Posted on July 31, 2011.
Compared to the UK or the U.S. Where the use of bad language IS Generally excepted, Colombians are in general offended by swearing or Hearing somebody is it Socially Tolerated.
The Reason I Am Asking IS Because I do not want to enter Colombia and ending up Offending people.
Mose Kirklin says...
You'd have to define 'bad language' and 'tolerance' first. Saying 'culo' during a formal gathering in Bogota is just as bad as saying '****' in front of Her Majesty in London.
There are way too many variables to consider: age, culture, occasion (a football match is different to a wedding, for instance), region, how close you are to the person you're speaking with, etc.
Ironically enough, in certain parts of Bogota the use of otherwise insulting terms (e.g. 'marica', which is '******' in England, or 'huevon', which would be close to 'pillock') is actually a sign of acceptance: young people use those terms with close friends, more or less as a sign of 'equality'.
Posted on August 3, 2011
