S******* and the power of words

We have already discussed in depth the n-word in class, and whether or not Huck is aware of the implications of the word, as a child. This very much reminded me of a point I remember reading in Inherit the Wind, where they discuss how one of the lawyers managed to convince a jury that swears on a written page only have as much power as you give them.

Of course, Huck knows that the n-word has negative connotations, but Huck Finn aside-- is swearing, in and of itself, necessarily a bad thing?

For instance, if you were learning another language and you came across a "bad word," let's say, for instance, "merde" in French, and you didn't know what it meant, does the word have any "power"?

If you are swearing, written or spoken, one would assume you knew of its consequences.But when I was little, and was the youngest of the family, I would often accidentally swear as a result of watching the Simpsons or even just listening to my mom sewing (she pricked her finger a lot), because I learned these words and something in the way my family reacted to them told me they were "bad". I was immediately attracted to them, so in kindergarten I happened to quote the word "s**t" to a fellow classmate, who ran off and told the teacher. I was embarrassed, but I had no notion of how bad of a word this one was, or why I shouldn't use it.

So how do we resolve kids not swearing? Should we teach them that some words are "bad"? What are the implications of having bad words and good words?


Also, an interesting quote from Inherit the Wind Henry Drummond: "I don't swear just for the hell of it. Language is a poor enough means of communication. I think we should all the words we've got. Besides, there are damn few words that anybody understands."