swear

I try and make it a point to rarely swear in my writing.

In real life, I’ll let a few fly here and there, but I’m way better than I used to be back a few years ago. I try not to do it, especially because many of my friends have kids and such now. Still, I’m not perfect and they do get out here and there.

But my writing, it’s really rare.

There are times — such as with “Life with Earl,” or other things — where “minor” swear words are in my writing. And the big, nasty words? Yeah, I avoid them like the plague.

I did a search to see if I ever used the F-bomb in any posts on my blog. Three came up — two in 2006 and one in 2005. Back before I actually took blogging seriously.

All three of these posts came in earlier renditions of this blog, before I moved it to its own domain and started this baby up. All I did in that moment was take all the other posts and bring them there. I re-read these posts and can’t figure out why I did it. But there were some serious swears.

I’ve obviously taken that to a different level now.

But what is it all of a sudden with swear words — specifically the F-Bomb — being littered all over the place.

Facebook.

Twitter.

Blogs.

Blog comments.

E-mail.

What is going on, people? Is is that fun to drop F-Bombs? I can’t think, honestly, of where I’d put it in my writing. Maybe if I was writing some fiction and there was a scene where it really was called for. Maybe a crime scene. Or a drunk scene. Or some comedian telling a joke where the F-Bomb was part of the joke.

I guess what really got my eye recently was a post I was reading about a blogger struggling with their blog etc. In the post were no F-Bombs or anything, which is nice. But the responses drew no fewer than 20 F-Bombs, including more than 10 in one response alone.

In my mind, that made the responses lose credibility. Where’s the need to use the F-word in these situations?

There are some blogs I read where the F-word is used almost as regularly as something like “the.” I’m used to it there because of style. But then I’ll come across blogs that are usually written well and sans swear words. Then, out of the blue, you’ll get something like this:

“Then I asked him, what the F are you F’n thinking, you F’N a-hole.”

My jaw usually drops.

As I said, I realize there are times when the swears work. Some fiction. Maybe when telling a true-life story and the words were used in a conversation you are quoting, or something along those lines.

But random uses? Come on.

My favorite are the blogs where the words are used like it’s an everyday, ho-hum word. I feel like I’m morphed right into the city when reading these blogs.

“So I went to the F’N store tonight and bought some F’N cold cuts.”

Hey, great job there, pal. I can’t imagine that is getting additional readers or hits. It’s not like there’s any shock value there.

Maybe it’s just me. As I said, it’s not like I have a clean mouth when speaking. I swear a times and, usually, after I do it, I want to slap myself in the head because it’s not needed 99.9 percent of the time.

But in writing?

Come on, people. It’s not needed. Remember, the Internet is open to many people of diverse backgrounds and ages. I realize people don’t have to read things, but sometimes they click on things or read comments on something else and the swearing isn’t called for.

So why don’t we clean it the F up?

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