Censorship

Discussion in 'POLLS AND ELECTIONS' started by Maljonic, Jun 25, 2005.

  1. Maljonic Administrator

    I'm thinking that sometimes a bleeped out word can often be more annoying than the actuall word itself, especially the four-letter types that could be more than one thing. Or perhaps we should not allow certain words? :)
  2. Mynona Member

    I think that some words may be bleeped but perhaps not as severly as the harpercollins board. I'd like to be able to write snigger, for example, which keeps getting edited.
  3. Tonyblack Guest

    I would agree with Mynona. Sniggered coming out as S******ed is just plain silly. Also certain 'swear' words crop up in everyday words, as anyone from Scunthorpe will know.
  4. sampanna New Member

    I think some words do need to be censored, we have to keep in mind that kids of age 10 or 11 might be here with us.
  5. Mynona Member

    Sampanna, Keep in mind that the .net board is age restricted (to 13 I think, but I'm not sure.. ask carrot he lied to be allowed in) And has a PG-13 rater censorship.
  6. Maljonic Administrator

    We don't have to only think about swear word, which personally I don't think really matter all that much, we could do fun censoring on word we just don't like - you can replace words with other words, not just an asterix. I think censoring swear words for the sake of children who know them all anyway is a bit silly and naive, and i don't think a few dots in their place make any difference. I don't think it's why a lot of sites blot them out either, it has more to do with not wanting to be banned by child-proof surfing and family protected computers. We may want to consider this aspect? :)
  7. Electric_Man Templar

    I personally have no problem reading swear words, and people will only type something like f*ck instead. Although as Mal said it may prevent child-proof browsers from accessing the site... in which case we do want something different.

    I quite like the idea of altering words to something similar but inoffensive. We could change f*cking to funking daddio!
  8. Mynona Member

    Or frogs

    *laughs at memeory of silly conversation*
  9. Maljonic Administrator

    Oh I like frogs, or frog; then we'll get 'what the frog!' Or we could have the Fathers Ted (Jack's) Feck. :)
  10. Maljonic Administrator

    Okay I changed the 'F' word to frog just to test it, we can change it back or to something else later if we like? :)
  11. Mynona Member

    Just testing this fucking thing :wink:

    or does it just work with fuck?
  12. Maljonic Administrator

    I only did fuck, must have to do fucking seperately. :)
  13. Maljonic Administrator

    LOL, this is fun. :)
  14. Mynona Member

    LOL, that's great Mal :D
  15. Pixel New Member

    [quote:23530babd3="sampanna"]I think some words do need to be censored, we have to keep in mind that kids of age 10 or 11 might be here with us.[/quote:23530babd3]
    If they know the words already it doesn't matter, and if they don't know the words, it doesn't matter because they won't understand.
    I am totally opposed to censorship (not just here, but anywhere) - this does not conflict with deletion of spam or banning of trolls - that is just a matter of choosing who we listen to.
  16. happyman New Member

    I'm only 12, I don't give a whit if there are swear words.

    Though that may depend on my family (which swears a lot :D )
  17. Cat New Member

    I don't think we need to edit all swear words. There are some swearwords that are used in everyday language, most people don't concider offensive. Replacing them by asterixes (or whatever would be decided upon) would only give them more importance than they should have. It would be silly to edit those. If that would mean the site won't pop up on certain child friendfriendly search engines, that would be a matter to concider.

    Still, I think there are some words that need editing. But we need to hear more opinions on this.
  18. Cynical_Youth New Member

    I think "frog" is a good idea. We could also have "darn", "heck" and "poot", especially "poot".

    It's a fucking great idea.
  19. Rincewind Number One Doorman

    Maybe on certain words like F*ck and C*nt. But some words aren't that bad but i like- Bastard for one. Sometimes i use this for comic effect and won't sound as good, if it gets changed to 'camel' or something.
  20. Maljonic Administrator

    That's okay, I don't think 'bastard' is even considered much of a swear word in America in the same way as it is in the UK, probably wont get filtered out by search engines anyway - they're allowed to say it on Star Trek. :)
  21. Cat New Member

    [quote:17add62e0d="Maljonic"]That's okay, I don't think 'bastard' is even considered much of a swear word in America in the same way as it is in the UK, probably wont get filtered out by search engines anyway - they're allowed to say it on Star Trek. :)[/quote:17add62e0d]

    It must be allright then. :wink:
  22. Cynical_Youth New Member

    Well, let's start a list:

    F*ck => Frog
    F*cking => Hopping
    C*nt?
    Sh*t?
    B*tch?
    Assh*le?

    Okay, now we need suggestions for replacements and we need to see what everyone thinks should be on the list.
  23. chrispenycate New Member

    Actually, I suspect that the biggest risk is to our international friends, who might visit believing certain vocabulary to be standard (outside Scunthorpe) Kids of ten or eleven tend to have a fairly comprehensive vocabulary of obscenities, (possibly larger than mine, though mine does cover several countries) even if their understanding of the terms is limited (and we're not going to educate them in that.)
    ( six year old in the studio" you were just going to use a naughty word, weren't you mummy?")
    Chris
  24. Maljonic Administrator

    I think shit is okay, asshole means very little to a British person, more of an Americanism, and I don't think it's that big a deal to Americans either. How about in the Netherlands, or anywhere else?

    Cunt is a terrible word in my opinion; so I suggest we change it to penguin, cad or miscreant.

    Bitch can be bad when directed at someone; I like bounder instead. In fact we could swap all the modern bad words for archaic insults like bounder, cad, blaggard (black guard), strumpet and so on - can't think of any more off the top of my head. :)
  25. Saccharissa Stitcher

    There is only one thing I can say on the matter.

    Darn it all to heck! :wink:

    Edit: Okay, after teading my post, I realised that this could come out as my agreeing with censorship. I don't. We ought to be able to control ourselves, we are grown people and, anyways, which one of you was going to use words like "cunt" in a post anyway?

    Harper Collins have parent associations to worry about, so they ban words in their site that the children hear their parents utter when locked in traffic jams. Surely we can do better than that.
  26. Cat New Member

    [quote:ef06fd71cf="Saccharissa"]

    Edit: Okay, after teading my post, I realised that this could come out as my agreeing with censorship. I don't. We ought to be able to control ourselves, we are grown people and, anyways, which one of you was going to use words like "cunt" in a post anyway?
    [/quote:ef06fd71cf]

    The trouble is, that everyone has a different perspective on what they concider rude words and what not. To some, certain words don't mean much and they use them quite often and quite easily. To me, they mean a lot and I am hesitant to use them. Replacing them with funny cannotations takes the tension away (to me, anyway).
  27. Tonyblack Guest

    Maybe this should be self regulatory. As on the original board, members have asked others not to use Internet shorthand etc. Maybe we could do the same here. If we think a word is offensive, or used in an offensive manner, then the offender should be tackled by the board in general.

    Even quite harmless words can be used offensively.

    Calling someone a 'spastic' for example. I've seen it used in a jokey way and it was quite funny. If someone used the word as an insult while posting aggressively, it becomes far more hurtful.
  28. Maljonic Administrator

    So far it seems most of us do not want censorship anyway, going by the votes at least - there's only 11 votes all together so far out of a possible 49 though, just like a real democracy! I guess we'll have to assume the none voters don't care either way? :)
  29. Electric_Man Templar

    I haven't voted because my answer is neither really, more inbetween. Some words yes, but not all
  30. Buzzfloyd Spelling Bee

    I've only just seen this. I am totally opposed to the censoring of swearwords, even ones like fuck and cunt. I believe that we all have a responsibility to choose our words wisely, and that we will then be judged on that by other members. And that's up to us.

    I almost never swear on the boards, but when I do, I bloody well mean it! And I don't want my words to be diluted or made ridiculous.

    I also think it's more appropriate and effective to promote various attitudes rather than come down hard on specific types of word. If we promote courtesy and respect, that means less insults overall, as well as less swearing - and I certainly think we could all get around the censor to insult people if we wanted to!

    Treating swearwords as special adds to their power. If you use them all the time, people write them off mentally. If Garner used the word 'fuck' (is that going to get changed to 'frog' and make a mockery of my point?), no one would pay much attention - but if Cat did, we'd all sit up and pay attention! And that option should be open to us.

    I don't believe that any part of our language should be cut off from our use. If you find swearwords offensive, well, that's because they are. If you find them more offensive than other bad behaviour that you will tolerate because there is no cultural taboo on it - then that's a problem.

    So, that's why I voted for the second option! Sorry to rant.
  31. Maljonic Administrator

    The second option has by far the majority of the votes so we'll have censoring switched off, for now at least.

    I want to say that I love these polls, they'll be great in the future when people ask us how we came to certain conclusions and decisions and we have these polls to point them to. :)
  32. Ba Lord of the Pies

    And if they disagree, they can frog off.
  33. Tempus New Member

    What I've seen on another message board is automatic rephrasing of more common obscenities. Whenever someone tried to use the epithet 'queer' it got posted as 'metrosexual'.
    And every time someone tried to call someone a 'liberal' it was posted as 'Rumsfeld'. Lots of others too.

    All very funny when you got some newbit troll trying to abuse someone and being totally say what they wanted.

    [i:f78c63dfcf] edited cos I can't spell with only one coffee in my system [/i:f78c63dfcf]
  34. Maljonic Administrator

    [quote:c58419c989="Tempus"]What I've seen on another message board is automatic rephrasing of more common obscenities. Whenever someone tried to use the epithet 'queer' it got posted as 'metrosexual'.
    And every time someone tried to call someone a 'liberal' it was posted as 'Rumsfeld'. Lots of others too.

    All very funny when you got some newbit troll trying to abuse someone and being totally say what they wanted.

    [i:c58419c989] edited cos I can't spell with only one coffee in my system [/i:c58419c989][/quote:c58419c989]Sorry Tempus, you missed all the fun, we were doing that here but it's been switched off again. :)
  35. Tempus New Member

    Dammit, I miss out on all the fun. I've got lousy timing, as anyone who has ever heard me tell a joke in real life will attest to.
  36. Saccharissa Stitcher

    No worries, we love you all the same :D
  37. Ba Lord of the Pies

    Which is to say not at all.
  38. Tempus New Member

    [IMG]

    sniff...it's funny cos it's true.
  39. Orrdos God

    ::wonders in late::

    Yeah, no censoring :)
  40. fudgecake New Member

    RE: the younger people thing, I shouldn't worry because Discworld books have quite a lot of swear words in anyway (particularly where Nobby is concerned... ;)). But I also think it's more pleasant to read posts without swear words in at all, because.... I don't know really, that's just me. :D But censoring them wouldn't make much difference anyway, and would probably cause confusion, such as the snigger thing. I think leave them uncensored.
  41. QuothTheRaven New Member

    Okay, here is an idea: Many people here speak multiple languages. Maybe people who are bilingual could be asked to refrain from swearing in english, alowed to swear in other languages.

    Edit: and (at least where i went to school), Your average 11 year old allredy has a basic understanding of most profanity.
  42. Buzzfloyd Spelling Bee

    I think we should be responsible for our own words, rather than have the messageboard be responsible for them for us.
  43. redneck New Member

    I'm with Grace. And whoever agrees with her.
  44. spiky Bar Wench

    If the swearing is over the top or in bad taste I'm pretty sure someone here will let you know...

    I for one am all for letting me use the word 'bugger' which is nice and accepted in Australia in the same way as damn is... but causes all sorts of controversy overseas.

    [b:01391b0f36]bugger bugger bugger bugger bugger bugger bugger bugger[/b:01391b0f36]

    Now I've got that out of my system I can go back to being a human being again :)
  45. Ba Lord of the Pies

    Ba's going to play a game. Those at home can play along.

    Fuck.

    Murder.

    Damn.

    Shit.

    Which is the most offensive? According to American society, at least, the order of most offensive to least would be fuck, shit, damn, murder. Let's look at these.

    Fuck is a word for lovemaking. It describes two people copulating.

    Shit is a word for excrement, something that everything that eats inevitably produces.

    Damn is a word for sending someone to an imaginary place called Hell and having them tortured for eternity.

    Murder is a word meaning to take a human life. To kill someone, with the implication that there isn't sufficient justification for doing it.

    So, the most offensive thing is making love, followed by a natural byproduct of digestion, followed by an imaginary punishment, and the least offensive, ending someone else's life.

    Is it any wonder Ba sometimes thinks it's time to wipe out humanity and start over with newts?
  46. Roman_K New Member

    I think limpets have a far better chance, Ba.


    As for the censorship, I don't like the idea of it. Never did, really. Offensive language is not always used in offensive ways, for one.
  47. Buzzfloyd Spelling Bee

    Right. We were all aghast on the old boards when the upgrade brought the censor with it. We had reasons, and let's not forget that.
  48. Dane New Member

    I think that the more offensive words should be cencerd. Like Retard, most of us agreed that they was a distastefull word to be useing.

    Maybe some other words that we agree need to agree on. The distaste fulll words like Fag. Although it's just another way to discribe a gay person, it's just disrespectfull and innapropriate I think.
  49. Buzzfloyd Spelling Bee

    I disagree, Dane. If someone uses a word in an inappropriate way, they should be called to account. We shouldn't just use a censor to pretend it hasn't happened.

    Besides, fag is a perfectly good word for a cigarette, and it wasn't the use of the word retard that was objected to, but its [i:f3f6a72888]over[/i:f3f6a72888]use.
  50. Dane New Member

    OK I still think that they are choice words. my reasons for retard are my own by fag is just inappropriate I think, I haven't herd anyone call a cigarette a fag for ages.

    still you do have a good point.
  51. Buzzfloyd Spelling Bee

    If you haven't already read my post on page two of this thread, please do! And I will now cut and paste from one of my posts on the old board where I explain my opinion on swearing.



    No one but you has responsibility for how you choose to express yourself. And it [i:c7facb097f]is[/i:c7facb097f] a responsibility. Allowances can be made for mitigating circumstances, but what you said is what you said. You can apologise for or retract a statement, change your mind, clarify, or simply stand by your original words - whatever you want! But you do have responsibility for what you said. And it is not someone else's fault if you expressed yourself poorly, however understandable that may be. (Just as their response to you is their responsibility - note the etymology there - however understandable or predictable it may be.)

    (...snip...)

    As for swearing and insults, I cannot emphasise enough that a swearword is [b:c7facb097f]NOT[/b:c7facb097f] inherently worse than another word without our believing it is so. Also - and this is one of the most important points I'm going to make, so don't miss it! - a person can say something [i:c7facb097f]without swearing[/i:c7facb097f] that is [i:c7facb097f]far more insulting[/i:c7facb097f] than any swearword could ever be. I'm not just talking about name-calling, but any kind of words that can insult you. The word itself is secondary to how it is used. The word "it" is a normal sort of word, but if someone always referred to you as "it", that would be very insulting. "Dear" is a word with a nice meaning, but it can still be deeply patronising, depending upon how it is used.

    I’ve seen members of this board who dislike swearing laugh at very rude jokes about sex or pissing, for example. If they can laugh at the subject matter in that context, but find it shocking in a different context, it is clearly not the thing itself that is the problem, but the way that it is used.

    [quote:c7facb097f]A quote from [i:c7facb097f]Conundrums[/i:c7facb097f] by DH Lawrence:
    Tell me what's wrong
    with words or with you
    that you don't mind the thing
    yet the name is taboo.[/quote:c7facb097f]
    The answer, of course, as a poet should know, is that words are as much about the way we use them as what they are. So don’t get yourself worked up about swearwords and avoid the real issue – get worked up about [i:c7facb097f]any[/i:c7facb097f] words being used in a way that is unpleasant, inappropriate or designed to offend.
  52. roisindubh211 New Member

    I'm very anti-censorship on principle, but I've noticed on another messageboard I'm on they do things like replace 'shit' and 'crap' with the word pooh...which is bloody annoying to begin with; then you add the fact that one of the boardmembers is nicknamed 'Poohbear". Things get unnecessarily complicated.
    Though if you make it change words to something interesting- or you could play with it and bleep out a random word every so often.
    Oh the possibilities...
  53. Andalusian New Member

    I don't really care either way we go about censorship, the swearing doesn't bother me and I don't care if things get censored as long as the word isn't turned into a string of stars. Not only does it make reading some posts a bit of a quessing game, it also seems rather pointless as you can still see that the person has posted a potentially offensive word and can generally guess what it is.
    As Buzzfloyd said before (this is from memory, so forgive me for any mistakes), we are all basically adults here and should be able to judge what is appropriate and what is not. Different words can have completely different meanings and connotations depending on the context, so as she said, normal non offensive words can be very offensive.
    If you are going to censor every word that could possibly be rude, you may as well turn the whole english language into stars.
  54. Buzzfloyd Spelling Bee

    Right. Besides, most of us here choose our words carefully. If I choose to use a word like 'cunt', it is because I have a reason to do so. I do not expect to have my words blocked or altered when there is a meaning I have trying to express.

    Suppose I said; "How dare you speak to me like that? I am really pissed off!"

    And supposing that got changed to: "I wish you wouldn't speak to me like that. I'm rather annoyed."

    That would be infuriating, because the second example is not the same as what I was saying in the first. If you prevent me from using certain words because you have decided they are nasty, you have diluted my message, limited my vocabulary and prevented me from saying what I wanted to say.

    If you don't wish to be exposed to swearwords, I suggest you put cotton wool in your ears and sit alone in the house all day, without exposing yourself to the media or trying to communicate with other human beings. Words exist for a reason, and people will use them to communicate.
  55. Cynical_Youth New Member

    I have to admit censorship seemed okay initially. Thinking about some more, and seeing some very sensible arguments brought forth, I have voted against censorship.

    Mostly because I think that no matter what form of censorship we implement the original meaning will still be distinguishable. I don't think the effect or meaning can be diluted through censorship. Besides, we should be held responsible for what we say.
  56. lipi New Member

    I despise censorship, everyone shoud just accept the responsibility for the way they talk/write. Also, I think most of us know all the words that would be starred out, so what's the point?

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