Does profanity make you look less intelligent?

Beowulf said:
I work with contractors and laborers and I am used to the profanity surrounding me. I notice though that if there are women workers in the crew, the profanity gets cut down. Sometimes when I am leading the crew, I warn them beforehand to watch their mouths. Last summer while laying down a sidewalk along an antique store strip during a sweltering day, I noticed the workers were swearing, and I roared at them to keep their @#&$ mouths shut %#$^ or I will &#$^% them, and a frail old lady who must have been a century old came out of a shop and shook her fist at me. Jeez, I felt like an idiot, lol.
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LMAO, great story
 
Maria said:
I agree. It does make a person look less intelligent in despite of how the person uses it often. I've seen a few ADers usin' profanity in this AD, especially the one that I am aware of is usin' it ALOT than others. It makes me disgustin' to see that person usin' that profanity -- it doesn't matter if, that person is makin' his/her point. It still makes that person less intelligent for usin' it. It doesn't make that person cool or wonderful. It shows obviously that this person thinks she/or he is alot better than others when he/or she is usin' that profanity to show how his/or her tough is. It sure makes me to avoid that person or don't want to talk to that person if not at all.
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In the bold - I am quite curious; If that person is making his/her points, In your eyes, Why would it still make that person look less intelligent when using profanities? What if that person wants to use the profanities to be able to express their feelings/emotions? What if that person has no idea or knowledge of how to bring it's point other than using the profanities?

jillio said:
I agree with you completely. If I bust my thumb with a hammer, I can almost guarantee that a profane word will escape my lips! I have also been known to use a profane word or two in moments of extreme frustration.

It has been my experience that people who use profanity consistently in conversation not only appear less intelligent, but they are usually socially akward, as well.
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I'd agree with you on that, although, Can you elaborate on how it is viewed as a person who is socially awkward by using profanities? Is it because this person could not virtually hold or carry a conversation other than using the profanities?
 
Jolie77 said:
In the bold - I am quite curious; If that person is making his/her points, In your eyes, Why would it still make that person look less intelligent when using profanities? What if that person wants to use the profanities to be able to express their feelings/emotions? What if that person has no idea or knowledge of how to bring it's point other than using the profanities?
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In a perfect cililized world, that would make sense but it's likely not as we'd like it to be. I notice it depends on where you're standing, even those in Silicon Valley, Universities, research centers, etc. will swear! It's not really due to one's intelligence, but by how conservative one is.
 
Beowulf said:
I work with contractors and laborers and I am used to the profanity surrounding me. I notice though that if there are women workers in the crew, the profanity gets cut down. Sometimes when I am leading the crew, I warn them beforehand to watch their mouths. Last summer while laying down a sidewalk along an antique store strip during a sweltering day, I noticed the workers were swearing, and I roared at them to keep their @#&$ mouths shut %#$^ or I will &#$^% them, and a frail old lady who must have been a century old came out of a shop and shook her fist at me. Jeez, I felt like an idiot, lol.
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hehe thats so sweet!
 
Jolie77 said:
In the bold - I am quite curious; If that person is making his/her points, In your eyes, Why would it still make that person look less intelligent when using profanities?

It has to do with " tone ". Umm...could belittle others, or insult, or " big head ", or makin' others to feel dumb or less important, or to humiliate others, dependin' on what issue it discuss about.

What if that person wants to use the profanities to be able to express their feelings/emotions? What if that person has no idea or knowledge of how to bring it's point other than using the profanities?

I'd agree with you on that, although, Can you elaborate on how it is viewed as a person who is socially awkward by using profanities? Is it because this person could not virtually hold or carry a conversation other than using the profanities?
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If, it talks about that person himself/or herself in what situation it makes that person to feel like sayin' it - then that would be ok instead of talkin' about the one who that person is talkin' to. It's not necessary to throw darts to that person that he/or she talks to by usin' that profanities. Gee, which one do you think is more less intelligent when that person says profanity to the other person or the other person is feelin' less intelligent when that person says profanity to him/her ?
 
Jolie77 said:
In the bold - I am quite curious; If that person is making his/her points, In your eyes, Why would it still make that person look less intelligent when using profanities? What if that person wants to use the profanities to be able to express their feelings/emotions? What if that person has no idea or knowledge of how to bring it's point other than using the profanities?



I'd agree with you on that, although, Can you elaborate on how it is viewed as a person who is socially awkward by using profanities? Is it because this person could not virtually hold or carry a conversation other than using the profanities?
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Yes. A person who is socially awkward doesn't realize when and when notto use profanities, or make suggestive remarks. For instance, while it may be acceptable to use curse words in a casual conversation with a good friend, you certainly don't want to use the same kind of communication with a boss, or someone you don't know well. The same with suggestive remarks. You would be fine making such a remark to a good friend, but do it to a co-worker, and it is considered to be sexual harrassment. It seems that people that use an excessive amount of profanity have a problem with social boundaries, too.
 
jillio said:
Yes. A person who is socially awkward doesn't realize when and when notto use profanities, or make suggestive remarks. For instance, while it may be acceptable to use curse words in a casual conversation with a good friend, you certainly don't want to use the same kind of communication with a boss, or someone you don't know well. The same with suggestive remarks. You would be fine making such a remark to a good friend, but do it to a co-worker, and it is considered to be sexual harrassment. It seems that people that use an excessive amount of profanity have a problem with social boundaries, too.
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On facebook, one of my old high school classmates updated her status saying that she got tickets to the AZ Cardinals playoff game and I made a comment back. I said "Lucky brat!" Normally, if it was my close friend and it was between us, I normally would say 'Lucky bitch!" but because I just reconnected with her after 20 years and FB is public, I changed it to a nicer comment. Didnt want people who didnt know me very well look down on me or offend my friend since I wasnt sure what her views were on profanity.
 
Aleser said:
I can agree that there are contexts where it's excusable- busting your finger with a hammer is one prime example!

But it belongs nowhere in polite conversation. There are other, less crude, ways to express what a profane word does. So yes, I do think it makes you look a lot less intelligent in that context. To me it says "I cannot think through what I say before I say it."
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:gpost:
 
It depends on the situation, mostly whether it's meritted. Letting loose a "fuck!" when you bust your thumb or swearing some when you're mad doesn't make you look any less or more intelligent. It will make you look less intelligent when the problem is very trivial, when you use it incredibly excessively to prove a point, or use racial slurs the way a telegram operator uses the word stop.
 
jillio said:
Yes. A person who is socially awkward doesn't realize when and when notto use profanities, or make suggestive remarks. For instance, while it may be acceptable to use curse words in a casual conversation with a good friend, you certainly don't want to use the same kind of communication with a boss, or someone you don't know well. The same with suggestive remarks. You would be fine making such a remark to a good friend, but do it to a co-worker, and it is considered to be sexual harrassment. It seems that people that use an excessive amount of profanity have a problem with social boundaries, too.
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I agree, I was curious to see how you viewed it this way. There is always a time and a place for this kind of talk. My point is - It takes common sense to know when to use the profanities or when not to use it.

I rarely cuss myself though but I've been known to cuss when I accidentally hurt myself or with a good/close friend that knows me well enough.

While it may not be aimed at the intelligence issue to use the profanities but however, when one engages into that on an excessive basis - that can also hamper down the conversation.
 
I think it makes you look less intelligent in your attitude or the way you deal with your issues. I don't think it's necessary to cuss. It's simply a habit that you form.
 
I agree that profanity make person less intelligent. Because person don't have proper word to fit in so profanity fills in whatever he or she can't think of word.


Overusing profanity turns anyone off and look down at person who use it. This create uncomfortable feeling around profane person and want to stay away from them. Sometime profane person is a short tempered or aggressive person.

Even I am just a Christian person. I don't profane except 'damn' 'crap' and few words. Hitting thumb with hammer does not make me burst with profanity. I do clench my teeth and made muffled yell thru my teeth but I took no thought of using profanity nor slipping it. It was easy for me but not for others. My friends and Church members were freaked out when I skinned my knuckle or arm while working on car or house and doesn't yell or say any profane words. I was a lucky few who can handle pains without profanity.


I have been around and team with most profane and perferted person at work (me and my co worker didn't have any choice to avoid but to deal with him). I'm used to it and feel numb over it so did my co workers who were in same situation like me. The big hearing guy name 'Brim' called 'M****F**** at me every time I climbed to the keying station platform or approach him any where on workfloor. Even just asking qq's, Brim say MF!, what! MF!!. When I was reading technicial magazine, he bulge his eye at me hinting " you look'n woman??". I smiled and proudly showed him the 'centerfold' and he turned away from me unamused :lol: When I nudge him (playing cootie on him) or brush by him, he backs out loading out profanities on me. He playfully trying to grab my private and I backed out quickly. Sometime he look at female with bulging eyes and looked at me and back to her hinting me to have sex with her. I told him you ask her, not me. Sometime he sign with both hand shaking crouch. I ignored him. Everytime I talk with him, he brew profanity and I talk with normal words. 3 years later, he began to ask me qq's without profanity which shocked me because it's a nice break to hear him not saying one profane word!

Overusing profanity make person less of his own person. It is a shewd way of using words in place of proper sentence. It make everyone numb and dull. This make others think this person don't have much education or don't read at all even instructions manual. Any Professionals who curses, swears, or cuss often are untrustworthy and unprofessional.

We all live in world of profanities. We can make world a little better if we strive Not to use it.

I am not trying to pull down wrath from others, just open minded fact.

Catty
 
I think in general it has more to do with someone not knowing how to choose their language based on their listener, rather than their overall intelligence. It is socially inappropriate to use profanity in a classroom, but at the same time it's socially awkward to censor your speech in a pub. So I think using profanity in situations where it's uncalled for just shows a lapse in judgment of what words will most likely appeal to your audience.
 
purplecatty said:
I agree that profanity make person less intelligent. Because person don't have proper word to fit in so profanity fills in whatever he or she can't think of word.


Overusing profanity turns anyone off and look down at person who use it. This create uncomfortable feeling around profane person and want to stay away from them. Sometime profane person is a short tempered or aggressive person.

Even I am just a Christian person. I don't profane except 'damn' 'crap' and few words. Hitting thumb with hammer does not make me burst with profanity. I do clench my teeth and made muffled yell thru my teeth but I took no thought of using profanity nor slipping it. It was easy for me but not for others. My friends and Church members were freaked out when I skinned my knuckle or arm while working on car or house and doesn't yell or say any profane words. I was a lucky few who can handle pains without profanity.


I have been around and team with most profane and perferted person at work (me and my co worker didn't have any choice to avoid but to deal with him). I'm used to it and feel numb over it so did my co workers who were in same situation like me. The big hearing guy name 'Brim' called 'M****F**** at me every time I climbed to the keying station platform or approach him any where on workfloor. Even just asking qq's, Brim say MF!, what! MF!!. When I was reading technicial magazine, he bulge his eye at me hinting " you look'n woman??". I smiled and proudly showed him the 'centerfold' and he turned away from me unamused :lol: When I nudge him (playing cootie on him) or brush by him, he backs out loading out profanities on me. He playfully trying to grab my private and I backed out quickly. Sometime he look at female with bulging eyes and looked at me and back to her hinting me to have sex with her. I told him you ask her, not me. Sometime he sign with both hand shaking crouch. I ignored him. Everytime I talk with him, he brew profanity and I talk with normal words. 3 years later, he began to ask me qq's without profanity which shocked me because it's a nice break to hear him not saying one profane word!

Overusing profanity make person less of his own person. It is a shewd way of using words in place of proper sentence. It make everyone numb and dull. This make others think this person don't have much education or don't read at all even instructions manual. Any Professionals who curses, swears, or cuss often are untrustworthy and unprofessional.

We all live in world of profanities. We can make world a little better if we strive Not to use it.

I am not trying to pull down wrath from others, just open minded fact.

Catty
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Very true. This is what I am tryin' to avoid some ADers here when they use that kind of language. It doesn't mean that they are tryin' to " low " or " belittle " me, but I can see that I am not their friend they want to make. It's alright by me, if they don't want to. I just don't like to hang out some people who use this profanity language towards me constantly. I think it makes them to look idiot. I am really sorry for sayin' that, but that's how I feel when I perspect it.
 
Jolie77 said:
In the bold - I am quite curious; If that person is making his/her points, In your eyes, Why would it still make that person look less intelligent when using profanities? What if that person wants to use the profanities to be able to express their feelings/emotions? What if that person has no idea or knowledge of how to bring it's point other than using the profanities?
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Jolie,

Maria answered pretty good and, since there are quite a number of college educated people on alldeaf, allow me to elaborate what most of us feel. You see, if someone came up to me screaming profanities, wanting something or a complaint, they would be asked to tone it down. I'd help them, but if I needed to repeat to limit the profanities, their chances for me helping them speedily are greatly reduced. If talking on the phone, I automatically drop the call by hitting the drop button. Doing so, they never heard the click of the receiver and yes, I have done it a few times. Talk to me intelligently or don't talk at all, as I don't have all day to decifer what you're trying to tell me through all the profanities.

Gruber may swear all he wants, but in the end, his phone call just got dropped. He can claim First Amendment all he wants to, I don't have to put up with the language and there is no law that says I have to.
 
Jolie77 said:
I agree, I was curious to see how you viewed it this way. There is always a time and a place for this kind of talk. My point is - It takes common sense to know when to use the profanities or when not to use it.

I rarely cuss myself though but I've been known to cuss when I accidentally hurt myself or with a good/close friend that knows me well enough.

While it may not be aimed at the intelligence issue to use the profanities but however, when one engages into that on an excessive basis - that can also hamper down the conversation.
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That is the only time I cuss is when I hurt myself.
 
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