Subject:
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Re: Who oversees the rec.toys.LEGO newsgroup?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Tue, 25 Jan 2000 02:17:06 GMT
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Viewed:
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733 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Christopher L. Weeks writes:
> I think bans on profanity are ridiculous. I intend to comply with the
> rules here because I value this place. I might even think that this
> place is better in part because of those rules. But I think that people
> who are afraid of their children being corrupted by hearing certain
> words are missing the boat.
>
> Words (and language) are this incredibly cool idea that we came up with
> that enables us to do a whole lot of stuff. Words are beautiful. They
> are not something to be afraid of. None of them.
>
> The "F-bomb" is in my vocabulary, yet I choose to use it very little.
> It entered my vocabulary when I was two or three. My parents cursed
> enough that they sounded low class to the me that I am now. I did too,
> as a kid. And then I grew up. I was alowed to make my own decisions,
> to think for myself, and to read whatever I wanted. My parents made
> mistakes, but this wasn't one of them.
My original point, which I think you have partially and inadvertently backed
up, is that kids lack the maturity to use profanity wisely. Armed with the "F-
bomb" as it is so tactfully put, a kid is just as likely to waltz up to the
Queen and tell her where to go in no uncertain terms. Whilst Republicans may
not find a problem with this (sorry, I'm talking as an Australian here for
context), it is inappropriate and offensive. To bring it back to a more common
level, a kid screaming "f-bomb off" at the top of his lungs in a classroom
clearly lacks the maturity to use the word appropriately. That, or he needs to
be put on serious medication. ;-)
You said the F-bomb is in your vocabulary, as it is in mine, and most other
people on Lugnet and around the world. You also said you chose to use it very
little. This points towards an understanding of the meaning of the word and
when, if ever, it is appropriate to use it. You even state that your parents
seem "low class" to you because of their frequent cussing. So you must, to
some degree, see my point. Rowan Atkinson is IMHO one of the funniest
comedians ever. His "Blackadder" work has no profanities at all, and he
doesn't even speak in his "Mr. Bean" series (not including the movie).
IMO a child who swears reflects an undiciplined upbringing and, in a few
cases, a lack of adequate education. This has a ripple effect on a wider range
of social problems. That's just my opinion, but I'm entitled to it. You may
think me hypocritical since I also swear, but it is something that I am
constantly trying to change. There's plenty of time for swearing later in
life, kids shouldn't have to be confronted with it from the get-go.
I agree that words are wonderful, but when they are deliberately used to hurt
or offend someone, or belittle the sexual act, or compare someone to a pile of
excrement, then that is wrong. We all do it, but it is still wrong. How would
you have reacted if those two guys you walked in on were talking about various
things they'd done to your sister? "A Time To Kill" makes good use of this
argument in a murder trial, but from a physical rather than verbal point of
view.
Forgive me if I've gone a bit off-topic (what better place to do it), but it
disturbs me when general use of language slips lower and lower into the
gutter, and kindergarden kids are telling their teachers to F-bomb off. Whilst
we can never get it back once we have stepped over the line, we can slow its
decline by moderating our own language as much as possible, and Lugnet is as
good a place as any to start. I don't think it's rediculous, I think it's
civilised.
Pete Callaway
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Message has 1 Reply:
Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Who oversees the rec.toys.LEGO newsgroup?
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| (...) Wait. The first part of your note sounded like it was about calm civility. How is it more civil to "insult, flame, or denigrate" someone just because the F-bomb isn't used? So is it about being decent to one another in this forum and trying to (...) (25 years ago, 24-Jan-00, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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