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Forum Decorum... Total lack of it!!!!

Forum Decorum... Total lack of it!!!!

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BigDogg
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Originally posted by Tirau Dan
You say nonsense but fail to get the point yet again. There are rules against the use of foul language on the site and I want some level of compliance. Too many people are resorting to anal and sexual references and inuendo in their posts.

We are all aware of the R13 status of the site but teens are encouraged to participate. There are 13 and 14 year ...[text shortened]... ung step-son so he will learn a little restraint and a reasonable sense of societal standards.
You say nonsense but fail to get the point yet again.

You are the one who used the word 'children', which is disingenuous to say the least. Most people think of 'children' as younger than teenagers. You are the one who veered off point.

We are all aware of the R13 status of the site but teens are encouraged to participate.

As are adults. Why would teens have to be encouraged any differently? Teens are the ones with more free time to spend on computers, after all.

If society accepts your reasoning then anything goes and standards are out the window.

What a complete non-sequitur. Just because one forum allows adult language does not mean that all of them must allow it! There are places that maintain a G-rated atmosphere. But when I see a ban on kids under 13 here, it's a good (and welcome!) indication that this place need not be one of them.

m
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On the subject of profanity I was always told by my father Not to swear because it shows a lack of intelligence. "Only uneducated people swear because they can't think of any better words to say."

Being uneducated for the greater part of my life I swore alot. After 2.5 yrs of college I now swear alot less....some truth to this theory then?

TD
Enjoying Life

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Originally posted by darvlay
You can plead and beg as much as you like for people to tidy up their lewd actions but it just won't happen, Bucko. You're just gonna to have to learn to ignore it when it comes and let the moderators do their work. If the Mods want to increase their manual settings fom "PG-13" to "Little Mermaid style family oriented fun", I'm sure they'll let you ...[text shortened]... yle insults you speak of are relatively few and far between, not like at your local high school.
You are right Darv.

But I have got my feet on the ground and don't expect pigs to fly.

I think I made my requests.... and should leave it to the mods.

Thanks for reading and posting.

TD
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Tirau NZ

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Originally posted by mokko
On the subject of profanity I was always told by my father Not to swear because it shows a lack of intelligence. "Only uneducated people swear because they can't think of any better words to say."

Being uneducated for the greater part ...[text shortened]... lege I now swear alot less....some truth to this theory then?

I'm gonna give you a special rec...you did well.

I'm still a dip stick. I would have argued with BigDog a little more but I'd need a dictionary.

I'd like that nasty ganster rap style of language to be erased from history. There is no place for it anywhere but as darv said "Get Real" it ain't gonna happen.

Enjoy the forums all.

t
True X X Xian

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Originally posted by mokko
On the subject of profanity I was always told by my father Not to swear because it shows a lack of intelligence. "Only uneducated people swear because they can't think of any better words to say."

Being uneducated for the greater part of my life I swore alot. After 2.5 yrs of college I now swear alot less....some truth to this theory then?

I have an IQ close to 160 and am working on my PhD. I swear now more then ever did in high school. The people in my department (universally high IQ, high education types) tend to have potty mouths as well (at least in a non-professional atmosphere).

I think profanity has an excellent effect when used in the right moments. To extract all profane words from my vocabulary would be a tragedy indeed!

t
True X X Xian

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Originally posted by Tirau Dan
I'm gonna give you a special rec...you did well.

I'm still a dip stick. I would have argued with BigDog a little more but I'd need a dictionary.

I'd like that nasty ganster rap style of language to be erased from history. There is no place for it anywhere but as darv said "Get Real" it ain't gonna happen.

Enjoy the forums all.
I really see no reason to become offended by a word itself. One may be offended if someone calls them a (insert profanity here), but the offense should come from being insulted not from the fact that the accoster used a 'naughty' word within earshot of them.

TD
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Originally posted by telerion
I really see no reason to become offended by a word itself. One may be offended if someone calls them a (insert profanity here), but the offense should come from being insulted not from the fact that the accoster used a 'naughty' word within earshot of them.
With a few exceptions, yes it's not so much the words it's the manner you express them.
The F word is in common use but is F' er acceptable in any context?
It's just a filthy insult especially when preceeded by mother references.
There are several others. You can keep that one in your academic halls.

o
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Most bad language is just plain lazy. Why find the right word to say something when you can just use a word with no real content?

I don't think the argument "we swear everywhere else, why not here" holds water. By that argument, no-one could ever try to better the world because they would always be going against the current 'standard' of behaviour.

It's irrelevant what happens elsewhere. If standards of conduct and language are set here, people should abide by them. Campaign to get the standards CHANGED if you want, but live within them in the meantime.

t
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This post makes to fundamental assumption:

1) Profanity is inefficacious (i.e profanity ain't worth a sh**)
2) Profanity is deleterious to society

Most bad language is just plain lazy. Why find the right word to say something when you can just use a word with no real content?

Here you make assumption number 1. I personally think that profanity is very useful, as I stated in my previous posts. Moreover, even if it lacked nearly all colorful purpose, there is still no reason why it should be banned, speaking idyllically. For instance, "like," "uh," and "ya know," are nearly useless, generally only serving to clutter and obscure speech; but should we ban them for lacking "content?" Consider also all sorts of bland euphamisms like "darn it," "shucks," "oh lordy," and "oh my goodness gracious." You can hardly argue that these words possess anymore content than their more potent counterparts, but surely you would not insist that we remove these words/phrases either? I don't think this is really your objection to profanity, but rather a vain attempt at superiority. "We of sophisticated vocabulary eschew such crass utterances." My previous post offers evidence to the contrary. Be honest. Your real beef is precisely with the content of profanity, not its lack.

I don't think the argument "we swear everywhere else, why not here" holds water. By that argument, no-one could ever try to better the world because they would always be going against the current 'standard' of behaviour.

Enmeshed in this false claim is assumption number 2. I see no reason to assume however that profanity hurts general society. If you can show me that it does (besides injuring the sensitivities of a few overwrought prudes), then I will certainly give serious consideration to its removal. Until then you should persuade us why we shouldn't use profanity here in our own attempt to "better the world."

Now what is false about the above bolded statement? You've confused the thought-provoking question "We swear everywhere else. Why not here?" with the fiat rule, "We swear everywhere else, therefore we must also swear here." No one is demanding that you swear. They are simply asking why you choose to become offended by words themselves rather than by the intentions of the speaker.

It's irrelevant what happens elsewhere. If standards of conduct and language are set here, people should abide by them. Campaign to get the standards CHANGED if you want, but live within them in the meantime.

As it regards the question "Why not here?" it is certainly relevant. If circumstances here are roughly similar to those everywhere else, then understanding the answer to the question will likely mean comparing this place with those other places.

How do you know that this isn't the beginning of a campaign? Perhaps we as adults are pushing the limits a little to get people thinking as well as to feel things out for ourselves. Just wait, orf. If we get things going your ears will really burn! (But not for eternity. We're not Yahweh-cruel.)

invigorate
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Perhaps we should all be allowed 20 swear words a month. As swear words used sparingly have a far greater impact.

m
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Originally posted by telerion
I have an IQ close to 160 and am working on my PhD. I swear now more then ever did in high school. The people in my department (universally high IQ, high education types) tend to have potty mouths as well (at least in a non-professional atmosphere).

I think profanity has an excellent effect when used in the right moments. To extract all profane words from my vocabulary would be a tragedy indeed!

guess that flushes that theory down the shi...er... I mean toilet.

D

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Originally posted by telerion
This post makes to fundamental assumption:

1) Profanity is inefficacious (i.e profanity ain't worth a sh**)
2) Profanity is deleterious to society

[b]Most bad language is just plain lazy. Why find the right word to say something when you can just use a word with no real content?


Here you make assumption number 1. I personally think that pro ...[text shortened]... e get things going your ears will really burn! (But not for eternity. We're not Yahweh-cruel.)[/b]
"[b]This post makes to fundamental assumption:"

Corrected copy: This post makes two fundamental assumptions:

t
True X X Xian

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Originally posted by Delmer
"[b]This post makes to fundamental assumption:"

Corrected copy: This post makes two fundamental assumptions:
[/b]
yeah . . . uh . . . you see it was like . . . (fidget) . . .

guilty as charged. :'(

R
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Originally posted by Amaurote
I've been a member of a few forums over the last four years, and online psychopathology has figured on them all to some extent, but I think there's something new here: maybe I'm being a little facetious, but the possible connection between the OCD and anal retentiveness that make for a compulsive chess player and the kind of person who treats a farty little thread as if it is WWIII by incremental stages is well worth investigating.
Perhaps you are onto something! I wonder if anyone ever got a PhD by studying behavior in internet forums?

o
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I suppose that I will accept that swearing isn't necessarily deleterious to society. If we could eliminate all the usage around here that's aimed at putting someone down, I'd be happier.

You're right that I object to the 'content' in one sense. I object to the tone that is conveyed by it. You (generic) choose to use a swear word instead of an ordinary word because you want to express a certain kind of attitude. What I'm saying is that I think the attitude being expressed is not really a helpful one, especially in a Debates forum.

I'm actually not that offended by swear words, because I hear them so often. I just get tired of them, especially when people have to resort to odd spelling with @ and other symbols to avoid being moderated. I find that 90% of the time they just get in the way.

If people actually used swear words just as specific terms, I wouldn't mind so much, but most of the time they're used as interchangeable adjectives. When a sentence means the same thing regardless of whether you use the S word or the F word, it proves that neither of them were necessary because they SHOULD mean two different things.

Someone implied the F word in a post about me last night, and I wasn't offended. I laughed, because the usage was witty and couldn't have been achieved with any other word.

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