To think public conversation ought to have boundaries

[niceglassofdrywhitewine]

I may need to name change as I could be outing myself but, here goes.

I was on a train earlier in a university city at 6pm. A group of young men got on, they could be students but I was just guessing.

Anyway, their conversation was really loud and shouty and involved phrases like:

"that really fucked me up the arse, man" and "I was completely double fisted" shouted at full volume. The most inoffensive being how a man described himself as being under the thumb of his girlfriend and "she's got me totally whipped".

I know "the young" like to swear loudly always have and always will.

But I found it disgusting, disturbing and intimidating. They didn't give a toss that they were shouting this in front of women travelling on their own or children. Why do we have to use porn as metaphors? Doesn't this show how porn has permeated into the mainstream in a damaging way. I didn't say anything to them but shot them a Paddington stare and a cats bum mouth.

AIBU or have I turned into Mary Whitehouse?

I swear like a fuckin trooper but I wouldn't use those sentences in any kind of conversation let alone loudly in public crass little shits!

I'd have done the same as you OP

I'm sure that when you were young you left the older generation with plenty of mouthes like a cats bum. I'm sure I did and I'm a perfectly respectable member of society now, it's just part of growing up I think.

I disagree that it's part of growing up. I think most people would have more discretion/manners than to talk like that loudly in public.

I know "the young" like to swear loudly always have and always will.

Well not all of them really and certainly no more than the 'older'.

But having said that, some young people do eventually develop a sense of 'public awareness' when out and about, if they didn't already have it.

I think what I'm trying to say is, try travelling through a city when the pubs are turning out and then tell me that public swearing is about 'the young'.

It's really more about ignorant people who can't see past their own noses.

I hate to sound like an old fuddy, but I think a lot of young people are more 'free' with their language these days. We swore like troopers amongst ourselves, but not in front of 'old people' or loudly in public places. We wouldn't have sat in a restaurant or bus and said 'fuck this' or 'fucking that'. We just wouldn't. Damn and hell, yes. Possibly shit. But not fuck and not vulgar sex-based phrases or 'swears'. Of course, if we had we would have been asked to leave or would have been kicked off transport.

Times are different now.

theyre all very loud arent they-maybe i was aswell but i dont remember being crass

I hate this too. And whilst 'fuck' is probably my most common swear word and I use it fairly frequently, it wasn't when I was young. I don't remember EVER using the 'f' word with my mates when I was teens/twenties. People just didn't. (I'm in my 50s now). I certainly wouldn't have been using what was considered really foul language in a public place. And I don't think I've ever been 'completely double fisted'...

Some language used, e.g. double fisted, they possibly assume is only understood by them, and are getting kicks from this