>Dr. Larry Poland, president of the non-denominational Miami Bible College, contacted NASA and President Richard Nixon to complain about the profuse profanity from the Apollo 10 crew, demanding they apologize for their behavior.

despite my best efforts, i have never been able to understand why or how swear words are inherently offensive. it just does not click with me. a request like this just seems absolutely ridiculous (especially given the context the offending words were said).

IF YOU SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON THE EARLY INTERNET MAYBE THIS WILL HELP YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THOSE WHO DISLIKE SWEARING EXPERIENCE WHEN THEY HEAR PROFANITY

Now, why they react that way is a lot more complicated... Much like why I and many others find the above almost physically painful. My own personal take is that avoiding swearing in public, like avoiding all caps in the Internet, is a matter of courtesy and respect for others. And while I find the discussion of why interesting, ultimately I believe that respect for oneself and others (something I have watched diminish for decades) is a good thing, and ought to be practiced. It's... being a good citizen and fellow human being, I guess.

The linguistics of swearwords are interesting I think. They need to be taboo or they don't work. A certain amount of offensiveness is needed for their function.

I think swearwords are very useful. Both when used of emphasis, comedy or (their original use) venting frustation or pain.

And they have secondary uses as well. When someone swears a lot in inappropriate situations you can tell they are generally inconsiderate persons. And when somebody gets very upset by swearwords you know they are probably overly religious. For both things it's nice the be forewarned ;-P

If you ever get a chance to talk to a linguist, ask about pejoration, melioration, and the euphemism treadmill. It really is interesting how we convey culture through not only what we say, but what we don't say. In especially elite circles, the rate that words go in and out of fashion can be astounding, and using even a newly pejorated word can get someone instantly and permanently rejected by the group.

The offensiveness of many comes from the original intention of the word, which was generally some sort of a condemnation of another person (or perhaps sometimes some other taboo). To repeat it is to repeat some of that original intent, at least at times... But I think now a simple "fuck" has all but lost that meaning, and I would say it's not really inherently offensive. And well placed, sparingly used, it can be a good way to extend your range of emotional expression. Well, as long as it's not at cost of everything else.

i am not offended by swearwords, i am annoyed by them. it makes absolutely no sense to me to use a term that suggests sexual intercourse to describe anything else but that act. likewise it makes no sense that someone is told to have said sexual intercourse as a way of suffering. not only because there should be no connection, but also because the whole idea that sexual intercourse is something you should suffer from is completely alien to me and also demonstrates a very skewed view on what it is supposed to be about. it proliferates the idea that sexual intercourse is something bad.

i understand that the use of that word in that context should be seen as completely disconnected, but that only works if the original meaning is no longer in use. like the original meaning of the word gay. using gay as a swearword annoys me just as much. and it hurts the people who identify themselves as such.

if you want to use swearwords, use those that are objectively bad in all variants of their meaning. like shit. but here we have the reverse problem. shit is good: https://youtu.be/igh9iO5BxBo

so maybe we can find new terms that we all can agree on are bad, like SUV-driver ;-)

A significant chunk of the population thinks they'll get tortured for eternity if they do it too much, and finds it distressing to be exposed to it as a result.

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They're not inherently offensive. They're vulgar, but that isn't the same thing as offensive. Vulgarity is nothing more than a classist concept anyway. This is just another case of religious extremists making everything in this world worse for everyone else.

Using profanity indicates a weak vocabulary. A lack of discipline. A degree of unrefinement unbecoming of astronauts representing the "best" of humanity and their country.

Depending on the type of profanity it can divide societies by reinforcing social schisms/prejudices. Such words typically cluster around areas of cultural discomfort such as religion, sex, and hygiene, causing polarizing emotional reactions. It's biological as well as cultural.

Seems like the "best and bravest humanity has to offer" can probably represent a little better than that for one of the most significant feats of history.