Why dirty words can cast magic spells. [View in browser](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnKLf7P4QpAWh0dHBzOi8vbWVzc2FnaW5nLWN1c3RvbS1uZXdzbGV0dGVycy5ueXRpbWVzLmNvbS90ZW1wbGF0ZS9vYWt2Mj9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zOSZlbWM9ZWRpdF90eV8yMDIzMTEwNCZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMDY4NzYmbmw9b3Bpbmlvbi10b2RheSZwcm9kdWN0Q29kZT1UWSZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTQ5MTc3JnRlPTEmdXJpPW55dCUzQSUyRiUyRm5ld3NsZXR0ZXIlMkZkNTUyMDYzYy1iNGMyLTUyMjctYTBkYS02YjE4MGYxMzAwNzMmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgplQvsyRmUI8-vfUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~)|[nytimes.com](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnKLf7P0SxaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM5JmVtYz1lZGl0X3R5XzIwMjMxMTA0Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTEwNjg3NiZubD1vcGluaW9uLXRvZGF5JnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNDkxNzcmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmVC-zJGZQjz699SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~)[Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-ad-marquee)
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Photo illustration by The New York Times; photograph via Getty Images By Rebecca Roache When my sister and I were little, there was a word we wouldnât utter, even to each other. We referred to it reverentially as the Very Rude Word. Eventually, we worked up the courage to use it â not with grown-ups, of course, just with other children â but even then, we didnât use it in sentences. It was enough to utter it alone, in hushed tones, gleefully savoring the naughtiness of it. You might have a similar story about your own initiation into swearing. Parents donât teach their children how to swear, only not to swear â and so we acquire our sweary vocabulary on the linguistic black market from older children, music weâre not supposed to be listening to and other bad influences. Swearingâs aura of naughtiness remains even as we reach adulthood and allow ourselves to indulge in it. âThe words acquire their strong expressive power in virtue of an almost paradoxical tension between powerful taboo and universal readiness to disobey,â the philosopher Joel Feinberg remarked of swearing. Why, though, is it these words in particular that weâre not allowed to say that can produce a powerful reaction in us when we hear them in polite contexts â a job interview, a funeral, a meeting with oneâs future in-laws? And what sort of âoughtâ is involved in the widely held belief that we ought not to swear? When I started thinking about these questions in 2014, I looked for philosophersâ answers and was surprised to find none. So I began to write the book, from which my recent [guest essay](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnKLf7P0TgaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMy8xMS8wMS9vcGluaW9uL3N3ZWFyaW5nLWxhbmd1YWdlLXBvd2VyLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzkmZW1jPWVkaXRfdHlfMjAyMzExMDQmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTA2ODc2Jm5sPW9waW5pb24tdG9kYXkmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE0OTE3NyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKZUL7MkZlCPPr31IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD) for Times Opinion is adapted. Swearing can be offensive, of course, but it can also help us withstand pain, foster intimacy and raise a laugh. In my essay, I lift the lid on how it manages to do all this. READ REBECCAâS FULL ESSAY HERE [GUEST ESSAY The Secret Power of Swearing The linguist Geoff Nunberg wrote that âdirty words are magic spells that conjure up their references.â By Rebecca Roache](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnKLf7P0TgaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMy8xMS8wMS9vcGluaW9uL3N3ZWFyaW5nLWxhbmd1YWdlLXBvd2VyLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzkmZW1jPWVkaXRfdHlfMjAyMzExMDQmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTA2ODc2Jm5sPW9waW5pb24tdG9kYXkmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE0OTE3NyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKZUL7MkZlCPPr31IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD) [Article Image](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnKLf7P0TgaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMy8xMS8wMS9vcGluaW9uL3N3ZWFyaW5nLWxhbmd1YWdlLXBvd2VyLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzkmZW1jPWVkaXRfdHlfMjAyMzExMDQmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTA2ODc2Jm5sPW9waW5pb24tdG9kYXkmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE0OTE3NyZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKZUL7MkZlCPPr31IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD) [Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-universal-0) ADVERTISEMENT [Ad](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnKLf7P0SXaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9NTk3ODUmbGk9VFkmbT1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkNyZwPVRZXzIwMjMxMTA0JnRlPTEmbmw9b3Bpbmlvbi10b2RheSZlbWM9ZWRpdF90eV8yMDIzMTEwNFcDbnl0QgplQvsyRmUI8-vfUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) THE WEEK IN BIG IDEAS [[Article Image] Milagros Pico](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnKLf7P0TlaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMy8xMS8wMi9vcGluaW9uL2FiYmEtZGFuY2luZy1xdWVlbi1wb3AtbXVzaWMuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zOSZlbWM9ZWRpdF90eV8yMDIzMTEwNCZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMDY4NzYmbmw9b3Bpbmlvbi10b2RheSZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTQ5MTc3JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgplQvsyRmUI8-vfUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~)
[GUEST ESSAY Jeff Tweedy: I Thought I Hated Pop Music. âDancing Queenâ Changed My Mind. It feels good to come clean. By Jeff Tweedy](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnKLf7P0TlaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMy8xMS8wMi9vcGluaW9uL2FiYmEtZGFuY2luZy1xdWVlbi1wb3AtbXVzaWMuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zOSZlbWM9ZWRpdF90eV8yMDIzMTEwNCZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMDY4NzYmbmw9b3Bpbmlvbi10b2RheSZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTQ5MTc3JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgplQvsyRmUI8-vfUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) [[Article Image] Gabriel Bouys/Agence France-Presse â Getty Images](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnKLf7P0TraHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMy8xMC8zMS9vcGluaW9uL21hdHRoZXctcGVycnktbG9uZWxpbmVzcy1hZGRpY3Rpb24uaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zOSZlbWM9ZWRpdF90eV8yMDIzMTEwNCZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMDY4NzYmbmw9b3Bpbmlvbi10b2RheSZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTQ5MTc3JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgplQvsyRmUI8-vfUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~)
[GUEST ESSAY Matthew Perry and the Loneliness of Addiction He was a brilliant performer, but his honesty will be his greatest legacy. By Patti Davis](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnKLf7P0TraHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMy8xMC8zMS9vcGluaW9uL21hdHRoZXctcGVycnktbG9uZWxpbmVzcy1hZGRpY3Rpb24uaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zOSZlbWM9ZWRpdF90eV8yMDIzMTEwNCZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMDY4NzYmbmw9b3Bpbmlvbi10b2RheSZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTQ5MTc3JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgplQvsyRmUI8-vfUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) [[Article Image] Illustration by The New York Times; photograph by Yuki Iwamura/Associated Press](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnKLf7P0TnaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMy8xMC8zMC9vcGluaW9uL3ByaW5jZXRvbi1jb2x1bWJpYS1pc3JhZWwtZ2F6YS5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM5JmVtYz1lZGl0X3R5XzIwMjMxMTA0Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTEwNjg3NiZubD1vcGluaW9uLXRvZGF5JnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNDkxNzcmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmVC-zJGZQjz699SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~)
[GUEST ESSAY The Discourse Is Toxic. Universities Can Help. Campuses must protect free speech but equally advocate mutually respectful dialogue. By Amaney Jamal and Keren Yarhi-Milo](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnKLf7P0TnaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMy8xMC8zMC9vcGluaW9uL3ByaW5jZXRvbi1jb2x1bWJpYS1pc3JhZWwtZ2F6YS5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM5JmVtYz1lZGl0X3R5XzIwMjMxMTA0Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTEwNjg3NiZubD1vcGluaW9uLXRvZGF5JnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xNDkxNzcmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmVC-zJGZQjz699SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAw~~) [[Article Image] Andrew B. Myers](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnKLf7P0TraHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMy8xMC8yOS9vcGluaW9uL29ubGluZS1zaG9wcGluZy1lY29tbWVyY2UtbmV3LXlvcmsuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zOSZlbWM9ZWRpdF90eV8yMDIzMTEwNCZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMDY4NzYmbmw9b3Bpbmlvbi10b2RheSZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTQ5MTc3JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgplQvsyRmUI8-vfUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~)
[GUEST ESSAY The City That Never Sleeps ⦠or Shops in Person New York is clogged with packages ordered by residents who buy online far more than they need to. By Sonja Anderson](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnKLf7P0TraHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMy8xMC8yOS9vcGluaW9uL29ubGluZS1zaG9wcGluZy1lY29tbWVyY2UtbmV3LXlvcmsuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zOSZlbWM9ZWRpdF90eV8yMDIzMTEwNCZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xMDY4NzYmbmw9b3Bpbmlvbi10b2RheSZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTQ5MTc3JnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0QgplQvsyRmUI8-vfUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAM~) [Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-universal-1) ADVERTISEMENT [Ad](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRnKLf7P0SYaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MjAxODEyJmxpPVRZJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1UWV8yMDIzMTEwNCZ0ZT0xJm5sPW9waW5pb24tdG9kYXkmZW1jPWVkaXRfdHlfMjAyMzExMDRXA255dEIKZUL7MkZlCPPr31IbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAD) Subscribe Today New York Times Opinion curates a wide range of views, inviting rich discussion and debate that help readers analyze the world. 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