Foul language and censorship

[Nick]

Personally, I believe words alone (used in a way where the person saying them isn't intending or interested in harming anyone emotionally) are only as powerful as the way you take them. Someone can say a curse word in front of you, and you can take it any way you want. People can make the decision to not care about it and take offense to it. I rarely see curse words being used in a way to disrespect people, but rather to over-emphasis a more pressing insult. "You're a <insert choice insult here>" is a lot easier to take than "You're a ****ing <insert choice insult here>," for example. While it isn't the curse word that's the insult; people take insult to the fact that they used it in combination with an insult, and that is concerning to me.

I think foul language is unavoidable, and one of the things I hate about forums is the censorship of said words. Children (as a whole; not to say that every single child) curse, whether people want to admit it or not. They may not know it, or see it, but it's undoubtedly something that happens. I don't see the point in sheltering from something that they're going to end up using one day.

 

[Ephemeral Euphoria]

Besides the Internet offers much more horrific things than words (what have been seen, cannot be unseen and OH GOD THE PICTURES CAME BACK TO MIND!), as I stated just now, it's kind of foolish to think you can have a 7-years-old alone in the Internet without something bad about to happen. If you have the (as I would say, not so good) idea (but Pedobear would like the thought) to let your preteen surf the net, you should be at least be there and watch your child. When it get's older (10-12 years) explain things to it (as I mentioned before). Create a Internet white list for your child (or use an existing one), after you two agreed that would be the better for it, but be always ready to extend that list, if the new sites are "good". Else it will get this experience of getting the Internet cut down.

Yeah pretty much, I was talking about the foul language in general in my last post though due to that being one of the biggest targets for censorship but certain images and sites can be more horrifying than any swear word a 7 year old might learn on the internet but if you're gonna let your kid surf the net around that age, the least you can do is put up some parental controls so he doesn't discover any shock videos to begin with for example.

 

[Jorah]

I rarely see curse words being used in a way to disrespect people, but rather to over-emphasis a more pressing insult. "You're a <insert choice insult here>" is a lot easier to take than "You're a ****ing <insert choice insult here>," for example. While it isn't the curse word that's the insult; people take insult to the fact that they used it in combination with an insult, and that is concerning to me.

Why is it concerning? If you were say to someone (not aiming this at you! XD) "you're an idiot" or "you're a ****ing idiot", I think the latter sounds much more aggressive, and I would think that the person saying it to the other would intend it that way. Like if someone says "I dislike ___" or "I hate ___". They're both used to express you don't like something, it is just that the intensity of it is greater in "I hate". As we have the shared connotations of swear words, that they're degrading and uncourteous, I don't find it concerning, just predictable.

 

[Nick]

Why is it concerning? If you were say to someone (not aiming this at you! XD) "you're an idiot" or "you're a ****ing idiot", I think the latter sounds much more aggressive, and I would think that the person saying it to the other would intend it that way. Like if someone says "I dislike ___" or "I hate ___". They're both used to express you don't like something, it is just that the intensity of it is greater in "I hate". As we have the shared connotations of swear words, that they're degrading and uncourteous, I don't find it concerning, just predictable.

I guess it depends a lot in the tone you use. I've never heard someone use it in an aggressive way, but more so used to exaggerate a statement they were making.

 

[twocows]

For me, "ignorant" is such a word and yes, I'm downgrading ignorant people as human beings because they freakin' don't use their unholy brains! (A good example how cursing could have been stress releaving but wasn't, because I didn't cursed.)

"Ignorant" just means "unknowledgeable." As in, if I wasn't around when somebody made a joke, I would be ignorant of it. It could not possibly be used as an insult.

 

[Ayutac]

"Ignorant" just means "unknowledgeable." As in, if I wasn't around when somebody made a joke, I would be ignorant of it. It could not possibly be used as an insult.

Wikipedia (both English and German one) says you're right. Okay, now I'm surprised. Because not only me but many people I know don't use that word in that consense. At least on the German discussion page it's mentioned the meaning goes more in the direction of "do not want to know".

So I should explain what it means to me, to avoid misunderstandings:
You can have a discussion. Some of your objective arguments are simply facts. If one does not listen to these facts, simply ignores them, or does not acknowledge them (guess that's quite the same), though it's obvious and the person is not dumb, then this person is an ignorant one. This not acknowledging things often results in kind of not being willing to broaden his/her horizon. Vice versa such a person is labeled ignorant and probably will ignore some facts he/she don't like (to hear).
There can be mentally disabled, not so intelligent or naive people. These people sure don't have fault for being as they are and I have no problem if they don't get something obvious on the first runs. But an ignorant person could actually get/learn it, but simply doesn't want to.

This is how I define ignorance and why I despite it.

 

[twocows]

Wikipedia (both English and German one) says you're right. Okay, now I'm surprised. Because not only me but many people I know don't use that word in that consense. At least on the German discussion page it's mentioned the meaning goes more in the direction of "do not want to know".

So I should explain what it means to me, to avoid misunderstandings:
You can have a discussion. Some of your objective arguments are simply facts. If one does not listen to these facts, simply ignores them, or does not acknowledge them (guess that's quite the same), though it's obvious and the person is not dumb, then this person is an ignorant one. This not acknowledging things often results in kind of not being willing to broaden his/her horizon. Vice versa such a person is labeled ignorant and probably will ignore some facts he/she don't like (to hear).
There can be mentally disabled, not so intelligent or naive people. These people sure don't have fault for being as they are and I have no problem if they don't get something obvious on the first runs. But an ignorant person could actually get/learn it, but simply doesn't want to.

This is how I define ignorance and why I despite it.

I think that would be more correctly defined as "stubborn." Personally, though, I've never heard "ignorant" used like that. Quite possibly a regional thing.

 

[Livewire]

I guess it depends a lot in the tone you use. I've never heard someone use it in an aggressive way, but more so used to exaggerate a statement they were making.

Tone and intent are huge parts of it. When I know the person means no harm or is obviously joking, I say swear and curse to your heart's content. Now, when the vitriol is directed at people maliciously, that's where you draw the line.

 

[femtrooper]

I'm a firm believer that words are just words...I think it's odd that there are only a few words out of thousands that are deemed 'bad'...it's a little ridiculous. I get that in our culture some are considered bad and that on a place like PC maybe they should be censored, HOWEVER, this is the internet, and if you are old enough to find PC on your own and surf the net, censorship is not really needed. I think it's fair game on the internet. I don't really get the censorship issue on the internet...it's the internet. A 10 year-old could be on 4Chan and see some 'vulgar' things but they don't really censor that. As far as language goes, I don't really believe in censorship, but I do believe in censorship of pornographic images. I am a fan of porn, but for the sake of children, that may be a topic they have not been exposed to, thus I would not want to spoil something for them.

 

[Shining Raichu]

I don't think it's outlandish for a child to be on a Pokemon site of all places and expect not having to deal with profanity.

I've never met a child who had an objection to profanity, so I don't think they see it as something they have to "deal with".

I find censorship to be very patronising to children. They are smarter than we give them credit for, and nobody likes to be looked down upon or talked down to. I'm not suggesting that profanity be something we incessantly draw upon, but I think you'll find that parents have more of a problem with profanity being used around their children than the children do. The children just want to be seen as just like everybody else. If we stop seeing them so much as something to protect and start including them in the grown-up discussion (which may include profanity), maybe they'll be better off. Maybe they'll also be less annoying.

 

[Gamzee]

The only reason these words are seen as crude and taboo in the first place is because of the censorship.

"Damn" used to be a pretty offensive word. Nowadays? Everyone and their mother says it.

Get rid of the source (censorship) and the foul and wrongness of the words will go away soon enough.

 

[Charlie Kelly]

I find that in this day and age, censorship is largely arbitrary. Just about every child knows the f word nowadays, so I don't see the point in trying to hide it from them. Censorship gives the words their power anyway.

 

[Fluorescent Dinosaur]

I think it's a pretty silly concept. Just think about it - what exactly do words hurt anyway? A kid hearing the F word is not going to cause them mental trauma. It's completely pointless to care. If there isn't a problem, don't fix it.

 

[TwiDragon]

As someone who is almost an adult, I don't like censorship. I think there are things that have to be censored for everyone (such as horrifying stuff that I don't think anyone would want to see). I like having a language, it helps when I'm trying to express something more.

I don't think kid cartoons should have bad langauge in them, but maybe a less strict rule here in the USA where words like "damn", "crap" and maybe some other "low words" could appear in cartoons more commonly (Like for ages 7-12)

I think the theme of sex should be introduced at 13 at the youngest, and mature videos with sex scenese and graphic nature should be at least 16.

I don't make the raitings, I just give my thoughts on how I would run things if I was in charge of censorship!

 

[InfiniteZyklon]

I don't think kids should swear, If you're 18+ I don't care as long as its not too much you don't need the fbomb comboed in a sentence lol...Me though i swear I can't help it its a bad habbit but when the situation calls for maturity i can re-frame from swearing but my day to day life i let it fly lol