Rebecca Roache, "For F*ck's Sake: Why Swearing Is Shocking, Rude, and Fun" (Oxford UP, 2023)
Feb 20, 2024
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Rebecca Roache explores the power of swearing in communication, discussing its multivalent nature, taboo meanings, humor, and judgments. The podcast delves into the philosophy, parenting approaches, ethics, controversy of the word 'c*nt,' sanitization of swear words, bias, empowerment, bonding, and trust associated with swearing.
Swearing is a powerful tool for communication, capable of inciting violence, increasing intimacy, and serving as punctuation in language.
Sanitizing swear words with asterisks can reduce offense in certain contexts, highlighting considerations of tone and message.
Swearing fosters bonding, intimacy, and trust in relationships by signaling shared understanding, comfort, and informal connection.
Deep dives
Understanding the Multivalence of Swearing
In this podcast episode, Rebecca Roach discusses the complex importance of swearing, highlighting its power as a communicative act. Swearing can incite violence, increase intimacy, or be used for punctuation. The meaning and impact of swear words are context-dependent, with certain words considered taboo in polite company. The psychological and neurological aspects of swearing are explored, revealing its role as a form of expression and stress relief. Roach emphasizes the importance of understanding the multifaceted nature of swearing and challenges societal biases towards who can effectively swear.
Sanitization and Offensiveness
The podcast delves into the concept of sanitizing swear words by using asterisks or other symbols to partially obscure offensive language. While this technique aims to hide the word, it also communicates consideration and solicitude, reducing offense in certain contexts. The success of sanitization depends on the overall tone and message conveyed. Additionally, the discussion raises concerns about biases in how people perceive and judge swearing, highlighting potential injustices and the importance of examining our reactions.
The Power of Swearing in Social Dynamics
Swearing serves not only as a tool for expressing intense emotions, but also plays a role in bonding, intimacy, and trust within relationships. The podcast highlights how swearing between colleagues or friends can signal a shared understanding, establishing a level of comfort and informal connection. It explores the idea that swearing can be a way to back people off or create boundaries, and examines its positive aspects, such as humor and trust-building, while acknowledging the need for respectful usage.
The Complexity of Language and Swearing
Rebecca Roach discusses the relationship between bias and swearing, examining how certain groups, such as women and black individuals, may face harsher judgment or experience double standards when it comes to swearing. The podcast raises questions about justice and fairness in responses to swearing, emphasizing the importance of unpicking shock reactions and evaluating potential biases. Furthermore, it underscores the challenges faced by disabled individuals and children who may have limited ability to effectively swear.
Future Projects
Rebecca Roach shares her current project, a book about indirect communication, which explores various forms of communication such as sulking, flirting, passive aggression, and gaslighting. The book aims to examine why indirect communication is prevalent, its ethical implications, and the intricacies of interpreting and employing veiled language. Roach expresses enthusiasm for exploring this subject and its connection to the broader themes discussed in the podcast episode.
Swearing can be a powerful communicative act, for good or ill. The same word can incite violence or increase intimacy. How is swearing so multivalent in its power? Is it just all those harsh “c” and “k” sounds? Does swearing take its power from taboo meaning? Why is swearing sometimes so funny? In For F*ck’s Sake: Why Swearing Is Shocking, Rude, and Fun (Oxford University Press, 2023), Rebecca Roache, host of the podcast The Academic Imperfectionist, offers us rich insights into the complex importance of swearing to help us understand who gets judged too harshly for doing it, why it’s important to be able to offend with swearing, why we might need to advocate for some swear words, and so much more.
Sarah Tyson is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado, Denver.
