A new study from the psychiatry department in New York’s Bellevue Hospital examines the use of offensive language by medical staff, patients, and families. The results: “Swearing can also be used as a psychological tool in the service of helping. Swearing may provide a channel of catharsis for aggressive drives and affects that have been building in either the doctor or the patient.” The upside of profanity may surprise some people; Rex Ryan (NC-17 link) is not one of them. [%comments]
The Upside of Profanity
TAGS: health care, language
and 
. You can also watch it on 
If we could only be profane on the NYTimes blogs we would likely make inroads into the anger seething in America.
Whether catharsis is truly achievable through aggressive behavior is a subject of debate:
http://youarenotsosmart.com/2010/08/11/catharsis/
Profanity, moral or not, is truly unprofessional. The “youarenotsosmart” link is a great article, but the profanity makes it seem highly unprofessional. Same with Rex Ryan.
You have to wonder. Using “bad” language might be seen as social mores. Why there should be laws about social mores could be argued–the anarchist in me says “F**k Yeh”.
But perhaps human civilization demands that people follow these mores, like the innumerable small mores dictating how we behave on the road, or in public–don’t upset the herd.
These things evolve. In my life I have been sent to the principal for writing (!) “heck” in a class assignment. I don’t use a whole range of words heard commonly. British TV uses words forbidden on US TV. This must keep us safe somehow.
Occasionally I run across Goodfellows or similar video fare where the F-word has been redubbed. Amusing and not very good art.
So the study found out that cursing makes you feel better or helps you cope.
Fantastic. I could have told them that for free. How much of my tax dollars did it cost instead?
There is an upside to robbing banks, too — greater disposable income.
“Profanity … is truly unprofessional” Sorry, that’s entirely a question of context. My job puts me in the company of a wide range of workers, and while there are times where profanity would indeed be “unprofessional”, there are other times where avoiding profanity would create a barrier between me and my company’s customers that would simply make my job harder.
Ray,
assuming that you indeed pay taxes, which is a big a$$umption to make (side note, gee that felt good), given that there are over 150 million taxpayers, your out of pocket cost is less than one one-hundredth of a cent.