Swearing during these disputes has become a bit of a red-herring really.
Being a great fan of Rochester's poetry and Burns's 'Merry Muses', I've never had a great problem with it and a lifetime of working on the docks and on building sites has shown me that it is largely, as Eliza describes it, "banter".
Some words I do find offensive (one in particular), not because it is "swearing" but because it is offensively sexist.
The problem I do have with is in it's overuse, which makes it ineffectual in making a point.
I believe some of the protagonists in recent arguments who are now protesting about "swearing", are using it as a defence of their own views, ad really 'protesteth too much'
Here in Ireland, a fairly common phrase used in banter is "feckin' hoor' often used in admiration - crooked politician, Charles Haughey was often referred to as "a cute feckin' hoor" by those who admired his ability as a crook.
An extremely religious elderly publican here in Clare often referred to us customers as a "bunch of feckers".
One night, she protested at a somewhat inebriated drinker' language, and when we pointed out that she called us "feckers" - she look ed puzzled and said, "I thought it meant feckless".
Jim Carroll