ANSWERS: 2
  • Who the f*ck knows. ;-)
  • IMO, words misusing God's name (title) are the "curse" words. "Damn" in its original context actually means "condemn to hell," so saying "damn it" is the same as saying, "send it to hell," the original curse. To put "God" in front of "damn" makes it stronger. Some people misconstrue the curse as telling God to *go* to hell, but it's actually telling God to *send* someone or something to hell. Words degrading people (particularly women) are offensive, but they're more put-downs than curses. Calling a woman a "b!tch," for example, calls her a female dog, not a human being worthy of human respect and dignity. (Side note: Ever notice that a woman is a "b!tch," but a man is either a "son of a b!tch" or a "b@st@rd"? Both of those terms point the finger at his mother, not at the man himself.) Finally, some words became offensive because people are uptight about body functions. Germanic-based words tended to be shorter and blunter than Latin-based ones. Even today, the longer a phrase is, the politer and more politically correct it sounds. What used to be a janitor is now an environmental services technician, for example. It was the same way in the Middle Ages, so that "defecate" became more socially acceptable than "$h!t," "derierre" more than "@$$," and "copulate" more than "f...." You get the idea.

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