Whats with the "F" bomb?

I have discovered something over the past week, people are not afraid to drop the "f" bomb. Why is that? I grew up in an environment where cussing was not allowed. I'll admit that I do cuss, but not nearly as much as I used to, and I really despise the "f" word. Why do people feel so comfortable with it? Why do they feel so comfortable with any cuss word? I went to a professional conference Friday and every other word out of the speakers mouth was a cuss word. This was a professional conference, I was shocked! Has cussing become more common, or am I just now noticing how prevalent it is?