Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by Ettvatre 2601 days ago
I wonder if this "workaround" would stop working if people around you found it acceptable for you to swear when ordering lasagna.
3 comments

I usually workaround either by just pointing at the tray and say something like ‘I’ll have the pasta’ or ‘same again please’ if the person before me orders the same. If ordering off a menu I just stammer through it.

Oddly enough I stammer more with service staff than with peers or superiors (where swearing is not always an option). While there definitely some issue around making certain sounds aided by the swearing there is also a psychological aspect I imagine.

Interesting thought - is it the personal transgression or the social that makes it effective?
Surely it would depend on whether the speaker thought it was acceptable or not?
Maybe. No idea. Even if people started to accept the swearing maybe the speakers knowledge that he has a special exception allowing him to say these words and it's okay would be enough. Or maybe he still considers it bad to swear even if other people thinks it's okay. It's not like brains always act in some predefined logical way.
I think it’s more to do with my ability to produce certain sounds that various swear words make easier. It’s not that I’ve any major hang up about swearing. The mental hang up is elsewhere, such as feeling anxious ordering food.