Ok, so here’s the thing. As a fellow Medium writer, swear words in my essays have gotten me criticized by readers, many many times. That alone I’m fine with. What does give me pause is when I hear from readers who tell me they want to share my essay to their colleagues or their families — but they can’t, because of the swear words. I’ve heard this a lot from international readers in particular. Cultural context matters.

In the US, swearing online and even in casual-professional hybrid work is acceptable, if a bit edgy. In other places, that’s just not the case. So I think you’re being a little overly gung ho here, in a way that neglects the cultural competency element. I wish I could swear without consequences, but my readers have been very kind to make me aware of the consequences that really do exist.