The panel of three sat coolly in fitted blazers and button-up shirts, as a homey audience of 30 watched intently with fixed eyes. Poised in front of books, paper and pens, the professionals were ready to discuss everything from politics to current affairs—just as long as it related to “shit,” the f-word, and all other blasphemies considered profane.

“'Shit’ is at the foundation of society,” said Ginger Murray, 33, a panel member and editor of “Whore” magazine, scheduled to debut next spring.

Murray was accompanied on the panel by Jack Boulware, author and founder of San Francisco’s literary festival “Litquake,” and Bay Area linguist Dr. Jonathan Hunt on Nov. 10, to speak at the second annual “Swearing Festival” at Edinburgh Castle, a Scottish pub in the Tenderloin.

Armed with the tag line “How the Shits and Fucks Changed the World,” the three started the festival with an afternoon discussion of one of history’s greatest past times, swearing, detailing the importance of everyday curse words.

Modern day use of profane terms, they say, can be traced back to the 1970s and the public outcry against the Vietnam War.

“A Vietnam vet had ‘Fuck the Draft’ on the back of his jacket,” Boulware said. “His reasoning was that he needed the shock of obscenity to convey the depth of his hatred for the draft.”

The panel said that studies show that 72 percent of men and 58 percent of women swear in public with 13 percent of all adult conversations containing profane language, the panelists said.

According to word specialists, swearing has taken on different meanings over time.

Historically, “to swear,” was used literally, explains SF State linguistics professor Tom Scovel.

“The original meaning [of swearing] had nothing to do with using four-letter words,” he said. “To swear was to make an oath so that’s why today we still ‘swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.’”

Swear words were used in more literal usage during the Renaissance era, said Murray and Hunt.

“Swearing was originally seen as dangerous, especially back in the 1770s,” Hunt said in reference to the ruling class feeling by suppressing certain use of language in the lower classes, that it would keep them in power and from being overthrown.

Now, profane language has become an innate part of America, from conversations among friends to song lyrics and the many “bleeps” on US network television, swearing is ever present. But cursing isn’t just a national issue, it’s global, as profanity has become embedded in daily dialects of many cultures. But what certain terms mean changes with time, Murray said.

“At one time, “golly” was a racist term in Britain,” said Murray. It was once an ethnic slur that applied to dark-skinned people.

The panel also discussed how US politicians have embraced expletives as well—from Nixon swearing in the Watergate tapes to Vice President Dick Cheney’s rant at Senator John Leahy on the U.S. Senate floor in 2004.

“We all know people in power swear, [even] our president swears,” Boulware said. “He even has a nickname for Karl Rove—’Turd Blossom.’”

An increasing use of such words proves there is a universal inability to abstain from using curse words, Boulware said. “If a big meteorite hit the Earth, the last word of the last person left on earth will [probably] be a curse word.”

He referenced an airplane crash from film “Black Box” which included audio of the pilots’ last, blasphemous words.

Following the afternoon discussion, the festival turned into a party to celebrate profanities with dancing and drinking.

First-time attendee and Fashion Institute of Design and Management school student Maura Curran, 21, said it was nice acknowledging unabashed potty mouths.

“We all say ‘shit,’” Curran said. “It might as well be time to embrace this.”