General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I'm confused by people who are offended by swear words. [View all]muriel_volestrangler
(101,306 posts)I would add that "fucking" and "intercourse" only slightly convey the same concept. Languages have shades of meaning, and you can't just substitute any word you find in a thesaurus entry for another and leave the meaning unchanged. The difference of both from "making love" is considerable too. "Fucking" is assumed to be for pure physical pleasure (and can have connotations of violence, sometimes - the derivation may be from words meaning 'strike'), or even instinct, rather than 'romance', 'love' or 'affection'.
Part of our use of words is to indicate groups we're in, and, sometimes, which we aren't - or which our listeners aren't. As Ocelot II says, sometimes we want to transgress. Yes, most modern people are offended by shitting - that's why toilets have doors on them (Romans, I understand, had communal toilets. More unsavoury was the shared sponges on sticks for wiping themselves afterwards). Fucking is also, in nearly every modern society, done in private too, and most DUers would understand offence at someone doing it casually in public. We all have customs, that may change gradually (we may not be offended by a passionate kiss in public now, but 150 years ago, our ancestors might well have been).