Topic: Is swearing not looked down upon anymore?

I can speak for many teenagers (aka those who were in grade school not long ago) when I say that swearing has become a regular part of our vocabulary. In grade school, we thought we were rebelling against our parents and being cool. HOWEVER, by the time we reached 6th grade, we basically realized that words were the lamest excuse for rebellion ever. After that, they just become regular words like "table" and "corn". Nobody is actually offended by swears, the idea of being offended by words simply due to a sexual/toilet connotation is completely absurd.

Note that the above paragraph does not usually apply to racial epithets, which still retain their shock value.

I'm also in Australia. Even in primary school, a couple of my friends would casually curse (particularly in 5th/6th grade). I don't mind, honestly- as @6ch6ris6 said, it's just the way some people speak. Personally, I rarely curse, but I think hearing it in primary helped me accept it. And like everyone has said, YMMV, anyway. I do think curses have lost some of their impact, but it's just the way things have gone, and I don't think it's that bad.
Now, if people use them in in a mean/derogatory way, that's another issue- but it isn't like rude behaviour is mutually exclusive with swearing...

This is all that really needs to be said. At 16 I've cussed a grand total of three times (yes, I know how many times. Don't laugh) and yet if you look at the internet it looks lie most people cuss at least three times a sentence.

The internet is a completely different case. Because you have a buffer and are for the most part anonymous, of course people are going to say things they wouldn't actually say to your face.

This is another case of people thinking past generations were innocent or something. People have always sworn. People have always used profanity to fill in their sentences. Yes, as a kid I personally wasn't allowed to use profanity around my parents or adults in general, but others around me did. Likewise, my kids aren't allowed to out of respect, but others around us do. I doubt the amount of profanity in the world is any higher than it's ever been. Likely, we're exposed to so much more interaction now because of the internet, so it just SEEMS like there's more.

Interesting responses I have to say and I can see the point in alot of them. I mean don't get me wrong I will string a bunch of swear words together if I am really really mad or I drop like a bowling ball on my foot, but as some pointed out to use them in every conversation as a replacement for more "suitable" words I don't. Like I dont say oh excuse me I have to take a **** or Where the **** do I need to go today? But I can see why others will especially if they are raised that way.

Also as @RR529: Pointed out I can see TV and films playing a part in that too. I mean sometimes when they say stuff I am like wait, what did they just say? Lol. and I instantly think boy the FCC would have been up in arms if they said that on TV 20 years ago.

And yet some shows in the 70's wouldn't see the light of day in 2014. It goes both ways actually when times change. Sanford and Son and All in the Family are the shows I'm talking about.

I don't swear but during my high school days I swore left and right but never around adults even if they swore. When you're a kid you just want to fit in and that's what I did. Some time in 12th grade I said to myself why am I doing this, to make others like me more??? Shortly there after I pretty much stopped for good. Its been said before that unintelligent people use those words much more but I don't thing that's true. I've seen all kinds of people swear and for no apparent reason other then they don't see anything wrong with it.

What's funny is that people I work with know I don't swear and cut back a lot on their own swear words when I'm around as if it offends me.

Its pretty simple for me and my family though, we don't swear in my household simply because the bible (my faith) says not to. The problem as I see it is less and less people have respect or knowledge or care for the bible and that about sums it up.