gendered attitudes to use of swear words<!-- --> | <!-- -->The Australian Dictionary of Invisible Culture for Teachers

The Australian Dictionary of Invisible Culture for Teachers


gendered attitudes to use of swear words

attitude: some people can think like this (see more)

Some people in Australia think like this:

It is bad if a woman says swear words.

It is bad if a man says swear words when he says something to a woman.

Note

This is an older attitude towards the use of swearwords in Australia, although it nevertheless still exists, particularly with regard to young women and girls, women in workplaces, and older generations. Note that 'to a woman' doesn't mean swearing at a woman, just in conversation with a woman. The application of this attitude to different situations is also tied up in the 'severity' of the swear word in question. Today, few people would comment on using 'bugger' in front of a woman but most will comment on using 'cunt'. 'Fuck' varies.

"At a weekend barbecue, Allan and his wife, Tracey, were talking to Allan's friend, Rick. Rick said 'Look,—excuse my language Tracey—fuck them, they're cunts. You don't need to worry about it.'"

usage of swear wordsusing swear/curse words in high solidarity situationsswear words


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