In my little narrow minded world I can't comprehend why someone would suggest that we should allow swear words (or "bad" words in general). But then I am reminded that the world actually is bigger than the one I live in. I realize that my view of right and wrong doesn't necessarily overlap with other peoples views. I often find myself thinking that the Stack Exchange system is American and as such should follow American standards on everything. But, again, thinking about it I realize that this is a site for everyone in the world.
Because of this I believe that we need to be as respectful of each others cultures. We have to acknowledge that some people find swearing offensive. So why not be respectful?
My opinion is that swearing is never needed. If you have to resort to that type of language it must be because (in my opinion) because you can't find any other way of saying it. So I would suggest that when you feel the urge to call a journal "shitty" maybe stop and think if you could find a more clever way to articulate that.
I appreciate that the word was removed because it was flagged. When a comment is flagged it is because someone found it offensive. Again, in your culture that might not make much sense, but maybe we can agree that while we don't understand we constantly strive to make as many people welcome as possible.
About the discussion in the other meta-thread you write that you agree much more with other answer. You don't say that you agree completely with the other answer, but it does state that:
...we need to allow every form of expression possible.
I am wondering what the author means by possible. Hopefully he doesn't mean that every form of expression that is physically possibly should be allowed. We would hopefully not allow expressing the same views as NAMBLA on this site (even if we do believe that we can make a mathematical point more forceful by doing so). So not every form of expression should be allowed. The author of the answer makes the argument that we should allow a greater form of expression because it helps people express their ideas (about mathematics) and that limiting ways of expression (communication) is unprofessional. I would disagree with this. Professionalism isn't about allowing all forms of expression. When I teach in the classroom I have to behave professionally. That means that I have to limit myself. I might feel like expressing that a student is unintelligent or a lazyass because they failed a test, but I refrain from doing that because I want to behave professionally.
The key question is: What should be allowed?
We could start by reading https://math.stackexchange.com/help/behavior about what behavior is allowed by the Stack Exchange. It clearly says:
Please note that expletives are not allowed. If you use expletives on this site, you may be issued a warning or a suspension.
Granted, using expletives is not the same as swearing, but it still sets a tone. It points out that the Stack Exchange network isn't built on the idea that "anything goes". We, for example, close questions that are off-topic. If you are familiar with CB radios, it is a commonly known problem in the US that the channels are filled with all kinds of profanity. Here you have a system where you can say what ever you want under relative anonymity, but it also has its consequences.
Unless we resort to arguing from a specific religious point of view, I don't know that we can appeal to any object morals that can guide us in answering the above key question. So what do we do? Maybe we simply let the community decide. If a comment is flagged and it is "commonly known" that the comment could cause someone to be offended, and if removing the comment (or the "bad" word) doesn't radically change the content, why not remove it?
Last: I am not saying that you are saying this, but I can sometimes "feel" that discussions can turn into a question about rights. What are my rights as a user on this site? I have a right to express myself. You should limit my right to be who I am. Maybe it is better to humbly focus on how we can treat each other with respect. And that might mean that you have to give up some of your "rights" to express yourself.