People said fuck much less often in the 30s and 40s?

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I realize that the word fuck is several hundred years old, but I've also picked up a lot of info on that it was still much less widely used in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s compared to today where 90% of us say "fuck this", "fuck that", "fuck you", "motherfucker", "fucking this" and "fucking that" in almost every single sentence we speak.
I believe back then, the word existed, but it was not used in even close to almost every sentence by people, there were a much higher percentage of people who never said it, and then many of the people who did say it only used the term fuck in regards to sex, they did not add the word to non sex related conversations like for example "go to the fucking store", or " fuck you!" to someone they were pissed at, or "what the fuck!?", "fuck that shit!", etc.

I've watched and own many films from the 1930s and 1940s, and I'm aware of pre-code Hollywood, the uncensored films before 1935. And even in pre-code films, the films that much of that time's more old fashioned conservative America fought to put a stop to, and succeeded, even those pre-code films never had the word fuck in them. Never once and I've seen plenty of them. I'm plenty aware of flappers and the speakeasies, and other evils, hard times, etc. from that era, all of it which were often shown in pre-code films, but never the word fuck. Also, flappers, speakeasies, etc. was only a certain percentage of American culture back then, there were many more conservative people then too, but that's another conversation. This one's about the word fuck.

I've heard people today say that people then talked exactly like they do today, but that just ain't true, especially when some of the people saying that are obviously young enough to where they weren't even close to being born yet. I realize how someone may throw the same argument at me since I wasn't born yet either, but I have an interest in that time period far beyond the normal person today. Not just all the old films I have, but I've read lots of non fictional information from that time period, I've worked in old age homes and have always connected very well with the elderly, much more so than most people my age (40 something), I was very close with my grandparents, and have spoken to many older people over the years who were around then.

I know that fuck was much less common in the 1930s and 1940s, and I was just curious on anyone else's opinion on that and everything that I've said here.

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Comments ( 8 )
  • donteatstuffoffthesidewalk
    6 years ago

    yallre basin what yall thinks is reality based on some ole movies?

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      6 years ago

      I made it clear that I've gotten this info from much more than just from movies. From plenty of non fiction material from the time period and many people I've talked to who were around then.
      And pre code films before 1935 were completely uncensored, they didn't shy away from any other risky topics and talk of the time, but no one said fuck

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  • Boojum
    6 years ago

    Watched a film of bloopers from B&W days recently.

    Don't recall a "fuck", but there were lots of "son of a bitch", "shit", "damn", and "goddamnit".

    Quite funny watching Ronald Reagan swearing, given his later image.

    Even when I was a kid in the 1960s, the "F-word" was considered the heavy artillery of swearing. The "C-word" was used even less often.

    Both were clearly used occasionally, since the words didn't drop out of the lexicon, but they were rare.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      6 years ago

      Now I agree with Boojum here. He seems to see some ideas on what I'm talking about. And if you remember Clark Gable's "frankly my dear, I don't give a damn" in "Gone with the wind", and how there are many different stories and news articles on how him saying that stirred up alot of attention back in the 1930s, and that was just the word damn.
      Pre-code films back then were considered risky for that era, but if you watch any of them, you will see how they're sorta lame compared to shit today. Times have changed.

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  • rayb12
    6 years ago

    You didn't research this properly

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      6 years ago

      I've been doing extensive research on this for years. If you're saying that there were alot of people back then saying "fucking this or that", "fuck you", or whatever, would you mind sharing with me the source on where you got that info?

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      • rayb12
        6 years ago

        If this were true you would have serious data. It is not that people do not seriously study this.
        You say 90% of us today say Fuck in almost every single sentence we speak. Then for your information about the past the sources you site are movies and people you've met who were around then. This is not a serious way to conduct research.
        You can start by investigating word usage today, which is readily available, and then find what academics have compiled about that time period.

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        • Anonymous Post Author
          6 years ago

          Besides films and talking to people, I have stated on a couple other comments how I have looked up serious data sources on this topic. One is simply the chart of usage of the word fuck over time, which you'll find just by googling the word fuck. You will see that the chart shows usage of fuck has increased dramatically. Also check out site called "5 surprising things scientists have found about increased swearing usage over time". It explains the great increase in its usage.

          I'm aware of the number of sites that explain how the word fuck has existed several hundred years since the middle ages. But the word having been used before and it being used commonly and regularly are two different things. I've been saying how fuck used to not be used nearly as often as today.

          My point again about old films, Clark Gable stirred up alot of controversy with the public when saying "frankly my dear, I dont give a damn" in 1930s film "Gone with the wind". Would such an issue be made over damn if people everywhere were casually saying fuck the way they say it today? And pre-code Hollywood, those films were completely uncensored and never the word fuck was used.

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