OMG? is this a rude thing to say?

[Timeisawastin]

Just that - the phrase 'Oh my God...'

I work as a TA with kids aged 8-10 and so many of them say this whenever they are frustrated, stroppy or feeling argumentative. I'm not religious but I certainly consider it an inappropriate phrase for children to use.

I had a chat with a couple of the girls today after one of them said it. Neither of them had any concept that this was anything other than normal, a it's a phrase used by all the family. I suggested that they might like to think of other things to say that won't sound so offensive or rude.

I fully expect that a couple of parents will complain about today's conversation if their girls repeat it.

AIBU?

I tell my DD off for saying it. She is 9. It doesn't offend me but it isn't nice language to use.

I don't have an issue with it in the sense of blasphemy - I'm Christian, and I would raise an eyebrow at someone saying it in church or in a serious context. But I think realistically, it has become quite normal vocabulary and there is no intention to 'take the name of the Lord in vain' (which, to be honest, is mainly a worry if you invest power in names in a way that modern Christians would find superstitious, or if you are actually swearing an oath by God's name, which clearly isn't the case here!).

I do however think it is a rude response to someone in the situation in the OP - unless they are surprised? If they're being asked to do something and say 'oh my god' as protest, no, that's not ok.

I'm an atheist and I say it. I don't think people are actually referring to a god when they say it. As someone pointed out it doesn't specify which god, so I don't see who could stand up and claim to be offended.

You know lately people keep saying "but it's a Christian country", "our culture is Christian" Well in that case the right to use the word belongs to all of us and not just a particular church.

Oh and I don't think 'Oh my goodness' is such a good substitute. After all in the mind of the speaker and listener it means 'oh my god' anyway. It's a bit like spelling it out.

I think it's the divide between ages. Technological, youth, vs anything else. It really doesn't strike me as anywhere important tbh.

Well, it also means precisely the same!

Does anyone really think 'my goodness' is politer, or is it just social convention? Because I think it's the latter.

I find it offensive, I tell my children that I do not care if the other children say it, I do not want them to.

They both love their grandparents and they are religious and would be most offended.

I would prefer that children are taught to use another phrase instead of this since it just sounds so horrible.

We are not a Christian family, and we are not talking about your god when we say oh my god. We are talking about our own, personal god.

Now, I know that you Christians believe that your god is the only god, but your beliefs do not get to dictate my vocabulary, just as mine do not dictate yours.

Your rights end where mine begin.

a while ago the supermarket, there was a girl aged maybe 11/12 who had spotted something or another and, in that over-exaggerated way the young things have, said 'oh! em! gee!' and I wanted to punch her .

However, generally I don't like children swearing, I have a absolute potty mouth myself and anything goes in the adult world, but I'm very careful around DD (4) and it's mainly 'oh my goodness'. I know she'll pick it all up sooner or later but I feel, hypocritically I daresay, that she shouldn't pick it up from her parents!

My three year old says 'Jesus' when he drops things. He learned it from me and his dad. He comes back fom nursery telling me not to say it, same with oh my god.

We are without religion.

It's just an expression.

Could be worse.

He could be saying 'fuck it'

DS saysit in an American accent, think he got it from Minecraft videos and it makes me insane - but as pps havr said, it's the intonation rather than the words.

Oh my goodness and oh my word are equally blasphemous by the way. As is by the way while we're at it - it's short for 'by the way of god'.

I don't find it offensive. I was brought up Catholic and my mum jumped on me whenever I said it and to this day will hiss "don't blaspheme" at me if I say Jesus Christ but won't blink an eye if I say Fucking hell. !!!

I wouldn't be annoyed at the words if my kids said it to me, but I likely would at the tone.

In term of not saying it in case it offends others - I will be respectful in a religious setting but I expect to say much what I like when I'm going about my daily business, particularly when it's something as innocuous as OMG.

My kids say 'Oh my God' & 'for God's sake' constantly and my eldest (16) says 'Jesus Christ' all the time.

We are catholic and I don't find it remotely offensive. I am irritated, however by twee or euphemistic alternatives.

i work in a school (infants) and i don't like it either and would tell the child accordingly if they said it in school.

i won't let my children say it either. i really dislike it intensely. someone i work with says "jesus wept" which i also can't bear. you're not being unreasonable i don't think

I don't find the phrase per se offensive, as I'm not in the least bit religious. However, if a child said, "Oh, my God" in response to being told to do something, I would certainly think that a rude response. But not because of the word God. If the child said, "Oh, my days" or whatever, it would be equally rude.

It's always a bit of a balancing act to decide how much to modify one's language if others have different beliefs/customs. I know some people who forbid their children to say the word "hate," but it's not a word I would ever ban. If someone was truly offended by hearing "Oh, my God," I would consider avoiding the phrase around him/her, though, since it would presumably be due to some deeply held religious beliefs. Or I might not, depending on how much I liked that person. :)

In my children's school, which is a non-faith school, they are not allowed to say Oh My God and were told it was because it does upset some people. My two do say 'omg' though. Oh My Goodness is a good alternative especially if you do start out saying it and only realise half way through!

It doesn't offend me in the slightest. I remember my father being really shocked when I yawned, stretched and announced that I was "knackered" over breakfast one morning when I was about 6.

I had no idea what it meant and the context, I had just heard it bandied around by my parents from a young age and thought it just meant tired

Knackered does mean wrecked tired, surely??? As in, only fit for the knackers' yard? Have I been more or less saying "I'm bolloxed" all my life?

"Oh my god" or "Jesus Christ" earned a reasonably stiff telling off for blasphemy when we were growing up - worse than saying "bloody" or even "shit" or "bugger" and nearly as bad as "fucking hell" (all directed at inanimate objects....if any of the above were said in a wearily defiant tone directed at the parent, who knows what wrath would have been upon us).

To some people, 'knackered' has to do with sex.

No idea why - to me, it's 'tired enough for the knacker's yard'!

I think knackered used to mean tired from (a lot of!) sex.

I think that is a more recent meaning?

'Knackered' in the sense of 'fit for the knackers' yard is centuries old.

(Though, that's a stupid thing for me to say because perhaps they're as old as each other!)

I do think it's important to make children aware that some people may be offended by it and that can have consequences. For example the interview panel in my place of employment would completely discount any applicant who used it.

I suppose the point is it's being used as a swear word and by its very definition, a swear word is an offensive word. So whether it's fuck, shit, bollocks, Jesus Christ, cunt, arsebiscuits, wankstain, smegging hell, the point is they are meant to be offensive.

No point in posting that 'Oh my God' isn't offensive and is just words as when it is used as a swear word (or an alternative to something considered much worse) surely it's meant to be offensive?

Otherwise just don't say any expletive at all?

What I meant to say I think is don't be fucking surprised when someone else is sodding well offended at the use of Oh my God