Cussing Cousins

Another fine insight by Anthony Esolen:

One time I was teasing one of my Italian cousins, in Calabria, about his generally loose affiliation with the church. He insisted that he had great respect for it, even affection, and wanted, also teasingly, to know why I thought he was a little less than devout. "Well," I said, "you curse a lot."

"No!" he said. "I never do that. When I say 'your mother $%^$!@', that is not a curse. That's an insult. It might be only a joke, or it might be horrible, but it's not a curse. But if I say 'Va all'inferno!'" - and here his voice dropped almost to a whisper - "that is a curse, that is a terrible sin, and that you will never hear me say."

He was right, of course.