Yeah, it's merely cultural conditioning, Dave. Habit. As you say. It's a momentary letting off of steam. A instinctive relief valve. It can take a great variety of forms.

People who take specific exception to one or another form of it, though, are only advertising their own emotional hangups when they do so. Some are offended by sexual terms (FUCK! COCKSUCKER! etc...), some are offended by scatological terms (SHIT!), some are offended by religious terms (GOD DAMN IT! TABERNAC! JESUS CHRIST! JESUS, JOSEPH and MARY! GOOD LORD!).

Whatever it is that pushes their buttons...it's indicative of their own emotional problem. Not society's problem. Not the other person's problem. Their problem.