Sensitive employee gets angry at her coworker for constantly swearing because of her sheltered upbringing: 'I don’t feel like I should have to sit there and take it'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Aug 30, 2025 11:00 AM EDT

If you've ever accidentally said the F word during a job interview, I feel you. When you grow up around adults who swear all the time, it can be challenging to remember that there are some situations where that is totally inappropriate. I really have no sense of how much I swear, but if I were a betting man, I'd bet that that means I swear way more than the average person. I'm probably swearing as much as Eric Cartman, but I don't use all the exact words as he does. It's not like I'm dropping the F bomb every sentence. That would dilute the swearing and make it almost meaningless. 

On the flip side, I'm also not paying attention to how much or how little my friends swear. Now that I think of it, I have several friends who really don't swear at all. It makes sense that if you grew up in a more conservative environment where some forms of swearing were seen as a mortal sin, you wouldn't necessarily decide to pick it up when you leave home. It's a somewhat juvenile form of rebellion.

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10548168960
    via Dmitry Rodionov

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • But won't anyone think of the real victims: the people who don't swear and feel attacked when people do? These are the original sensitive snowflakes, and the young woman in this story is strongly considering asking her coworker to stop swearing because she didn't grow up around it, and it makes her uncomfortable.

  • 02

    Am I the bad guy if I ask my coworker to tone down the swearing because it makes me uncomfortable?

    So at work I've got this coworker who swears constantly. It's not just slipping a word here or there it's basically every other sentence. I know for a lot of people it's normal and they don't even think twice about it but for me it's been hard to handle. I was raised in a
    via u/Hopeful_Tap_6172
  • 03
    very conservative chri i household and while I don't follow everything I was taught growing up swearing is one of those things I never really got used to or did myself. I'm not saying I'm perfect or some kind of saint I've done plenty of things that go against the way I was raised but hearing nonstop
    via u/Hopeful_Tap_6172
  • 04
    swearing every day makes me feel extremely uncomfortable. It just hits me differently maybe because I never grew up around it and didn't normalize it the way others did. I don't know if I should just keep ignoring it and try to toughen up or if I should say something to them without coming across as overly sensitive.
    via u/Hopeful_Tap_6172
  • 05
    It's a tough spot because I don't want to be that person who ruins the vibe but at the same time I don't feel like I should have to sit there and take it either. AITA if I ask my coworker to tone down the swearing?
    via u/Hopeful_Tap_6172
  • 06
    AccurateSession 1354 INFO. This entirely depends where you work. Office building or doctors office. Kinda reasonable. Blue collar construction or something? You'll be laughed out of the job.
    via u/AccurateSession1354
  • 07
    LittlestBread My first job was in the back at a mechanic shop and every job I've had since was BOH in a bunch of kitchens/restaurants, so I can pretty safely say if someone asked me to tone down my swearing, I'd definitely decline that request Imao.
    via u/LittlestBread
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    Cheezburger Image 10548169216
    via Wesley Tingey (Unsplash+)

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  • 09
    mystixdawn That is very true tho... Blue collars environments are all about ragging each other, cussing, nicotine, caffeine, and spite resilience. People can't stick it in these environments without a thick skin. 100
    via u/mystixdawn
  • 10
    I work in white collar, and there is still a lot of cussing that goes on, but I have coworkers that I can tell don't cuss, so I just naturally tone down my cussing around them. (When I remember too. ●●lol) but I think in my environment, someone would just apologize and maybe avoid you after that because they can't speak freely around you. Definitely the environment is everything.
    via u/mystixdawn
  • 11
    altagato This.. I mean if you're in customer service and it's like bl ding into the phone or you work in fast food with customers around etc. If they're cursing angrily at you... Those are all different than like 'l was sheltered and have delicate sensibilities'.
    via u/altagato
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    Profile view of a food truck working handing over a hamburger to a customer
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 13
    HI in some offices I would laugh at you too. I've always worked back end in software or restaurants and while folks might tone it down they're gonna side-eye you and guard themselves around you too.
    via u/altagato
  • 14
    shelbeeshelbs "I shouldn't have to take it" Are they swearing AT you or just while speaking? I mean unless theyre being threatening, I don't think you really have the right to ask a grown adult not to cuss but you do have the right to excuse yourself from the conversation so you don't have to listen to it. I would laugh if a work associate asked me to stop cussing and probably tell them to grow up.
    via u/shelbeeshelbs
  • 15
    Honest-Huckleberry71 I would laugh too. Unless you sign my checks, you don't get to police my language
    via u/Honest-Huckleberry71
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    shelbeeshelbs This is the real world, not the house you were raised in. I'm sorry to break the news to you but everyone around you isn't going to be constantly concerned on if theyre going to offend you or not. And they shouldn't have to.
    via u/shelbeeshelbs
  • 17
    EC_Taurus I grew up in a really sheltered, Chri i home. No swearing of any kind. As a teenager I was kinda anti all of that but as I grew older and was exposed to it (my first job was at a Wendy's) I became desensitized. The sooner you learn they're just words and mean nothing the sooner you'll be happier. Unless directed at you (and even then, only if it's realllly vulgar) they don't mean anything at their core or surface level.
    via u/EC_Taurus
  • 18
    uncommonbreeddogmom YTA. You can ask, but be ready for people to ice you out going forward if they're popular in the office. You'll definitely come across as sensitive, no way to avoid that.
    via u/uncommonbreeddogmom
  • 19
    Mysterious_Spark YTA. Your boss has decided your coworker's behavior is acceptable. Otherwise, your boss would have put a stop to it. You are not the boss, and don't get to set the rules for workplace behavior. Your coworker could just as easily come to you, and complain about your excessive formality and demand that you loosen up and swear a bit because you are making everyone else uncomfortable You can talk to your boss, and maybe he'll talk to your coworker, but I'm guessing that might not ha
    via u/Mysterious_Spark
  • 20
    Why does it have to be about changing someone else's behavior to make them less comfortable and you more comfortable? People who don't belong to your religion don't have to follow the tenets of your religion. You have the option to go work somewhere else if you feel this environment does not suit you. A church might be a good place to work,
    via u/Mysterious_Spark
  • 21
    TexasGirl729 YTA, they don't owe you anything. If you don't like hearing it, put in earbuds. I have a coworker that literally sits at his desk and farts every day, another that chomps ice all day. When it bothers me, I put on my headset and listen to music. You are not a victim, grow the f up.
    via u/TexasGirl729
  • 22
    hiryu78 I come from central Scotland, if you told anyone here that sweary words hurt your wee feely weelys you'd get laughed at by every one. Welcome to the real world, time to grow some spine now.
    via u/hiryu78
  • 23
    165averagebowler There are times when my own supply of curse words and phrases is insufficient and said that I needed a Scot to help me address the situation appropriately!
    via u/165averagebowler
  • 24
    neamhagusifreann Get over it. It's words.
    via u/neamhagusifreann
  • 25
    No-Conversation9818 Way back when I was active duty, I was talking to another Marine and counted both of us saying the f word or a variation thereof about 50 times in a 5 minute conversation. They were just words to us.
    via u/No-Conversation9818

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curse words sensitive job swear words workplace stories reddit swearing work coworkers employees karen coworker cursing coworker workplace stories workplace story
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