Hasbeen, you've described my own experience with swearing perfectly. I can remember my dad rebuking me "nice men don't swear in front of the ladies", followed by a visit to my room and a whack with the strap when I was about 10 or so (I think I said "bloody"). I still don't, but I found that by the time turned 20 or so, the "ladies" had no such compunction.

I teach my kids that swearing is usually just laziness, but that it can sometimes be an appropriate response. As others have said, overuse means it loses its value as an expletive and is often simply for want of another appropriate word.

A fun activity!

"Our parents always taught us
You have to be polite
Show your good manners
Don't swear and avoid fights

Yet there are certain moments
That'll come out of the blue
When much to our surprise
We'll yell the words,
'Screw you!'"

A human foible, I guess...

Anyone who has walked through a group of young people in a school or in a shopping centre will have heard the F word dropped a number of times

I have to admit I don't like it and I don't know what the answer is. Even if children are not permitted to swear at home if they can get away with it at school and it is part of peer culture what can be done?

I have used the word myself on rare ocassions when another word just wouldn't do :) but when it becomes everday it diminishes the language and reflects badly on the speaker.

I really don't see what all the fuss is about. Once upon a time the word "swyve" was the word we used, then it became the word we are talking about. All it means is the act sexual intercourse, for goodness' sake. Why on earth should that be considered so heinous?

Shakespeare and co were forever telling people to go and get swived, swyved, swayved (they could never get any of their spelling to conform) So why should it be such a crime for someone to tell one to "Go and get..."? Hey, it would be my pleasure. Its like saying "Go and have a wonderful and pleasurable experience" Why is that so unacceptable?

Yes, as someone who values the English language I get pee'd off with people who use it monotonously - as I get similarly pee'd off with those who use the word "basically" or "at this point in time" in the same way ( I once counted a t.v. interviewee who used "basically" 18 times in one protracted sentence!). As other posters have said; its lazy and detracts from the beauty and richness of our enormous vocabulary...the largest in the world.

But to feel uncomfortable if women use it? Geez. If it weren't for women the verb would only exist in very limited circles!

So; - if that is such a no-no how do people feel about the noun "c#unt"? Gotta admit I had reservations until I found out exactly what the etymlogy of the word was. Now I feel completely enraged because I have to insert an asterisk there while Big Brother will allow me to write the word "penis" without one!

The "F" word does NOT merely mean sexual intercourse. This is a common misunderstanding of language by a lot of people.

The "F" word (or equivalent words in any language from any era) is a "crude" expression of a "crude" approach to sexual intercourse. This has nothing to do with approval or disapproval of the word; the word is simply what it IS, and pretending that it isn't shows a deep misunderstanding of the word, or an "I couldn't care less anyway" attitude.

It's been stated that the word is used by everybody. This is clearly FALSE. It is NOT used by "everybody". It may be used by everybody a particular person associates with; this does NOT mean it's used by "everybody".

It's not "just a word", and pretending it is doesn't make it so.