I Swear It's True: Swearing Is a Bad Idea

Swearing has been much in the news lately. Consider these incidents just in the past few weeks:

In politics: Bob McDonnell, the GOP candidate for governor in Virginia, said in a Sept. 11 live radio interview: "I'm going to find other ways to be able to fund transportation. I've outlined twelve f—ing funding mechanisms that are creative, that are entrepreneurial."

In the media: On the Sept. 16 WNYW Fox newscast, Ernie Anastos, a New York anchorman, told the weatherman to “keep f—ing that chicken.” Evidently unaware of the slip, he kept talking, while his co-anchor looked stunned. The bleeped YouTube clip has been shown on virtually every talk show.

In sports: Serena Williams exploded after a lineswoman called her for a foot fault in semifinal tennis match. "If I could, I would take this [expletive deleted] ball and shove it down your [expletive deleted] throat," Williams told the lineswoman after the call. She lost the match and was fined $10,500.

After incidents like these, the perpetrator usually apologizes for a “slip of the tongue.” But I have always felt that if profanity were not a normal part of the speakers’ everyday vocabulary, it probably wouldn’t “slip out” during a public appearance.

Year ago when I left Hallmark Cards and started working at Barkley & Evergreen (now Barkley), I was amazed at the amount of swearing I heard every day in the office. Personally, I made the decision that it was never a plus – and often a minus – to use swear words.

I did witness an occasion when profanity cost an ad agency the opportunity to gain a new client. In a presentation meeting the two agency vice presidents both used the f-word several times. The prospective client happened to be a very conservative man who had been known to walk out of marketing meetings when he deemed a presentation to be risqué. I knew immediately that there was no way he would award a half-million dollar account to that agency. He didn’t.

Swearing can damage your personal life as well by hurting your chances of finding someone to spend your life with. When I used to teach my “How to Meet Your Mate in 90 Days or Less” class, I urged participants to “put your best self forward” by avoiding expletives. Men especially are not attracted to dates with a foul mouth.

I think swearing insults the audience in two ways. First, it shows the speaker doesn’t value the listeners’ opinions enough to watch his words. Second, the speaker often looks upon the listeners as hopelessly un-cool and out-of-date if they are offended or annoyed.

Whether you meet someone in a business or personal situation, spouting profanity never makes a good impression.

What do you think? Do you have any examples to share?