Yes, of course I'm talking about that magic little word, "fuck", that sometimes refers to the sex act but usually not. Fuckin' right! What the fuck? Or does WTF look and sound better--not quite so dirty?

Does it offend you? Should it? Why does it? Ever thought about that? I mean it's just a simple little word that means exactly the same as several other words that never get bad reactions when they are used in casual conversations or on public message boards. This is probably one of the few sites that doesn't have a spazzy fit when it shows up in posts. Is that a good thing? Should it matter at all?

And what about using it to decribe the sex act--does "having sex" or "making love" sound better? How about "He knew her in the biblical sense"--is that a good one? How about making up a new one? Let's call it "Kabluking" (with the "K" always capitalized to show emphasis)--would that be dirty, clean, or only silly?

I know many people who won't bat an eyelash over sentences like "Goddam you, you stupid son of a whore!" (even religious types) but go purple over any casual mention of the fearsome "F" word!

Was George Carlin a comic genius or a vulgar airhead?

There are other examples, such as "piss". Many people find it vulgar but are comfy with "pee" or "urine" which mean the same thing. Does it matter?

What exacly are "dirty words" and what exactly is wrong with them? Should some of us really clean up our verbal act when posting on a board like this one?

Note: several recent posts got me thinking about this although they had nothing to do with this topic specifically.