When I was a child and first became aware of random four (and three) letter words that I wasn't supposed to say, I was also aware that there were more swear words that I didn't know. The only thing that I knew about them was that they had more than four letters in them and that they were words that I hadn't yet learned. I was also given the distinct impression that they were at least marginally more offensive than the shorter words that I knew.
Years later, I started encountering some of those longer swear words. And, as I did, I recognized them as the fabled words that I had heard about when I was kid.
However, I've found over the last five years or so, that most people I know don't consider them swear words. They are fully aware that the words are inappropriate, yet they seem convinced that the words are still acceptable to use from time to time.
It kind of confuses me. It's almost like everybody just assumes that since we didn't learn the words when we were in elementary, along with the three and four letter swear words, that it's okay to say them.
It's not okay. So stop it.
PS. One of the words--which has become slang for a male who manifests his masculinity in undesirable ways--can't actually be used without the word instantly applying to the person using it.
