Of course there are cultural and regional differences in swearing too. Where I'm from, people use the word "bugger" all the time, as in "ye daft bugger" and "bugger off". The use is completely disscoiated from the original meaning - indeed there are some people using it who don't even know what it means!! Also, it tends to be used in a friendly or teasing way.

However, when I went to uni and met people from different parts of the country who didn't see the word in quite the same way, and were quite shocked. I soon learned to educate them, or not use it.

Bagpuss