Quote Originally Posted by Eric C. View Post
Yeah, but is that any bad?
Not at all, I'd say that desensitisation to profane language is a good thing, as it doesn't make any sense to be offended by a single word. The vast majority of the meaning of words comes from context - even the word "fuck" can be used in a positive way for emphasis, for example "that's fucking brilliant!"

The point I'm really trying to make is that Russian мат isn't really any more obscene than English profanity. The difference is that more people are likely to be offended by мат, because they aren't desensitised to it. Similarly, in England 50 years ago, the phrases "damn it" or "to hell with it" would have been considered more rude than phrases such as "fuck it" or "that's such bullshit" would be considered now. That doesn't mean that "damn it" is actually more rude than "fuck it", it just means that people were more offended by it.

^ Highlight to show obscene words ^