COMMENT | Using profanity won't endear you to people

COMMENT | There has been a lot more profanity on social media, in the last decade.

Politicians and prominent members of civil society are resorting to curse words and vile vulgarity in their tweets, Facebook posts, and Instagram videos. This is a global phenomenon, and Malaysia is very much in tune.

GovPredict is a US-based company that provides research, analytics and intelligence for winning public affairs campaigns. Its recent study revealed that lawmakers in the US had drastically increased the number of times they have used curse words.

A particular common curse word is the “F” word on social media. Other research shows that these swearwords account for two of the top 10 words used by left-leaning tweeters, while those on the right show a preference for “God” and religious or spiritual “scripture”.

Recently, a prominent Malaysian lawyer, and a popular member of civil society uttered the “F” word twice. In a video uploaded on social media, she hurled her caustic remarks at Bar Council members who failed to turn up for the annual general meeting...