HISTORY OF SWEAR WORDS.

AuthorMangu-Ward, Katherine
PositionTV

Netflix's History of Swear Words isn't good, exactly. But the series flawlessly delivers on its premise: What if Nicolas Cage narrated a history of expletives?

Despite being a fan of both profanity and etymology, I learned a few new facts from Cage's manic, poorly rehearsed narration and the parade of talking heads propping him up. Hollering dirty words may actually help you tolerate physical pain better, for instance, and the word dick only gets bleeped on network TV when used anatomically rather than derogatorily.

The most interesting aspect of History of Swear Words is how it unintentionally reveals our conflicted relationship with profanity. "Damn" and "Bitch" are spelled out on the list of episode titles, while the other four get the asterisk treatment. Yet...

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