What's your take on foul language in books and movies?
When I'm reading, there are some swear words (like the 'c' word) which kick my eyes off right the page. On blog posts, if I see that word (or even the less-offensive 'f' word), I stop reading right there. If the 'c' word's in a book or movie, or it feels like every other line of dialogue contains an 'f-ing', there's a better than 50/50 chance of losing me as a reader/viewer.
Don't get me wrong, when it comes to bad language, I'm certainly no prude (although, since this is a family-friendly blog, I'd rather folks don't use it here). Thanks in no small part to my old gran, by the time I started pre-school I knew more swear words than most adults. It's just that when I see them used in a book or movie, more often than not it seems unnecessary. I feel like the writer's gone for the easy shock.
I'm not saying I want to see 'dang' and 'gosh darn it' substituted for every 'f' and 'c' word. For me, it's a more a case of 'Just because we live in permissive time when writers can throw in as much swearing as they like, without fear of censure, doesn't mean they should.'
How about you?
What's your take on foul language in books and movies?