Theist posters on this site, especially the character currently known as FIG, frequently complain about the use of strong language by other participants. I think this really a way of deflecting the discussion away from the obvious nonsense in their posts.

But maybe they have a point. Profanity and obscenity are important to our well-being. They have been proven to relieve pain and improve physical performance. Mark Twain said, “Under certain circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer.”

If we use these words all the time, their power is diminished. If I say "fuck" when I hit the wrong key while typing, what can I say when I cut my thumb off with a circular saw? The power of bad language comes from the shock factor. If we use them all the time, they're no longer shocking. So we either need to ration our use of fuck, shit, etc., or invent some new words with even greater shock value.

"Smeg" gained some currency after the writers of the the British comedy sci-fi series "Red Dwarf" used it as a swear word from the future. Any suggestions for other new obscenities?

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/the...