Swearing and why it feels so good, NPR host Ayesha Rascoe on ‘HBCU Made’

The F-word is everywhere - in pop culture, at work, at home and out on the street. Swear words that used to shock seem no longer to be taboo. Is profanity becoming normal?

Air Date: May 28, 2024 12:00 pm

The F-word is everywhere - in pop culture, at work, at home and out on the street. Swear words that used to shock seem no longer to be taboo. So is profanity becoming normalized?

The F-word is everywhere in pop culture, at work, at home and out on the street. Swear words that used to shock seem no longer to be taboo. So is profanity becoming normalized? Why does swearing sometimes feel so good? And why are certain words still beyond the pale? We are joined by Benjamin Bergen, professor of cognitive science at the University of California San Diego and author of the book What the F: What Swearing Reveals about Our Language, Our Brains, and Ourselves

NPR Weekend Edition Sunday host Ayesha Rascoe celebrates historically Black colleges and universities in the new book, HBCU Made. It’s a collection of essays from famous HBCU grads, reflecting on their transformational experience at school — people like Oprah Winfrey, Branford Marsalis and Stacey Abrams. Rascoe is a Howard University graduate and she joins us to share how her HBCU shaped her and her career as a political journalist.

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