Offensive terms

[Obviousman]

I just noticed when I typed dam (with an 'n' on the end) in a post, it appeared as d**n.

Are such terms really offensive to North Americans?

I don't mean to turn this into a debate, but I am amused that what we Australians use as common vernacular is sometimes considered 'bad language' by others.

I freely admit that we often degrade the 'purity' of a language with such terms, but does the average North American really find such terms offensive?

[Data Cable]

It's generally considered a mild obscenity in the US, one which is permitted on broadcast TV, but is often considered inappropriate to be spoken in front of, or by, children.

[echnaton]

When I feel the urge that word, I try to find a better way to say what I mean. Regular use causes obstinacies to lose there rhetorical effectiveness, leaving them as simply vulgar.

[LunarOrbit]

I don't think most average people in North America find swear words offensive, it's the government and church who think we will or should be offended and therefore they do everything they can to "protect" us. But really, I think very few people are seriously offended by swear words.

I'm going to remove "damn" from the forum's censor, and maybe clear out a few of the other "lighter" curses.

[PeterB]

LunarOrbit

It's worth noting that a couple of variants on the F-word made it through untouched in a couple of threads in the Apollo Hoax section. I realise the censor can't cover word combinations you haven't thought of, but it might help keep things under control. The words are f---up and clusterf---.

[lonewulf]

I think that there are a lot of people that feel that it's profane. Especially if used every other sentence.

There are some damn guys that put damned words in every damn other sentence that they damned well damnety damn say!

*cough*

Seriously, though, my mother can get upset when I say some profanity around her, and my grandmother especially is effected by it.

[jaydeehess]

That is , of course, a profanity in that it is vainly calling on a deity to condemn something or someone. It is litteraly a curse on that something or someone.

The F word is simply a vernacular but one that carries a great weight of vitriol with it as do many of the swear words we use in English.

If we do not want to allow name calling on this forum we can hardly allow such words which carry such ill will with them.

[LunarOrbit]

Thanks, Peter, I did see one of those uses of the F word but not the other. I'll add them to the censor.

Personally I don't think any words need to offend us unless we let them. I mean, we don't care if a little kid says "poo" but if he says the S word we're shocked... even though they mean the same thing. It's sort of like superstitions... they only bother people when they let them.

But at the same time I don't want to force that belief on other people so I don't mind using the forum censor.

I don't swear... I think when I was a kid I was afraid my parents would find out if I swore and I guess I put a mental block on that part of my vocabulary as a result. Now if I try to swear it's sort of like when Robocop tried to arrest the corrupt CEO in the first movie... it violates my prime directive and I freeze.

[nomuse]

We recently had a very nasty letter from a patron. "How could you subject me and my children to such obscenity!" she wrote. "I sat there for almost two hours with my hands over my eleven-year old's ears!"

Never mind that she was so offended she came back after intermission and stayed until the end. Or that there isn't much an eleven-year old hasn't heard.

The play that aroused her ire? "Life With Father," the 1939 play (same as the 1947 movie with William Powell and Irene Dunne), based on the book by Clarence Day, Jr. about his father's household in the 1890's. The movie is un-rated in most countries. Father does, however, swear. He says "Damn!"

[golfhobo]

Dang! I could've swore that I typed DAMN in my profile under my ?picture? I figured L.O. changed it, but how could it be showing up in posts like the last one?

[golfhobo]

There it goes again! What the heck is going on here?? I did NOT type "darn" just now.

[golfhobo]

O.K. NOW it's changed BACK again! Geez!

I gotta quit drinking!!

[LunarOrbit]

;D ;D ;D

Oops... that is me "flip-flopping" between allowing and not allowing the word "damn" due to public opinion polls. It is now allowed again.

[Data Cable]

Maybe just to screw with people's heads, you should set up the filter to replace minced oaths with the most vile obscenities imaginable.

[LunarOrbit]

I wonder if I can use the censor to replace entire phrases? It would be funny to replace "I believe the moon landings were faked" with "I believe the moon landings were real."

It would be a quick way to end all debate on the subject, everyone would be in agreement!