Is using profanity considered disorderly conduct?

Answer 1

That would depend on where you are. in some places nothing is thought of it. Yet in others, you could be beheaded for it. In the western world profanity and all other forms of inconsiderate behavior has become the norm. Many more religious-based countries take a dim view of this sort of behavior.

In many US states, the only profanity that is considered disorderly conduct are words that target groups of people, such as calling a woman the B-word or a person of color the N-word. The legal rationale is that such language is likely to provoke a violent response. As for other offensive words, you don't want to use them in a threatening manner or as a part of other offensive behavior, such as blocking a street or blocking people from walking past you.

You would also need to be careful where and when you use profanity, even in the United States, since that can draw attention to illegal acts or behaviors. For instance, a drunken Filipino man was standing in the middle of a street shouting profanities. That drew the attention of the police and he was arrested for drunken disorderly conduct. While booking him, they noticed that he had red spray paint on his hands. The police investigated the area where he was picked up and discovered some fresh graffiti about Filipinos that was sprayed using red paint. Had he not shouted the profanity, he wouldn't have been charged with vandalism, let alone drunk and disorderly.

Another problem with profanity is if you say it to a police officer while being ticketed or charged with something else. That may make the officer more aggressive in pursuing the case. For instance, if you are fighting a speeding ticket, there is a chance the responding officer won't make it to court. However, if you call the officer names, he/she may make it a point to make sure nothing keeps him/her from testifying, and perhaps even coloring the story as worse than what happened. Officers are not supposed to commit perjury, but if they do, it is often hard to prove it. So you don't want to antagonize the police or they may have it in for you.