I rarely swear, but I am also never offended by swearing: I find that dumb. It's like being offended by impossible ill wishes ("I'll get you a one way ticket to

I rarely swear, but I am also never offended by swearing: I find that dumb. It's like being offended by impossible ill wishes ("I'll get you a one way ticket to the dark side of the moon"). I am offended if you are trying to say how I am eg. stupid, whether you use swearwords or not. I am usually more offended if you are attempting to use a "polite" language than if you are just swearing at me: it significates a bigger effort. As such, I don't think swearing itself is dumb: it is language, a way of expressing oneself. While it's true that swearing might offend a certain group of people (you mention older than 85 or religious people, though I'd certainly challenge that it's majority of them that are easily offended), I personally care more about the opinion of people who care about actions and message rather than the form. I am obviously not a politician looking for majority approval. Also, it's nicer if children don't use swearing regularly, because it's only about challenging the authority with them, and not thinking through all the nuances of communication.