i used "pansy" on my dad i once when i was 16 and he nearly went down my throat and pulled my spleen out with his bare hands. later on i realized it was because he was born in 1952 and was in the military as soon as he was old enough and on a navy ship you get super careful to make sure people know you aren't a "sissy" or a "pansy." the irony now being that it doesn't, in general use, have that meaning. it only has the "you're queer" meaning if you're a homophobe. if you're not, then you just think it means wimpy. hopefully "wimpy" isn't the same as "sissy" and i'm managing to make sense here.
and in a casual conversation in chat with him once I threw out a "hell" or a "damn" and he was like, "why do you swear at me."
it was a crime to curse or speak rudely during childhood around elders, but I did curse occasionally in high school. i don't tend to do it now often but when i do it's because i'm in a "mood" the mood usually being exacting and blunt. i'm not necessarily angry just feel like cursing to get my point across.
we used to have to do the pledge of allegiance at the beginning of special events, and then they stopped asking us to do it, so i forgot the words, until the next event. and then it all came back.
my dad came from a strict southern background - and my mom's from the philippines. she remarried, and I visited my little sister and brother this xmas. the last time i saw them they were in their early teens - no cursing. now, they're 15 and 17 and every other word they drop is "b*tch" or "sh|t" or "f*ck" or "motherf*cker" and it really really really annoys me. in general there is never actually a need for cursing, so I feel when you use it, you better really have a reason to use it. it shouldn't be as natural as throwing in a "hey" or a "wassup" - they're forceful, negative words and you should only use them if you really mean them. it's like the word "hate" - back in the day, people never used it unless they really hated something. now people throw it around when they really mean "kinda dislike."