There is nothing quite like using a well-executed, perfectly timed curse word. Swearing, also known as cursing, is the use of offensive words that are often the guide solution to blow off steam. There are countless to choose from with innovative combinations that impressively communicate exactly how one feels in the moment.
Using “colorful language” has a multitude of effects on how it makes some of us feel when experiencing heightened emotions. Psychological scientists, Dr. Timothy Jay and Kristin Janschewitz, wrote an article on the psychological effects of swearing. Opinions based on facts are usually the most accurate and well-rounded points of view. Decided your personal view on whether or not cursing is detrimental to someone’s health or a bad habit, it would be wise to know the facts.
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They found evidence provided by Stephens et al, showing that swearing and high pain tolerance are related, which implies that those who swear experience a cathartic response.
Cathartic an unfamiliar term? Catharsis is the purging of strong or repressed emotion resulting in the feeling of relief, similar to the feeling after an intense workout. So, what is my fun fact about swearing?
Swearing is not the primary topic, but rather the doorway to a little (Un)Known Fact. There is a particular curse word or phrase that has a double meaning, which most ignorantly use and has ties all the way back to slavery.
The earliest documentation of slavery is from the 1520s. At Ferris State University in Michigan, there is a Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia where they have an interactive timeline exhibit of The Movement of Slavery in America. One of the earliest entries’ reports, in August 1619, over 20 Africans were taken to Jamestown in Virginia to be traded. Slaves were forced to sign contracts to be indentured servants, which legally binds an individual to be a slave for a specified time in return for payment.
Imagine the terror of being taken from one’s home by foreigners without the ability to effectively communicate, with while being continuously threatened. By the time the 1820s came along, one in every five travelers from over the pond were European according to an article written by Steven Mintz for The Guilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
Now at this point, you might be wondering what swearing has to do with slavery. Most know the derogatory N-word for African slaves during that time. However, slave masters also had another term, used for chosen slaves forced to fulfill a horrific demand. The same word also happens to be a well-used swear word, one that most people have said at least once in their life.
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During the time of slavery the strongest male slaves were blind-folded and forced to lay with their mothers in hopes of reproducing another strong black son. Can you guess what these unfortunate slaves were called? Motherfuckers. They used motherfucker in its original English definition. This process is similar to how breeders narrow down specific genes they want and reproduce.
Steven Wintz’s research showed the mortality rates for infant slaves was twice as high as that of white infants. Only 50% of infant slaves survived their first year of life. With the high infant mortality rate, slave owners were desperate to correct this issue by taking the strongest male children and forcing them to lay with their mothers. Slaves also used motherfucker masters who raped their mothers.
Taking these new details into account, does this mean we avoid using the word? “Courts presume harm from speech in cases involving discrimination or sexual harassment. The original justification for our obscenity laws was predicated on an unfounded assumption that speech can deprave or corrupt children, but there is little (if any) social-science data demonstrating that a word in and of itself causes harm,” according to Dr. Jay and Janschewitz. They also found that words considered taboo used in everyday language are driven primarily by context. Most are unaware of the double meaning of the word, therefore are not using it in its original context. Everyone has an individual and personal relationship with the English language and how they use it to communicate. Dictating what words should be used, how they should be used and how often they are used removes the individuality that makes interacting with other people so exciting.
Sources
– Definition
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swear#:~:text=1%20%3A%20to%20use%20bad%20or,He%20swore%20them%20to%20secrecy.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indentured%20servant
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catharsis#:~:text=1a%20%3A%20purification%20or%20purgation,and%20fear)%20primarily%20through%20art
– Swearing in America
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– Slavery In America
https://www.ferris.edu/htmls/news/jimcrow/timeline/slavery.htm
https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/national-expansion-and-reform-1815-1880/pre-civil-war-african-american-slavery/
https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/teaching-resource/historical-context-facts-about-slave-trade-and-slavery
https://www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/news/jimcrow/letters/2012/apes.htm
– Mother Fucker In Origin
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/27308/what-is-the-origin-and-history-of-the-word-motherf-er#:~:text=%E2%80%9CMotherfucker%20actually%20comes%20from%20the,to%20face%20as%20a%20fact.
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