What makes a bad word bad?

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2-01-2012 @ 6:13PM

Skarn said...

It's intriguing that in Matt's post, he freely uses certain "curse words" yet makes sure to mask other words that are offensive, but perhaps in a different way. Defying the idea that "words are just words." Matt recognizes that certain words are just plain not good to use, because of the meaning that society has attributed to them. That's the point though, the word itself only has the power that we give to it. I largely agree with what Matt said. I also quite like what Loop said. If there is only one idea I could get across, it would be this:

If you ever wonder why someone is bothered by certain words that you think are fine, I urge you to consider how you feel about other words that you consider NOT fine. The meaning you ascribe to a word may well be different from that of another individual. They are bothered because the word has a negative meaning, at least to them. You might think of it as a bundle of sticks, but to another person it could be a direct, personal attack on their self-worth.

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