Use of Sweary Language

[Slim]

A point has been raised, very reasonably, about my own use of bad language in the politics section of the site. Personally I'm very liberal about it and I quite like it, but perhaps I'm being a bit thoughtless - so I'm interested to hear others' views. Some sites do frown on it or even auto-correct it and if folks are happier with that I'm happy to establish a guideline that it should be avoided.

Any thoughts?

No big controversy but or great importance but it can't hurt to make sure everyone's comfortable here.

Please feel free to contact me by IM confidentially if you prefer.

[captainkurtz]

I have no problem with any swearing.  I actually used the F word in the politics section last night, but removed the post after a minute because I'm not sure I've seen a sweaty post on here and didn't want to offend.

[pxr5]

Doesn't bother me at all. As long as it doesn't detract from the message if it's used too much. But she really is a cunt lol.

[Nick]

I actually used the F word in the politics section last night, but removed the post after a minute because I'm not sure I've seen a sweaty post on here and didn't want to offend.

Sweaty posts are basement only.

[Fishy]

Cunt is one of my favourite words.. should be used more often ...looking forward to cunty coming up in wordle

[dom]

It did jar with me when I saw the word but if the general opinion is that its acceptable, then I won't disagree

[The Picnic Wasp]

It's all about context I suppose. A sprinkling of earthy language to achieve a desired effect can be useful, but I've been on sites where it's overuse looks very ugly. It's why I'm a big fan of Peter Kay. He's no shrinking violet but he doesn't rely on coarse language to be funny. I can't bear to watch anything with Gordon Ramsay in it. That's the kind of swearing I find offensive, just littering sentences with words which don't convey any kind of emphasis or meaning. There is one site I've been on where they insist on using substitute words such as carrot for Fishy's favourite 😁 but it's a bit pointless when your mind is receiving the message carried anyway. I think on TNMS we used to rearrange swear words, or drop in a symbol instead of a crucial letter, but I think that kind of self policing was mainly due to the fact that the visitors in general were a fairly decent bunch who didn't see the necessity for dragging the place to the gutter. My shorter post should really have been, no, I'm not easily offended and if folk wish to drop a few nuclear devices go ahead, but better to do so if it adds to rather than detracts from the message. Over and f***ing out!🤬🤬🤬

[Pudders]

It's all about context I suppose. A sprinkling of earthy language to achieve a desired effect can be useful, but I've been on sites where it's overuse looks very ugly. It's why I'm a big fan of Peter Kay. He's no shrinking violet but he doesn't rely on coarse language to be funny. I can't bear to watch anything with Gordon Ramsay in it. That's the kind of swearing I find offensive, just littering sentences with words which don't convey any kind of emphasis or meaning. There is one site I've been on where they insist on using substitute words such as carrot for Fishy's favourite 😁 but it's a bit pointless when your mind is receiving the message carried anyway. I think on TNMS we used to rearrange swear words, or drop in a symbol instead of a crucial letter, but I think that kind of self policing was mainly due to the fact that the visitors in general were a fairly decent bunch who didn't see the necessity for dragging the place to the gutter. My shorter post should really have been, no, I'm not easily offended and if folk wish to drop a few nuclear devices go ahead, but better to do so if it adds to rather than detracts from the message. Over and f***ing out!🤬🤬🤬

When I was moderating on TNMS I used to be quite, err, anal about the use of swear words, that James Gibbon bloke was the biggest culprit  My argument was that the main board was free for all to see and we certainly had some quite young members at the time who, I felt, shouldn't be exposed to that sort of language. Hilarious really, in hindsight, as the younger generation seem to use it all the time. That, and all the other Mods would just take the piss out of Uncle Pudders lol!

No objection from me then!

[Matt2112]

Yes, very much all about context, and that principle holds I think whether on here or anywhere else.

F-bombs etc can be very impactful when used judiciously, and extremely tedious when they are used as a cheap substitute for a lack of class or eloquence.

I'm all too aware of the sort of ironic contrast in my reaction when I'm gaining huge enjoyment from, say, watching The Wolf Of Wall Street, with its pretty much constant effing and jeffing, and my mushroom cloud rage if an adult unthinkingly swears once in front of primary school aged kids - especially if it's mine, and by a member of her wider family.  That's a real bete noire of mine.

That said, to go back to film, in Bad Santa it's actually often done at a kid who is no more than 10 years old, but the context (and the script and the performances) manages to have it played for laughs quite successfully.  Context really is everything.

[The Picnic Wasp]

It's all about context I suppose. A sprinkling of earthy language to achieve a desired effect can be useful, but I've been on sites where it's overuse looks very ugly. It's why I'm a big fan of Peter Kay. He's no shrinking violet but he doesn't rely on coarse language to be funny. I can't bear to watch anything with Gordon Ramsay in it. That's the kind of swearing I find offensive, just littering sentences with words which don't convey any kind of emphasis or meaning. There is one site I've been on where they insist on using substitute words such as carrot for Fishy's favourite 😁 but it's a bit pointless when your mind is receiving the message carried anyway. I think on TNMS we used to rearrange swear words, or drop in a symbol instead of a crucial letter, but I think that kind of self policing was mainly due to the fact that the visitors in general were a fairly decent bunch who didn't see the necessity for dragging the place to the gutter. My shorter post should really have been, no, I'm not easily offended and if folk wish to drop a few nuclear devices go ahead, but better to do so if it adds to rather than detracts from the message. Over and f***ing out!🤬🤬🤬

When I was moderating on TNMS I used to be quite, err, anal about the use of swear words, that James Gibbon bloke was the biggest culprit  My argument was that the main board was free for all to see and we certainly had some quite young members at the time who, I felt, shouldn't be exposed to that sort of language. Hilarious really, in hindsight, as the younger generation seem to use it all the time. That, and all the other Mods would just take the piss out of Uncle Pudders lol!

No objection from me then!

I think you mean pi$$ 😉

[Slim]

Well for my own part I do dislike swearing when it's used as punctuation, but I like it when it's used for emphasis. I must admit though that some sweary words can come across as a bit distasteful when used in anger, as I did when referring to the Just Stop Oil protestor in the Politics section. I'll self-moderate a bit more.

Quite honestly I think our culture is irrational when it comes to this sort of thing - it's odd that words with exactly the same meaning like "shag" and "fuck" are accepted differently.

It's also a bit odd that using asterisks in place of characters in a word somehow disarms it, when everyone likely to see it knows exactly what they are.

[Nickslikk2112]

Swearing. It's not big and it's not clever. but sometimes it just hits the spot.

Drive your car six inches away from me when I'm my bicycles then you're a Grade A Cunt!