Cultural up-bringing. I don't get it either lol

snobbery I think. it's not like aliens made up swear words

I love this question! I have thought about this at all ages and stages of my life. When I was getting in trouble as a child for saying "Oh my God!"?? When my grandmother who was the one upset with me for the OMG would say"Sugar!" or "Monkey Paw!" is she dropped something, stubbed something etc... WTF? Um... Nana, isn't that the same kinda thing? You said x but you meant y... intention is the important part. What about foreign languages? What if the word peach is a cuss word in another language? I am at Kroger and say the word "peach" and offend someone who knows the word in another language!!! It is all so very interesting to consider!

For me it's all about intent and context. 'Profane' words can be hurtful, sad, funny, etc.; every emotion in the human experience. Also who says it and to whom is very important too.

I think it would be funny when people stubbed their toe if they shouted “INTERCOURSE!”, or even “Rooster Siphoning Maternal Fornicator!!” They are creative sentence enhancers!

Grandparents had a great description of making whoopie. "We are going to the submarine races".

If we didn't have them we miight use gestures-BTW we do udr our middle finger every now and then.

A philosophy instructor once told me that if you were to eliminate all cuss words, we would just make up new ones.

It's all in the way we're conditioned. My parents never used any profanity of any kind, and I'm 60 years old and non religious, but to this day I still very rarely use profanity and I've stopped watching a movie if it was overly laden with profanity. It doesn't bother me to hear someone use swear words to emphasize their point, but I don't do it myself very much.
It's all because of the environment I grew up in.

I remember years ago, back in 1992 or '93 in the U.S. Golf Open, when Tiger Woods hit a drive out of bounds, and not realizing a live mike was nearby, yelled "FUCK!" It was talked about in the news for several days

It seems the most, if not all, societies have certain words, gestures, or symbols that are profane or curse words. It's true that when you look at it logically, yes, there is no apparent reason. I'm sure some sociologists could tell is why some words come to be considered worse than others. I don't know.

Lol I never understood it, either. Their just damn fucking...oops lol!!! They are just words. I find it more taboo when a harsh, but empty threat is made, such as being burned alive forever. I find that more taboo then any profane word.

I’m a student of Carlin and a writer. I don’t believe any language should be censored at any age.

George Carlin does a great skit on exactly this idea