I wish to register my mockery of Quora deciding that (a) a question about the use of the word fuck is automatically an Adult Question; and (b) much more importantly, that there shall be No Request From Suggestions available for any Adult Question. What would an Australian Quora term that, I wonder? Infantilising horseshit, I imagine.
Why people are so self centered and swear like that like everyone is for their own. Is it because I live in the suburb areas?
You know, I am a tolerant, latte-sipping, multiculti and gentle soul (irenic, in fact), and I repudiate my fellow nationals when they say shit like “Australia. If you don’t love it, fuck off”.
But part of the social contract when you live here is that you accept the culture of the majority, and make an effort to understand it rather than judging it. You will also find, if you investigate further, that there is nothing suburban about this. The Australian inner city likes to denigrate the Australian outer suburbs as bogans, which is an accusation of uncouthness; but any difference in swearing is only a matter of degree. There’s plenty of profanity in hipsterville too.
Australians enjoy profanity, like many societies do, as an expression of strong emotion. There are some added components to the Australian predilection, though I doubt they are unique to Australia; ask a Serb, for example. (In fact, I think I will: Lara Novakov?)
- The Australian popular strain of culture has defined itself in opposition to the British establishment. (Don’t forget the “convict stain”.) Profanity is its British working class/underclass inheritance.
- Australians enjoy profanity as a performance piece. Hence profanity directed towards birds. (And have you ever been swooped on by one of those bastards?)
- Australians swear to express positive as well as negative sentiments. It is an expression of strong emotion in either case, from a stereotypically taciturn people.
- Critically: this is not solipsistic, individualistic arrogance. This is a community norm. Not the entire community, but a critical mass of enough of the community accept it and revel in it. The premiss that “people are so self centered and swear like that like everyone is for their own” is one I have to reject.
Trace, back me up here; don’t restrict your reactions to Facebook! 🙂