Posted on 09/23/2010 4:10:41 PM PDT by don-o
The increase of vulgarity and profanity on this board is troublesome to me. It was not always so. I can remember the “olden days”. There was no profanity. None. And there was no chat. None. The first Freepers held one another to a high standard of discourse.
I wonder why and how the profanity has become so common? The rule in the reply box includes “no profanity”. Do we have a problem of definition as to what constitutes profanity? Does replacing one of the letters in the “F” word with %## or ! mean that we have not used profanity in our posting?
I’m not really sure where to go with this. Certainly the site owner and his empowered moderators are the arbiter of what is to be allowed. I guess the best I would hope for is to encourage us all to think just a bit more about trying for forceful language without gutter language.
That is all.
I’m on my soapbox again. Thank you for providing it. I want it to be better and better and an inviting place for all.
Wtf?
As someone who has been guilty of this I pledge to refrain from this in the future.
ping
My grandmother always told me profanity was how the feeble minded express themselves with force... I miss her dearly.
The use of profanity is evidence of passion, not all of it misguided. However, the English language is rich enough to offer better and more profound alternatives, and those who seek them will usually win the argument.
Thanks, and your thread title is so good I’m saving it for future use....
What do you mean?
Not necessary ... time to clean it up a little. If we want to be potty mouths over here, we just emulate the Daily Koz ... been over there lately? It’s a cesspool. We can make intelligent statements here without shouting from the gutter. Hopefully, we’re a “notch above” DK. IMHO
yer so vain.
Honestly, its many of the same freepers here. But technology and texting language has grwon exponentially in the 10 or 12 yrs since we started. Vulagarity isn’t the problem. Its just plain nastiness amongst its members. Besides, we aren’t the mods and the deserving few get zotted.
1. It pleases mother so much.
2. It is a fine mark of manliness/ladiness.
3. It proves I have self control.
4. It indicates how clearly my mind operates.
5. It makes my conversation so pleasing to everybody.
6. It leaves no doubt in anyone's mind as to my good breeding.
7. It impresses people that I have more than ordinary education.
8. It is and unmistakable sign or culture and refinement.
9. It makes me a very desirable personality among men, women and children and in respectable society.
10. It is my way of honoring God who said, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain."
-PJ
Thanks. We make fun of the DUmmies and the KOS kiddies for the streams of sewage found there. We intuit that it’s a lack of coherent ideas that relegates them to the street language. We are nowhere near like those pits; let’s work to make the demarcation even more striking.
I completely agree.
Pretty much every time I see obscenities, I ping the mods to it. FReerepublic does not need to descent to a DU lookalike.
Now I myself on occasion will use a “don’t give a damn” or “What the hell...” but in my mind, that’s something I don’t think a parent would bristle over if their nine year old read it.
But the various slang words used to describe male and female anatomy seem to be showing up more and more. I even see threads that have words describing self-gratification in the title, I can’t help but think they are not really needed and posted just to push the envelope.
Overall, I would have to compliment the mods on doing a pretty stand up job. FR is not a day care center by any means, but it’s not yet turned into a biker bar!!
Your grandmother was right. I never heard my grandmother use even the mildest of epithets. She was a lady, a concept that is foreign to some these days.
I’ve been guilty myself because some of the issues we deal with are hot topics that get the blood boiling. Is cursing worse that some of the blatent scurting of other rules? IE- islam, homosexuality, or race? Those posts can be nastier than cursing IMHO.
That is a good thing. I consider this thread a success based on that one post alone!
My 15 year old son has been asked by kids at school why he doesn’t swear. He says “cuz I’m a Christian”. One of his friends asked him what that had to do with it. He mentioned the “taking the Lord’s name in vain” - but also realized that didn’t cover most of the words.
So we told him to look in his Bible and gave him some topics to look up in the back - “vularity”, “profanity”, etc.
Just off the top of my head I told him that most of the times when folks swear they are either angry (loss of self-control) or are talking disrespectfully of someone. Neither of which are good examples of a Christian.
Why buy a pit bull when you can use the f-word in public?
For the most part I hate profanity. I believe there are rare occasions where it’s appropriate, but the casual use of profanity is disgusting to me.
“The first Freepers held one another to a high standard of discourse. “
But most of them have been banned.
I understand the temptation, but think of what some of the other sites are like. Is this what we want for Free Republic?
“Why buy a pit bull when you can use the f-word in public?”
Let’s not be language police. That’s liberal ideology. That said, JimRob has every right to exclude who he wishes on HIS site.
Oh, for crying out loud - quit your frealling whining.
I was married to my beloved wife for 12 years before she passed, way, way too young.
And in all those years, not once did she curse. Not one single time.
Now, just between you and me, I’m pretty sure a few times she was thinking it!, but it never came out.
A true lady.
Don’t see alot of ladies these days.
“The first Freepers held one another to a high standard of discourse”
This, to me, is more important than using or not using a particular word, although I do agree that we should all do a better job of self-editing. If I’m passionate about an issue and say “that’s BS!”, no I don’t think I’m “swearing” but yes, I could as easily use a different phrase. When one gets to the point of substituting letters (unless it’s done to clean-up a direct quote), then it’s just an attempt to skirt the rules.
But when we use euphemisms or thinly-disguised non-swear words to describe other FReepers who we happen to disagree with, or even public figures like Michele Obama or Hillary, that’s sinking to the KOS-DU level of discourse, and dishonors the privilege we have of sharing ideas and opinions here.
“Is this what we want for Free Republic?”
No. It isn’t. I don’t visit those other sites but I can only imagine,
I shall join you on your soapbox. As a retired English teacher, I always considered the use of profanity as a profound lack of vocabulary.
Perhaps I’m getting old and have not as much tolerance as I should. But, my children and grandchildren respect my sensibilities and will not swear in my presence. Nor will they wear ball caps at my dinner table. They were taught manners and decorum. I pray that they use them out of my sight. I believe that they do. (But, I could also be the world’s biggest fool.)
Apparently your Grandma wasn’t Italian or live in the Bronx...........
We do make the site stronger and our thoughts better stated when profanity is not used.
We also differentiate ourselves from liberals and their DU-type sites, where no thought can be expressed except, it seems, in vulgar or profane terms.
I don’t remember the source, but here is an excellent quote: “Cursing is the attempt of week mind to express itself forcefully.”
Totally agree. My favorite internet picture ever is the guy holding his head, captioned "Oh Jeeze......"
It's perfect for those times when the same old, same old is trotted out, such as the Iranian nutjob threatening to rain fire down on us.
But, I suppose everyone thinks their decision to "go blue" is justified. I'm just calling for a wee bit of consideration before we "go there."
sheesh.
When I went to work at the factory last winter, I realized I could reduce my vocabulary to two words for everything, which could be noun, verb, adverb, all at once.
I’ve been even more strict with my kids now about not using such talk b/c I’m so bored with it from work.
When I first came her in ‘98, there was plenty of coarseness. I was a bit shocked, in fact.
I think you might have a case of nostalgia.
I’m guilty but I also remember different behavior years ago. All I can offer is that we are living in times that really do try men’s souls. The krinton years almost seem idyllic in retrospect. There are days when swearing just doesn’t cover it - and swearing was invented to convey things that polite speech just doesn’t cover. You are right, though, we should try harder to maintain a higher level of discourse and I will work harder at that ideal.
That said, years ago there were absolutely titanic flame wars, too. Invective and insults were rife and posters actually burst into flame and exited FR in spectacular opuses (opii?). Anger and humiliation were part of the trade with some posters. Some things are better today, too.
Just my $0.02.
What’s The Fuss
The rule states “no profanity” not “no coarseness.”
Or, sadly, died.
-PJ
LOL
“Just words...”
“Just my $0.02.”
Does “I’d hit it” cross the line?
it’s not just here, it’s everywhere. People are becoming increasingly profane to the point where I can’t go anywhere with my children without me and them being assoulted with vulgar and crude language.
It can be summed up to a lack of faith in God and a lack of morality as a nation.
But there was a time when even that picture was tamed down, and not even with **'s.
-PJ
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