Our emotions are pretty complex, and sometimes, there isn't a better way to explain them than with a brief:
"F*CK."
I like swearing. I like the mouthfeel of it. Around my mom, it doesn't often slip out, but when it does, it's a brief slap on the dome. With my teenage friends, however, there is no cooldown.
Recently, in English class, our assignment was to compose a song or a rap (yes, I know it's a weird task). My friend Isaac and I worked together, crafting a piece titled "Glock Walk", where we essentially pretended like we were gangsters that made it out of the trenches but were still tough and hood. There were phrases containing cusses, heinous crimes that we didn't commit, and mentions of drugs we've never taken.
Isaac and I are not like that, yet it was still something that was incredibly fun to write.
Here's the thing, though. The use of obscene language is often seen as a sign that the speaker lacks vocabulary, cannot express themselves in a less offensive way, or even lacks intelligence.
Isaac does not lack intelligence. I might a little bit.
Not to brag or anything, but I believe that a majority of the lines in our rap came from a place of deep, creative thought.
Lines like:
"I got perfect pitch; I can sense a C-note." (C-note refers to the musical pitch and is also slang for a 100-dollar bill)
"I get violent, more or less. No, forget that. I'm 100% moralless."
"We the fathers of time, turning seconds to hours. Whatever you do will be second to ours."
And also, there are millions of accomplished, smart individuals who cuss. You don't need to speak Shakespearean to be deemed clever.
Perhaps swearing displays a more intelligent use of language, because why would you not take advantage of its versatility?
It's powerful, it's motivating, it's brutal, it's degrading. If someone wants to be the most efficient person they can be, why wouldn't they learn to use the same words for different purposes? That's a semi-joke but also not really.
What's not a joke is this 2015 study that found that well-educated people were better at coming up with curse words than those who were less verbally fluent. In essence, there's a sign of intelligence "to the degree that language is correlated with intelligence," said Timothy Jay, who authored the study. "People that are good at language are good at generating a swearing vocabulary."
Aside from being socially useful in terms of its weight on syntax, swearing can also have internal/biological benefits.
As a natural pain reliever, cursing can reduce the perception of pain, providing a measurable analgesic effect, by as much as 33%. Perhaps that's why so many people scream "sh*t" after stubbing their toe.
Perhaps swearing can be used as an expression of freedom. Individuals possess the right to freely articulate, and language is the medium through which thoughts, emotions, and ideas are conveyed. Swearing can be viewed as an exercise of this right because we deliberately choose to utilize such a strong word or phrase and to create a sometimes uncomfortable environment.
Obviously, there is a limit to swearing, and there even may be a time when swearing too much could be associated with low social intelligence –– when one doesn't know when and where it's appropriate to swear.
Language is truly a beautiful thing, so we shouldn't be too dismissive of its variations.
Swearing is a bold note, an accent mark on a score of music, a punctuation that, when wielded judiciously, can add emphasis and, more importantly, authenticity to our expressions.
Whether it's a visceral reaction to a stubbed toe or the crafting of a lyric of trap music, like any linguistic tool, cussing can be harnassed with intelligence and finesse. It's a reminder that language, in all its forms, is capable of both personal liberation and social connection.
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