After a discussion in our office this week regarding a swear word in a quote in the news section, the topic of swear words in general broke out inside The Oswegonian. After that discussion, this week’s staff editorial topic arose.

This argument has so many different sides and nuances, but the main point of what we debated in our office was why these words are any different in conversational English than others.

When people are growing up, these words are taboo. Most children have experienced some sort of discipline at the hands of their parents after dropping their first f-bomb.

To start, there is a line that needs to be drawn between these everyday swear words and derogatory or sexually driven insults. Anything that is racially or sexually motivated and is directed toward another individual surely does not have a place in the 21st century, but most of these swear words should not carry any weight.

George Carlin’s “Seven Dirty Words” routine is a great example. The “Seven Dirty Words” are swear words that cannot be said on TV or the radio, and should not be printed in a newspaper. Everyone is offended by different things. The conclusion we came to in the office, however, was that those seven “dirty” words and those couple of other ones we hear on TV should not have such a negative stigma surrounding them.

They are just another string of letters that form a word. Why are they seen and judged differently than other words in the English language? Yes, there is a wrong time for “foul” language, such as in a professional setting, but why are these words barred from content on television and the airwaves across the United States of America?

When words are censored out in an article, readers are just thinking of the words in their head. Newspapers are not printing the swear words, but readers are seeing and thinking of the words anyway.  The same thing goes for people who think they are censoring themselves by shortening words in an attempt to keep things clean.

Everyday swear words should not have a negative stigma around them, as they are often used in a non-derogatory way. There is definitely a time and place not to use them, but they should not be prohibited.