A curse I have collected in my folklore discussion class is “I’m gonna break your kneecaps and ship you to North Korea.” My subject identified the context of this curse as a playful saying that she has heard from her friend in middle school. They explained that this curse is used when someone’s friend says or does something annoying or mean and one then says the curse as a playful threat. One could say that this curse is a euphemism for the much harsher, adult “F you” in middle school, but in this case it is serving a purpose of a gentle warning as well as a tool for immediate reconciliation because of it’s humorous nature.

It is interesting how the curse in this case is a playful thing, and how it is used by usually a friend, or someone that is close to the person. Moreover, it seems like the curse is an example of a social boundary in friendships. It is used as a relatively funny and non-confrontational tool to tell a friend that they have done something that perhaps crossed the boundary of another person.