So this guy you probably don't know anything about and aren't losing anything for not knowing named JonTron recently tweeted "Playstation Now is the most painfully retarded thing I've seen in a while. WTF even."
Afterwards, one of his fans tweeted him back saying "please don't say retarded Jon, it's pretty rude. Thanks."
To which Jon replied, "I'm sorry, I forgot you were retarded, my bad."
This, of course, sparked a firestorm, which, as psulli put it, is caused by "information disseminated online [that will] dissipate in force within days."
Then this JonTron guy, after receiving a bunch of criticism, responds with this, along with the fact that tumblr should be declared a "national threat" (that is an entirely different discussion, though I am absolutely fascinated by the recent uprise in the belief that 'social justice' is some new phenomenon that spawned from Tumblr, the push-back against it, how it ties into /r/tumblrinaction, etc. etc. It's pretty crazy.)
So yeah, it pretty much sputtered off from there, he did an interview that is WAY too biased for me to even post here. But I'm interested in what you all think, because I can't find any serious discussions on the topic that don't devolve into shout-fests and name-calling, as the internet tends to do.
So. What do you think about the use of the word retarded in everyday life? Do you think it's offensive to use? Do you think the word has changed in the impact in its meaning, thus making it okay to use? I've noticed some people online saying that they've been saying 'retarded' for their whole life, and friends, family, and coworkers seem to have no problem with it. Does its use change when referring to inanimate objects/concepts like Playstation Now versus people, or do you think it should not be used as an insult either way? What about the usual 'retarded is just another form of stupid' argument? Does that hold merit?
I'm interested in your thoughts. I don't really have any particular feelings on the matter, besides the fact that I think it's dumb to think Tumblr is some monstrous place where people just want to scream at you about their "transethnic blah blah blah" privilege, which is just some straw-man used to beat back actual social progress. I also think his tweetlonger response was disingenuous and a way to deflect people away from an actual discussion about what he said.
I don't really know what to tag this besides askhubski. Make liberal use of the community tag, please and thank.
Edit: thank you for all the responses, you guys. It's been very informative going through all of them. You are all so much better than the rest of the Internet.
Growing up in the 80s and 90s, retard, fag, gay, etc, were all words that were thrown around without any thought whatsoever to their impact on people. To me, none should be acceptable to throw around in public anymore. I'm not perfect, however. I've been able to eliminate 'fag' from my vocabulary, and severely limit 'gay', but I occasionally use 'retarded'. It's something that I consciously try to not use, but old habits die hard. It's not a word I would choose to use, but sometimes reactions happen faster than thought.
I was essentially about to make the exact same comment, thanks for saving me the time. Growing up in the same era (relatively speaking) as you, I struggled with these three words as well. Like you, fag is gone, gay kind of stuck around a bit (but when I say it it never has anything to do with homosexuality and I literally don't mean it as a slur) and retard is the hardest to get rid of completely. -I wonder why? It's definitely the most socially acceptable still.
Same boat here, a few years in Boston has made "wicked retarded" the one that slips out the most. I used "Indian Giver" one time and I jumped on by the language police. I always thought it referred to how the White Devil would "give" the Indians stuff like the land they already owned and take it back but evidently it's about Indians acting just like White Devils and is offensive. I don't think I ever used it again. I still use queer in the traditional sense of the word and am not giving it up. In an example "I had a queer feeling of deja vu when the bloody clown emerged from closet holding the ferret." I don't accept that the word can not be used in the sense that it was used for a few hundred years because it's become a substitute for homosexuals in both a laudatory and derogatory sense. It's easier to get rid of gay, retarded and fag when they were always derogatory but a good honest word like queer is one that I have trouble censoring because it's connotations in my use are completely harmless, there is no negative energy bundled up in it's use to red flag it for me. I think if I naturally used the word gay to mean happy I'd feel much the same way.
This is about what I was going to say to a tee. I used to say gay/retarded. I had a teacher who broke the habit of saying retarded for everyone I know. I rarely say it, it is an extremely offensive word. I never got into the habit of saying fag, but gay was thrown around constantly when I was a kid. I stopped using that one when I found out one of my close friends was gay, as well as my brother. I felt really guilty every time I slipped up, so the habit was pretty easy to break.
I never use the words "retarded" or "gay," but my friends and I throw around the word "fag" a lot. I suppose I think of it as harmless, seeing that I've been in a homosexual relationship and honestly don't give a flying fuck. I don't care if my friend calls me a faggot. I don't care if a stranger calls me a faggot. If I'm acting faggoty, then call me a faggot. This of course transcends the main definition of the word in our culture. It has been redefined (at least around where I live) to mean something along the lines of "douchebag." Using the word as such is mostly non-offensive. If you're using the word "fag" to negatively compare someone to a homosexual, that's not okay.
He's digging himself so far he'll reach China by tomorrow. The old saying goes "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me" - except that words inform our actions. No, the literal word does not hurt you as every pedantic pseudo-intellectual will tell you as they posit why they should be allowed to say faggot without consequences because South Park said its ok now. You say something is "gay" in a pejorative way around someone who, somewhere in the recesses of his mind, thinks gay people are the scum of the earth and now you've just made that idea a little more acceptable to him. The same goes for every other word with negative connotations.
My daughter and I have replaced the word retard with Jack Black and retarded with Jack Blacked. So far so good.
Funniest thing I've heard all day. Under the movies that NetFlix thinks I would like is consistently "Bernie." I can't even look at the image for it because I find it so annoying. I mean, look at that character Bernie, he looks completely jackblacked:
It might be offensive but really it only offends like one guy any maybe his family.
Side note: definitely watch that movie. Fantastically made film by Richard Linklater, with a stellar serious performance by Jack Black, based on a true story with crazy recent conclusions. The story is so much fun to watch and you're really deeply invested in the characters. I tell everyone I know to see it.
I don't personally use it because I'm not interested in offending people, regardless of whether or not that offense is warranted, but I do think this is just another example of the euphemism treadmill at work.
This fucking "comedian" shit that everyone uses as justification. The best part of the "anything and everything" mantra was in response to the status quo, offensiveness was used to shock you into actually considering blatant things that we have assimilated into our lives unknowingly.. People can laugh at something that is painful and imbued with understanding. Or some caricature drawn to extremes, parodying stereotypes of detestable nature. But whenever you turn tools of a transgressive nature upon those who are already victimized, you have every right to do it, but you're just being a fucking asshole. And lazy too.
The fact that so many of the writers in this thread no longer use words perceived as offensive to some is evidence that in general we are moving towards a more sensitive, caring society. There seems to be greater awareness that words hurt. Once one has that awareness, Rossignol's wise directive: "Always remember - think before you speak" can be applied. Some groups, some populations, do not yet have that awareness. They get more aware if we all respond to their misuse of language and call them out on it. I imagine I will lose my attempt to get the word "douche" out of the lingo; however, when my students use that word, I inform them that it refers to a female sanitary device. They generally have no idea and don't want to imagine it. I'm not entirely sure if calling someone a douche or douchebag means they are useless and lazy or they are an evil, amoral scumbag. Either way, it sounds like a negative message being sent about vaginas. (Is it?)
I always interpreted it as a good thing (pro-vag if you will). Douching is a misguided and horrible thing for vaginas and calling someone a douche means that they're so horrible and toxic that they shouldn't be anywhere near a vagina.
That is the first, and only explanation for the etymlogy of the insult douche bag that I ever need to read. Perfect summation IMO.
How about proposing 'enema bag' as a substitute? It is more apt because insults are for sending negative messages about assholes, not vaginas. (Firefox's spellchecker assures me that the plural of 'vagina' is 'vaginae', but I don't believe it.)
Honestly, people are too worried about who might be insulted. The use of the word retard
-is not used as an insult when describing those who are retarted -does not result in a larger amount of dislike towards people who are retarted -is more often used by immature pre-teens as a general insult they use because they know it is taboo. Honestly, are we going to stop saying stupid, idiot, crazy? I don't plan on it, and those words came all from the same source retarded does. Anyone here ever say "God damn it"? Clearly an insult against christians, as you use god's name in vein. or calling someone an ass? Donkeys deserve better? Go on a vegan site, they will rave about specism, detesting the calling of police "pigs". There isn't an aspect of our language out there that isn't going to be found insulting to someone. So long as those words are not being used to cause actual damage, who gives a fuck about the language you use?
Disagree completely. I think "retard" is offensive and insulting any time it is used as a noun.The use of the word retard -is not used as an insult when describing those who are (sic) retarted
Well, if you think it it must be true! You may be suprised to find that the official term for people is/used to be "mentally retarted". I think there is a huge consensus that if you went up to an actually mentally retarted person and said "hah hah, you are retarted" you would be in the wrong.
No need to be a dick. You said it wasn't an insult. I could have said "well if you think it, it must be true!", too.
You're telling me that where you're from, if you call someone a "retard", it's not considered insulting?
'Cause I just don't believe that. Even when "retarded" was acceptable and not insulting (and I am old enough to remember that), it was still never acceptable to use the term "retard" or "tard" as a noun. It's much less acceptable now of course, but it was never okay.
Insulting to the person you called it, yeah. What? Are you talking about before the word was talking about the mentally handicapped? Because it wasn't common use before then, no? Or are you talking about before everyone got activism up on everyone using the word? The insult should be inherent to the word, not in if someone declares that they are insulted.Even when "retarded" was acceptable and not insulting
The official term for mentally handicapped people used to be "mentally retarded." But it isn't any longer, and besides, I think briandmyers's point was that "retard" was offensive, not "retarded" - he specifically said "any time it is used as a noun" (emphasis mine). Further, the example you gave is flawed because a.) "retarded" is no longer a PC term for the mentally handicapped, so of course people are going to be offended, and b.) clearly, if you're saying "hah hah, you are retarded", the intent is malicious, so taking offense is totally justified. To make a comparison - "The official term for African-Americans used to be the n-word. I think there is a huge consensus that if you went up to an actually African-American person and said 'hah hah, you are a n*' you would be in the wrong."
"Official term" is not the right phrase, but - it really was not that long ago that there was damn-near zero stigma attached to the use of "nigger". See Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn", for example - 1885.
Is there not less reason to be offended if the term doesn't even refer to them anymore? Unless you were calling someone who was (what's the new word then?) retarded. That's my point. The official term used to be negro. I do not believe the term nigger was ever the official word. And this is the internet, you know, you are allowed to say curse words here.a.) "retarded" is no longer a PC term for the mentally handicapped, so of course people are going to be offended
b.) clearly, if you're saying "hah hah, you are retarded", the intent is malicious, so taking offense is totally justified.
"The official term for African-Americans used to be the n-word.
Absolutely, but the term still does refer to the mentally handicapped. And it draws its meaning from a comparison to negative stereotypes of them. My mistake, you're right. I think you'll still find people offended if you call them negroes, though. Thanks, but I don't need your permission to curse. Dick. (I censored myself earlier to try and minimize unintentional offense. But if you take offense to this, it's not unintentional.)Is there not less reason to be offended if the term doesn't even refer to them anymore?
The official term used to be negro. I do not believe the term nigger was ever the official word.
And this is the internet, you know, you are allowed to say curse words here.
Don't feed the trolls. And in that way it is the same word as "stupid" or "idiot" or "crazy". The word has lost its meaning. People who use retarded now use it as a general curse/insult, not as a word with definition.
Not nearly as much as using the word nigger. In fact, AFAIK you'll get more a "why the heck are you using that word" reaction, so long as you aren't hostile in using the word. And I know you don't need my permission. I wasn't giving you permission. I was stating fact. You are allowed to curse on the internet.Absolutely, but the term still does refer to the mentally handicapped. And it draws its meaning from a comparison to negative stereotypes of them.
I think you'll still find people offended if you call them negroes, though.
I can't tell if you're admitting to being a troll, but if you are, I'm not holding this discussion for your benefit. What I do on this site is public, and I'm making this argument for the fraction of readers that will legitimately reconsider their opinions on whether or not to call some-one/thing a retard/retarded. The word has lost its meaning. People who use retarded now use it as a general curse/insult, not as a word with definition. I disagree wholeheartedly. Stupid, idiot, and crazy are all now far enough removed from their original definitions that they're acceptable to use as insults (see my comment about the euphemism treadmill); but retarded is most definitely not used as a "general curse/insult". It has a very specific meaning as an insult that is very specifically related to its definition as mentally handicapped. As an example, I didn't even consider calling you retarded because you told me I could curse, and not because I don't use the word retarded. That reason was superseded by another, more obvious reason: the common definition of retarded as mentally handicapped or something similar (which you'll find is still very much in use) doesn't fit what I was trying to say at all. Of course people won't be as offended, but they would still be offended. You might even find that they would be more confused than offended, but again, they would still be offended, which was my point.Don't feed the trolls.
And in that way it is the same word as "stupid" or "idiot" or "crazy".
Not nearly as much as using the word nigger. In fact, AFAIK you'll get more a "why the heck are you using that word" reaction, so long as you aren't hostile in using the word.
I am stating an opinion that I stand behind. I was referencing your "dick" comment. I've long passed the point that I just laugh at insults. Where do you think retard will be ten years down the line? And you do realize people only use the word stupid to describe when someone is being stupid. It is the exact same workings and systems as the word retarded. You didn't call me stupid there either. The goal is not to avoid people being offended, it is to avoid insulting and portraying a group of people as inferior. The use of retard does not do such a thing due to previous terminology existing, and due to the fact that nobody is or has ever used the term to refer to those who are retarded as inferior or deserving-bad-treatment. Yes, it does consider people being retarded as people who do stupid things. However, isn't that the definition of being retarded? It's like the term "throw like a girl" being said to a guy. Or "you look like a man" being said to a girl. Saying "Are you retarded" or calling someone a retard when they aren't is an insult, where-as calling someone who is is simply describing their status, no ill-offense is meant in doing so. Nobody who uses the word retarded to describe or insult another does so because they dislike retarded people. They use it because being called retarded is insulting for those who are not. Using the word negro to insult a person is to say "if you were more like a black person you would be a worse person". There is definite insult to be derived from that. More importantly, people who would use the word in that way would also probably be fine with using it for actual black people. If you were to call a black person a negro, I doubt many would really take offense. The word doesn't have that inherent "slur" to it that the word nigger does. It makes you sound like you are 60 and out of touch, but doesn't imply dislike or hatred. If you used it to describe people acing badly, however, it would.Stupid, idiot, and crazy are all now far enough removed from their original definitions that they're acceptable to use as insults
Of course people won't be as offended, but they would still be offended.
Exactly where stupid, idiot, and crazy are, probably. But it's not there yet, that's my point. Stupid never had a definition directly associated with mental handicaps like retarded did/does. Its first use in English (in the 1540s) already meant essentially what it means now (lacking ordinary mental quickness). Actually, that's exactly what most people do. The use of the term as an insult implies that its former definition is inherently negative. If anything, your argument about the etymologies of stupid etc. would be better served as an argument for not using those words rather than using retarded. Nope. Yup, and those are just as bad. No, but in doing so they imply that the mentally handicapped are fundamentally inferior. They use it because they think being called retarded is insulting, implying that they think being mentally handicapped is fundamentally a bad thing. See my previous point. And using the word retarded to insult a person is to say "if you were more like a mentally handicapped person you would be a worse person." You're just making the same argument over and over again, but it won't make sense no mater how many times you repeat it. Well, now we're discussing pure hypotheticals with absolutely no evidence, so that's pretty much useless. I've stated my position, and you yours. I'm going to sleep now.Where do you think retard will be ten years down the line?
And you do realize people only use the word stupid to describe when someone is being stupid.
nobody is or has ever used the term to refer to those who are retarded as inferior or deserving-bad-treatment.
Yes, it does consider people being retarded as people who do stupid things. However, isn't that the definition of being retarded?
It's like the term "throw like a girl" being said to a guy. Or "you look like a man" being said to a girl.
Nobody who uses the word retarded to describe or insult another does so because they dislike retarded people.
They use it because being called retarded is insulting for those who are not.
Using the word negro to insult a person is to say "if you were more like a black person you would be a worse person".
If you were to call a black person a negro, I doubt many would really take offense.
In that case replace stupid with idiot, moron, or crazy. It implies the mentally handicapped are mentally handicapped. Nothing more, nothing less. If it was of that implication, than why isn't it used as in insult towards those who are mentally handicapped? Just as saying to a girl "you throw like a girl" doesn't really happen. being mentally handicapped IS a fundamentally bad thing. Do you think those are handicapped would like to not be? Do you not think they would chance in an instant if given the choice? There is NOTHING good about being mentally handicapped, and there never will be. (discounting when the handicap is a specialization rather than a handicap.) What they are saying is "you are acting as if you are mentally handicapped" which is an insult to those who are not. It is not meant as an insult to those who are. An analog would be to say "you run like a cheetah" or "slow like a turtle". The person isn't insulting the animal, they are making a comparison that leads to be insulting.
Again, you fail to see the disparity. If I were to go around calling people black if I don't like them, I am likely doing so because I view black people as bad. If I were to go around calling people retards, I would be doing so because comparing a person to being retarded is insulting when that person is normal. This does not imply a dislike or a hatred for those who are retarded, it implies a comparison of someone to who they do not want to be like. In type A, you relate a class of people to a bad thing. In class B, you relate a class of people to the definition of that class of people. Just as when you tell a man, post puberty, that he hits like a girl. You are saying the man is weak. This does not imply any dislike of women, and it doesn't imply that the person views women as inferior-in-general. It is an insult-by-comparison that doesn't apply to the groups who are a part of that definition. Now, if you started using "girl" as in insult in any context, for anyone you don't like, then you fall into insult-zones. To be fair though, a decent amount of the use of the word retarded does fall into this category. However, I don't see that being a big issue, because my guess is most using the word in this way will stop as they grow up. And, in the jon-tron example, the word was not being used as a "general insult" in that way.Stupid never had a definition directly associated with mental handicaps like retarded did/does. Its first use in English (in the 1540s) already meant essentially what it means now (lacking ordinary mental quickness).
No, but in doing so they imply that the mentally handicapped are fundamentally inferior.
implying that they think being mentally handicapped is fundamentally a bad thing. See my previous point.
"if you were more like a mentally handicapped person you would be a worse person."
For starters I'm curious about what constitutes an "official" word. Second I'd suggest you take a class on post slavery or WWII African American literature (not being snarky for real, every one should, the cannon is pretty fantastic). If you do you'll see that the terms for referring to black people have evolved from Colored to Negro to Nigger. All three were the most accepted common parlance at one point in time with a host of different groups rejecting or embracing different ones at different times. Go a bit further and you get Black and African American but as far as official things go I don't think it's any more worked out and decided today than it was at any other time post slavery.
IMO the point is that the word retard was used as a noun as an insult for a general public audience. There may be some situations where you could use the word innocuously, but this clearly wasn't one of them. Stupid, idiot, and crazy have all evolved to be found less insulting in general. Some words lose their offensive connotations over time, and some gain them. Since the meanings of all words are contextual and exist in degrees, the onus is on both the speaker and the listener to consider the context and intent. IMHO Jon is being somewhat disingenuous, as are some of those responding regarding the degree to which they are offended.There isn't an aspect of our language out there that isn't going to be found insulting to someone. So long as those words are not being used to cause actual damage, who gives a fuck about the language you use?
I like what Tim Minchin has to say about a different word that is also sometimes taboo
I watched that a while back and it may have been you that introduced me to it. I liked it then and I just re watched it. It was even better the second time. That's some world-class comedic songwriting right there.
I have "retard" in the same category that I have "fag" and "nigger" - offensive. That's really weird for me, because I'm an incredibly vulgar person (I don't blink at "cunt" - my own hypocrisy, I'm sure). I wrote an article on "word re-appropriation" which is the process of repossessing a word (the most notable one I can think of is "queer" - another word I still detest). I think it's an overall useless objective: any word can be used offensively, trying to redefine the word isn't going to change what the people using it intend it to mean. As for the word "retarded" in general: I don't use it, and I cringe when people do use it. Why? I don't know, exactly. I have a distant cousin who's pretty severely handicapped - perhaps seeing some of his life has made me a bit more sensitive to it. Perhaps it was my High School Accounting Teacher, who was stoically against the word as her brother had a mental deficiency (her brother being one of the nicest people I know). I don't know if I have a solid reason for not liking that word. With "fag" and "queer" and "homo" I have a solid reason: I'm gay, and I find them very offensive. (Though, that begs the question, do you have to qualify for an adjective to find it offensive (I don't think so)?) --- As for tumblr: I don't consider tumblr "social justice" - I consider it, instead, the fetish-izing of ultra sensitivity. I find the tumblr group particularly annoying because they (using that term very generally) never seem to actually care, they only care because they're told they should. That, and they go far, far, overboard. For instance, on reddit I was called out for committing "trans erasure" because I thought the institutionalization of the word "xe" was idiotic. The same person later said, "Fine, then I don't respect your decision to call yourself gay." That's just ridiculous. They're unable to discourse in any respectable matter, and I think that's why tumblr gets a very bad wrap. --- Side note: I'm familiar with JonTron, and have always found him extremely annoying (DYKG is at least bearable, thankfully). None of this is surprising.
Not to split hairs here, but gay people and black people might not see with you on this one eye to eye. Not sure anyone has ever been lynched to cries of "retard," and I'm positive that "retard bashing" is not a thing. I don't think the word retard belongs in the same category as "nigger" or "fag." Frankly implying such a thing is more offensive than the words themselves.
I disagree. Plenty of people with mental handicaps have been beaten and murdered for it. Just a few sources. It doesn't get reported as much as violence against gays (a group I fall into) and blacks, (cynical moment: probably because it's not as 'sexy' for news media), but it's definitely there, and it always has been - all throughout history. Don't forget the Nazi practice throughout their reign of executing those with mental handicaps and birth defects (Nazi Germany wasn't anywhere near or the last nation to do this, but it's probably the most well known). It does belong in the same category, I think.
The majority of the conversation in this thread is around language, it's power, when and how it is offensive etc. It's a worthwhile conversation that was merely sparked by this tweet. Sometimes a good conversation can have seemingly trivial origins. The OP seems to recognize this in the post. Think about that for a moment.
I don't think the point is to discuss JonTron's post but rather to use it as a springboard to ask the question about the use of "retarded" on Hubski. After all it's a word where reactions range from "Who gives a shit" to "I think it's an outdated term" to "old habits die hard" to "People who use it are assholes". Even if you already have an opinion on the term, it's still helpful to gauge the community, let you step on a toe (Or, hey, now one can link this thread to cover their ass down the road).
To retard, grammatically, is a verb. The word unquestionably outdates its use to identify people with Down's Syndrome. I don't really understand how a word that doesn't apply to people with DS anymore (medically speaking) is still considered an insult toward people with DS even when not talking about people with DS. I guess if you call a person "retarded," you are invoking that definition. But clearly if you call Playstation "retarded" you don't mean that it has DS. I'm not a fan of taking offense every time the word is used because my brother's sister-in-law's best friend's kid has DS.
To me, this JonTron guy used the word effectively. He expressed it once, his audience told him he was rude, he then went and expressed the word again. Looks like he was using that word to demonstrate that he wanted to be perceived as an asshole. Mission accomplished JonTron. Awesome dialogue on swearing. Reminds me of George Carlin's "7 Dirty Words".
I make an effort to not use the word and I try to suppress other ableist adjectives like "lame" and "blind" as well unless they are in a literal sense. It's surprisingly difficult, especially concerning mental health references like "idiot" and "crazy", as they're so deeply ingrained in our culture and my speech that it's almost reflexive.
"I'm sorry, I forgot you were retarded, my bad." I think it would be unfair to look to apply opinions on the above example to all instances of the word retard. It would be unfair for me to say it is totally meaningless. I've read that swearing can be split into five broad categories: emphatic, cathartic, idiomatic, dysphemistic, and abusive. I think a lot of people will take the above to be abusive, but functionally I only see it as dysphemistic. There is no truth to the statement. He knows that, the victim knows that, and everyone else knows that. It substitutes a lesser word but really causes no more harm, and in that sense I would say it's relatively meaningless. Anyone who takes it as a synecdochial attack on the retarded probably needs to be insulted to add some spice to their life. I do pity him for his boring insults though. It's going to be a tough life with the constant feeling of l'esprit d'escalier if he continues like that. Always remember - think before you speak.
Those categories would be from Steven Pinker's book The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature. I can certainly see a dysphemistic quality to its usage, and I think there is also an idiomatic component to it as well. He's clearly trying to making a statement about political correctness when he uses it as a reply the person, further evidenced by the fact that he brings up "social justice tumbler etc." later on. You seem to reject the notion that there is an abusive quality to it, but I would argue that regardless of which category certain word usages fall into, particular ones like faggot, nigger, cunt, and in this case, retarded, pretty much always have some degree of abusive quality built into their contemporary usage, regardless of their intent. For reference, here are Pinker's categories with descriptions: Abusive Swearing - Abrasive words designed to insult. Idiomatic Swearing - Attention-grabbing, establishes informality and asserts ‘coolness’. Emphatic Swearing - Similar to idiomatic swearing, used for emphasis. Cathartic Swearing - A response to stress e.g. spilling hot coffee over yourself.Dysphemism - Intentional usage to elicit a strong emotion. cf. Euphemism.