Swearing

[DrFaroohk]

A note to mods everywhere - follow your own fucking rules. And if you forgot something or weren't specific, it's YOUR fault. you made the rules, it's your fault.

My gripe? Apparently some think they can alter the laws of the universe and the English language. Because no matter how special you think your website is, guess what, you can't invent swear words. it's not obscene just because your special snowflake ass says it is. So unless you're going to specifically say so in your forum rules, which you are responsible for creating, words like $hit, c*nt, fu*kwad, a#%hole, p@ssy or c%$#^ucker will never, ever be obscene or swear words and should not be bannable offenses.

[Ginger Tea]

Some become synonamoue (sp) with swear words, frak is safe for TV but we see/hear it as fuck in the context used, shazbot too, a made up gobledygook word but on Morks homeworld could mean something akin to oh crap.
$hit is just a way around swear filters, but most would probably add that to their list too, self censoring of words like "Every time I answere the F**king phone its always that C**t." well the poster might want to express in written words how he or she would say it to someone face to face.
So no, F**k isn't a swear word, but we know it is meant to represent the word fuck in a more censored version.

Jamacians arn't allowed to be homophobic in their rap songs even though its a very homophobic country (according to two I work with) so instead of the usual slurs, they used the phrase "Batty boy" so for a while singers could say anything about killing batty boy's till the cows came home, then the government decided that they now knew batty boy just like fag homo and queer stood for gay. Result, "Chichi man" Jamacian singers are inventing new swear words that are safe for radio play (mostly just homophobic slurs that I'm aware of) as they are not real words so to speak, but the listners know they are meant to mean Gay.

I also hate the use of Freak in lyrics when they want to say Fuck, but radio and TV don't like swearing, but they don't mind, as Battlestar Galatica proved in the 70's, made up swear words that our mind processes into real world equivelants.

There is probably a list of made for TV swear words.

[Andara Bledin]

There is probably a list of made for TV swear words.

There is. And I'm sure that isn't the only one, just the first one on Google.

As to the OP, swapping out a few letters for obfuscating characters doesn't magically make "fu*k" not equal "fuck." All you've done was use a common work-around for basic anti-swearing filters. It's inadequate at best, and in most cases, disingenuous to claim not to know better.

^-.-^

[DrFaroohk]

As to the OP, swapping out a few letters for obfuscating characters doesn't magically make "fu*k" not equal "fuck." All you've done was use a common work-around for basic anti-swearing filters. It's inadequate at best, and in most cases, disingenuous to claim not to know better.

That would be right on the money if it wasn't so wrong.

Most forums' swearing filters do the EXACT SAME THING. TV does it too. If it wasn't different, there'd be no difference between "Motherfucker" and "MotherBEEP".

I just wish people stuck to their own rules that's all. it didn't say anywhere in the forum rules that you can't self-censor, and they do it too so.....? I stick to my own rules and policies. It's not hard.

[Ginger Tea]

MotherBEEP and BEEPsucker and go BEEP your self are like typing mother****** over motherf**ker as they are trying to keep the context of what is said vs total sensorship of the line.
The watered down version of "Dickless here" from ghostbusters was wally weasle the joke just wasn't the same
"is this true?"
"Yes your honour, this man is some kind of vermin."

If you've ever listened to the censored version of Charlie Baltimore's Money, instead of taking the audio only out of the mix when she swore, they muted the whole damn thing, if it was a radio technician doing it, I can see it, but it was the lable themselves that made it an unlistenable song, her appearance on Top of the Pop's not being able to swear involved her mostly going uh huh, yeah.

Jerry Springer being a recorded live show, has no controll over what comes out of guests or audiences mouths but has to abide by standards set by TV regulators (set by congress?) same goes for UK TV, so you get nothing but bleeps for 30 seconds.

French Connection UK capitalized on their name FCUK being an anagram of fuck, that they wrote enough sugestive slogans to advertise themselves on TV and as they were not swearing, they got away with them, had their company not have been trading as FCUK then I think the ASA would have told them to pack it in.

And if anyone not in the know ask's what does "F u star k mean?", then it stands to reason that the person answering would say "they wanted to swear but couldn't."

edit:
"$h!t isn't swearing?"
"No."
"Then pray tell, what does $h!t mean in the context of "I had to clean up a tonne of $h!t"? as I cannot find the word in my dictionary."

[guywithashovel]

I think Andara raises a good point. If you type sh!t, then that's basically the same as typing "shit." If a forum has a rule against swearing, you'll come across as simply trying to buck authority.

I AM assuming that you aren't talking about the mods here, because to my knowledge, there is no rule against swearing here (not when it's used sparingly, anyway). However, I do see your point about mods following their own rules.

[LadyBarbossa]

I dunno about mods breaking their own rules, but it does bother me when a forum clearly has no rules about swearing, it bothers me when people still insist on typing "F*^k!" instead of fuck. It's the same thing, we know what you're wanting to say, just say it!

[PepperElf]

maybe it's me but... a quick glance at the rules here didn't mention swearing except to not use "fuck" every sentence and that harsh language is allowed under moderation.

or do you mean the main site.... cos in all honesty i dont remember ever being punished for swearing there. although i do try to stay away from "GD" at least.

[Rapscallion]

Sort of hoping it's not here or CS as we've not had to do anything about language for a long time. We're sort of relaxed as long as it's not punctuation.

Rapscallion

[jackfaire]

I also hate the use of Freak in lyrics when they want to say Fuck, but radio and TV don't like swearing, but they don't mind, as Battlestar Galatica proved in the 70's, made up swear words that our mind processes into real world equivelants.

Which is annoying when the lyric of a song is actually a common expression but has been altered for the song to be radio friendly.

There is a song Freak the Freak out.

In real life most people would say Freak the fuck out.

[Lace Neil Singer]

The best (or worst) censoring ever was in Robocop; the censors took out "motherfucker" and replaced it with "motherfunster" and "melonfarmer". xD

[jackfaire]

Seriously you can never sound as threatening if the line were something like

Yippee Ki Yay pop drinker

[AdminAssistant]

I watched Pulp Fiction on cable television once. It was hilarious.

[guywithashovel]

A movie that really gets heavily censored when shown on TV is The Breakfast Club. One time I was watching it, and in one scene where Bender tells the principal "Eat my shorts!" they changed it to "Eat my socks!"

I guess socks are less offensive than underwear.

[jackfaire]

I guess socks are less offensive than underwear.

What would be hilarious is if it was aired on Fox and they censored it that way.