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I’ve done a 50yr nonacademic, nonexhaustive, nonaccredited, noncritical analysis of profanity re words that last through the ages and find that the shock-value of most are time-stamped, culture-stamped, versatility-stamped, demographically-stamped and reference-stamped.

That’s why words like zounds and forsooth are no longer considered vulgarities though they were satisfactorily shocking during their period of popularity, since they were the act of swearing by the different parts of Christ’s body on the Cross. Bloody is a vile curse among the Brits that has no impact on those from other countries not culturally aware of the word’s backstory. This is true of many curse words and insults. There are even special family effronteries, my husband hates being called a “coward” (he’s not) or a “Dodo Bird” (hmmm, maybe sometimes), call me “fat” and die a quick, painful death. The key is whatever word or phrase used must be considered an insult.

The swear words that seem to last are most widely relatable to the largest amount of the world population in general, while those that seem ageless like “fuck” carry a shock-value that is cross-cultural, cross-generational, cross-racial and cross-gender and hold true to a clear understanding of its meaning through the years. They are timeless in there reference of private personal activities, conditions and situations that can be and are abused and not usually spoken about in polite society. When words like “mother” can be added to make the original word even more shocking, the insurrectional pleasure derived from their use increases as the amount of offense to the largest number of people who readily grasp the word’s or phrase’s vileness increases.

Ageless expletives carry a weighty power that exceeds their casual usage, since they call-up uncomfortable, disgusting or threatening situations, outcomes or entities that are generally relatable to the widest swath of the entire population. Nobody wants to “Go to Hell”, be referred to as or have bodily excrements or embarrassing activities associated with them, so enter “douche”, “puke”, “shit”, “cunt”, etc. Being called a “shit-head” or “puke-brain” is therefore instant incitement to anger. Goal accomplished.

The list is endless and ever-changing of swear words that go in and out of vogue, very few can stand the test of time. Examining why certain words continue to be so impactful to such a large number of people down through the ages reveals basic, more-or-less immutable truths held in common by all of us as members of one race and one tribe called Human.