Tuesday, March 21

FUCK!

Excuse my French....maybe.



I was just reading in the Journal about how profanity is a measure of corporate culture because cussing is cool in some companies or grounds for insubordination in others. I think this is true in our company. It provides a creative outlet and expression to relieve stress and to also exclaim how happy you are about something. A design maybe? A statement that you agree with? Uttering the "F" word sometimes, maybe most times, is almost like enjoying a breath of fresh air. It pops the stress bubble. I know we use it alot around here, too much, but when saved for just the right moment, it can move mountains, at least internally. I do respect others who would be offended by the use of profanity, and also see opponents of swearing in the workplace or generally. It can be perceived as a sign of unintelligence, lack of education, or sexual harassment.



I have been trying to cut down on my swearing lately, which is funny that this article just came out. I really do not like how much bad stuff has been coming out lately. I am making a conscious effort to minimize, especially the Fbomb, the amount of badness that I say every day. I do think work has something to do with it, but mainly I blame just me and regardless of this article, I plan to stop.



" "Profanity will always offend someone, but the lack of profanity will never offend anyone."
Still, profanity is a barometer of corporate culture because cussing up a blue streak may be taboo to some companies and expected in others. It's used as everything from a social bonding tool to a badge of status, from a weapon to a substitute for it. Not least, it's a stress reliever when a paper tray doesn't know it's already full, a voicemail system doesn't recognize a password, or when an automated restroom faucet splashes your pants, suggesting incontinence that is good for no one's career.
"Uttering a profanity is almost like enjoying a breath of fresh air," concedes P.M. Forni, author of "Choosing Civility" and co-founder of the Johns Hopkins Civility Project. "



My coworkers and myself swear quite a bit. Mostly just for fun. It gets stressful and hectic here and after an hour, this requires some good ol' swearing. Whether it is used in one of our "office" expressions, or a collaborative gesture, we use it.
What is funny to me is that sometimes the lines are blurred between sounding pissed, or happy. People swear to express joy
or to state frustration.



So take this for what you will, but I think swearing has a time and a place.



Favorite Profane Office Expressions


(not all spoken by me)



"What the Fuck?"

"FTSB"

"Shit Bitch"

"Goddamn Sonofbitch"

"That's Bullshit"

"Shit!"



I hope this does not offend my readers. I could have used $#@*&% instead of the real word, but this gets my point across.



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1 comment:

AllBeehive said...

I think the only bubble you just popped is my parents "vision" of you the non-swearing FSIL that got their own daughter to cease the use of all profanity. Sorry Mom and Dad, I guess this was one thing I did on my own.

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