Why people use abusive language?

[devdahiya]

I run the risk of being branded as someone with poor upbringing, family tradition (?), sick mind with sado-masochistic inclinations nevertheless, I must admit I swear by the words to swear by.

It's not that I get down to business with each and everyone and start addressing them with the choicest of adjectives, however I unfailingly call some really close friends with a common noun, a which is second only to Saala in terms of usage and invariably follows it -- C*$#!A. One school thought doesn't even want to term it as a gaali.

The beauty of this swearword is that its a relative term and a great equaliser. If you are good you are ....., If you are bad you are ...... If you are rich you are ......, if you are poor you are ...... For the Hindus , Moslems are ....... and vice versa so on and so forth.

An all inclusive term, which can embrace whole humanity and even animal kingdom sometimes in its domain and I bet you cannot find an equally potent and effective counterpart of it in English.

Another confession, I must make is regarding my hobby which is to collect the swearwords in different languages. I can boast (Hmm there r some frowns) of being able to return compliments in 9 of the 18 official languages listed in India besides Japanese, Russian, Arabic, French, Spanish and ofcourse English on a global playing field.

On a more serious note, Gaalis are easy mode to vent out one's frustration and a potent weapon of the poor. Afterall a policemen can thrash a rickshaw wala any time but as soon as he's out of sight, the rickshaw wala can console himself by doing the Maa Behen of his perpetrator.

What about those who have never met you,never seen you and have nothing to do with you....but still abuse you....What name will you give these kinda people and why they do it....specially in public forums.With friends and close ones we do exchange peculiar adjectives for an effect and to be informal and thats fine but people from no where start abusing one's mother,sister and whole family? I call it mental sickness which needs treatment.

 

[panward]

Don't treat 'em, Lynch 'em

What about those who have never met you,never seen you and have nothing to do with you....but still abuse you....What name will you give these kinda people and why they do it....specially in public forums.With friends and close ones we do exchange peculiar adjectives for an effect and to be informal and thats fine but people from no where start abusing one's mother,sister and whole family? I call it mental sickness which needs treatment.

No, not treatment... they need a proper thrashing.

 

[chhillar]

I think its all kinds of reasons why people use abusive language but one thing that really affects I think is the school you went in. Anyways more than the reasons of it the point is (I think) one should not use abusive words however much compelled we feel to use them; there is always a better way of using words powerfully...

Thanks for reminding that to all of us Dev Saab

 

[deswal]

Always Weakness Notwithstanding The Reasons

Use of abusive language is always a sign of weakness. It is a symptom not the malady. What word is abusive, however, depends upon the culture and upbringing of the subject concerned as also the context.