Just wanna point out why i feel the opposite on this issue, because i think a lot of people could benefit from it.
Words have no meaning at all to me. Yeah, if someone calls me a fuzzy bunny, i'm going to assume they mean a certain thing; but i think it's beneficial in a lot of ways to operate under the notion that words are completely empty- because they are. Words can be useful because we agree on their meaning a lot, but in the end, they're just an attempt at conveying a sentiment to another person, and it's simply a fact that words can have various definitions across cultures.
I don't mean to start some massive discussion with this, it's just food for thought that i think would benefit a lot of people. In the least, you'll never be offended by any word ever again- yeah a person might offend you with their intentions, but the letters didn't do it, the person did.
Idk, it makes interactions easier and more understandable for me, and i think a lot of people don't think this way.
EDIT: To accommodate for fuzzy bunnies rather than swear words...
I know I'm really late getting back to this party, but I spend a lot of time drinking, and unlike tickle I have important things to do, like sleep and play pokemon.
But the thing is I feel almost exactly as you do.
I don't think any word is inherently bad. Like you say, words are just sounds, and those sounds alone are empty. But that's why the implications behind words are very very important.
Louis CK has said before he doesn't understand why people get so offended by the liberal use of that word that once meant "happy" but is used to define certain sexual orientation. Because when he was growing up it "didn't mean anything bad" something would happen and you'd say, oh that's "happy", or somebody would be acting like a real jerk you'd say, oh that guy's such a "happy". And that logic aggravates me so much. ( I understand Louis is an entertainer and a creator, so I can't even be sure if that's his real opinion, but him just saying it, there by validating it for others makes me sad)
It aggravates me because he's not taking any responsibility for, or even acknowledging (even though he spells it out himself clear as day), the implications behind using that word in that way. By using a persons sexual orientation to refer to bad things, bad scenarios, you're implying that thing is also bad. People don't get their cars totaled and say "well this is a blowjob of a day", they don't spill hot coffee on themselves and scream "CURE FOR CANCER THIS IS HOT".
And even if you and I are old/mature enough to realize that's not what he really "means" to imply, plenty of young impressionable children aren't. They probably won't even make the connection at first, they won't think "oh "happy" is used for bad things, so it's bad", but it'll will be there in the backs of their minds.
Just imagine if one day at your work place an "in-joke" was made where your coworkers replaced an expletive with your name. At first it might be funny as people use it innocently in jest. But as you start to experience it from people expressing genuinely negative emotions, frothing outbursts. I wonder how that'd affect you, the way people think of you.
I agree, words mean nothing, but what you put behind them means absolutely everything. It's why we are what we are, a lot of people don't be thinking it be, but it do.