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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

... to be offended by people swearing loudly in public?

26 replies

Chil1234 · 26/06/2010 15:26

"For f*k's sake Becca, you're such a fking c*t!" was the very audible opinion of the braying teenage girl walking behind me and young son through the shopping centre just now. (What 'Becca' thought I didn't stick around to find out)

I can't be the only one that finds this kind of thing offensive. For the record, I'm not some swooning Edwardian miss and I can cuss with the best of them if required but surely there's a 'time and a place' for letting rip with the expletives? What is it with these people? Where were they dragged up?

(If she hadn't been the hefty type with tattoos poking out from her crop-top I might have felt brave enough to have a word...)

OP posts:
thelunar66 · 26/06/2010 15:29

YANBU

It makes me cringe.

OldLadyKnowsNothing · 26/06/2010 15:50

[sarcasm] But she's talking on the phone, therefore it's a private conversation and you shouldn't have been listening.[/sarcasm]

YANBU at all. I hate people who abuse public spaces like that.

ProzacTheGiggleFairy · 26/06/2010 16:05

I can't stand people swearing loudly in public, especially when I have my dc's with me.
I hear it so much on the walk to school, where some parents are using all sorts of insults aimed at their kids.

I'm no angel & I swear quite a bit, but there is a time & a place for this, and definately not in front of children.

Tryharder · 26/06/2010 16:38

Totally agree. Our old neighbours used to go out on Saturday night, get pissed and then come home screaming at each other at midnight e.g "you fucking c*nt" etc etc.

Thank God they moved.

Caoimhe · 26/06/2010 16:41

I agree it is awful - some people's only grasp of adverbs or adjectives are swear words - I hate it.

Original poster
Chil1234 · 26/06/2010 16:42

Would/have you ever ask someone to apologise? I once tutted 'language!' at a young bloke and, to his credit, he did mumble an apology - but I'm not that brave most of the time. Maybe collective social cowardice is part of the problem?

OP posts:
TastesLikePanda · 26/06/2010 16:44

NBU at all - I swear like a trooper at home with DH and friends etc, our 'word of the day' was once c*ty-bo*ocks...
In public though is a completely different matter - no need for people to be offended and that language is deliberatly used to offend everyone listening. I suspect the 'lady' in question was dying for someone to start a fight with.

OTTMummA · 26/06/2010 16:44

YADNBU, i actually say, do you mind, there are children around.

most of the time they scarper of sheepishly, but ive had a few people just rant of at me all the swear words in their vocab to piss my off even more.

Its disgusting, rude and unattractive.

OTTMummA · 26/06/2010 16:45

ME sorry

MrsC2010 · 26/06/2010 16:59

YADNBU

maltesers · 26/06/2010 17:05

YANBU. . .its so offensive to fowl mouth in public. . . .they do it to get attention and are ignorant .
I really hate it when my 9 yr old is with me and hears it. . .as he has heard enough rude words from my older two (19 and 22yrs) when they lived at home. !!

Numberfour · 26/06/2010 19:08

YANBU at all. I detest it.
And I can swear like a sailor when the mood takes me (and I am not in the presence of children).

However, I am too scared often to ask someone to stop!! On one occasion I did, and I almost got a smack. I had DS with me and I bundled him into the car and sped off asap!

constantlytired · 26/06/2010 19:51

YADNBU - We're having terrible issues just now with neighbours. Cos of the nice weather, they sit out in the back garden from about 4 till all hours and the language is unbelievable...On 3 occasions, i've had to bring kids in as i don't want them listening to it....makes it even worse that its in their own garden. I'm trying to pluck up confidence to go over as i've never chapped on a neighbours door yet, and have real issues with confrontation, but its ridiculous. I can't believe how rude people are, and don't think they care either

expatinscotland · 26/06/2010 19:57

YANBU.

Part of the reason we moved to the middle of nowhere is not to have to put up with stuff like this.

LittleSilver · 26/06/2010 20:48

Ditto expat. Sheep don't swear grin

Seriously though, challenge them. I do all the time; teenagers, adults; I'm not picky.

I was on a train last year and there were a bunch of baby Marines on it (they looked about 15 but must have been slightly older). One of them said "shit", then caught my eye and cowered away saying "sorry, sorry"

My mama said to me when I was recounting "But you could have been stabbed!"

I can't stand bad language.

Bechka · 26/06/2010 21:15

YANBU, it's vile.

Today I heard one woman telling her child in a pushchair to "shut the f* up". So sad.

lilllysa · 26/06/2010 21:25

YANBU!

Walking home from school yesterday I heard one mother one the phone saying VERY LOUDLY "Tell that divvy c*t I'm gonna fking puching his fking face in when I get home" followed by "I dont care if he's in his fking cot, wake the f*ker up and I'll knock him out"

Parenting at its best!

NestaFiesta · 26/06/2010 21:32

YANBU. Totally agree. Am I getting old or did this not used to happen? I'm sure I didn't hear adults swear in public when I was growing up. Its sheer ignorance and doesn't consider others at all. I too have heard "Fck off you cnt" in front of my inquisitive 4y old DS1, currently having speech therapy and I despair. Rather than sounding cool, it makes people sound like thick pigs.

Sorry-I am trying to learn to form an opinion. Beleive it or not, I am 40 not 85, but we've got to have to have some standards!

Jamieandhismagictorch · 26/06/2010 21:35

YANU . I swear myself, in private, or on MN, but it's not on in the street.

I too have pointed out to swearing teens when there are small DCs about. Most of the time I've had an apology from them (boys, not girls - I'm scared of them

Jamieandhismagictorch · 26/06/2010 21:35

YANBU

LynetteScavo · 26/06/2010 21:41

yanbu

And I already knew she was hefty with tattoos.

lefroglet · 26/06/2010 21:46

YADNBU! I hate it. Just the other evening (about 10 past 7) I heard a horn beep and saw some of the local teenagers out on the pavement - some of them were cycling in the main road forcing traffic to swerve. The person who beeped obviously got a load of abuse and so walked back up the road after he had parked at his house to ask the names of the people who had shouted at him. The boys all wandered off to the corner of our road, about 20 metres away and the girls spoke to the man. As the man walked away, the lads began screaming and shouting "F*k off you cnt", "Stupid f*cking C*t" etc etc.

My mum ended up shouting out the window to stop as it was people gathered at her immediate neighbour's house; the girls had started shouting the same things. The girls then started saying "Who the f*k does she think she is, stupid f*king nosy neighbour?". I don't want to sit in my own home at 7pm listening to it - I rang the police non emergency number to report them as there is problem in this area with arson, criminal damage - even incidents of a teenage boy exposing himself women (one an old lady after he knocked on her door one evening).

Sorry for the rant. It's just this total lack of thought for anyone around you that makes me sooooooo

scanty · 26/06/2010 21:49

why I'm glad I don't have to use public buses. Not only is it ugly and intimidating but they seem to enjoy that the have a trapped audience. Little shits!

ShellingPeas · 26/06/2010 21:52

YANBU.

However today when walking along the road with DD, a young man walked towards what must have been his car with a parking ticket, swore loudly, and then apologised profusely to me for swearing in front of my DD.

It made me think rather kindly of him (in a motherly sort of way, naturally).

expatinscotland · 26/06/2010 22:04

I'm glad we don't have to use buses, either.