

I remember the "F" word written on the wall in my elementary school in 1959!

AngryCarl3 · Answer

When major Hollywood studios started using it in movies, thus making it "acceptable". Right around 1970. Interestingly this was after nudity had become routine. Sex sells.

NathanDavis · Answer

it's always been common... just more or less allowed in media

rgb008 · Answer

Desensitization! People use curses too fuckin frequently now…

_Jenny_ · Answer

@aviatortom   fornication under consent of the king

exitseven · Answer

Sometimes I csnt believe what I hear on television.

Massageman · Answer

when someone saw our latest property tax bills - - - - - -

Spencer10 · Answer

Geez just look at who is in the White House... clearly out entire society has become cruder and less civilized.

NoDecision · Answer

When Trump became President? They always use the word F__ktard when talking about him.

Kingofkings1992 · Answer

It's always been common. Does it bother you? Just take a chill pill and chill the fuck out 😊

Friendlybro79 · Answer

who the f@ck knows?

MrChinaski · Answer

Well. That was educational.

Cidknee · Answer

It was pretty common in 1971 when i picked it up.

zagor · Answer

Seems to be even more so in the UK.

Paige2006 · Answer

All my life it's been popular

KostasKouvalis · Answer

Within the last 2 decades

Ironco · Answer

Fuck if I know...😜

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