Im serious here fellas - its like saying "Oh My God!!!"

Don't push your luck, Pacman

Damn the guy who does

#12 Pacman31, is abusive language to a family site. I guess your other comments where removed. But, you can use this one for reference as it seems to have been tolerated. Ladies and gentleman? Please? We try to think about the children that come here. How would you feel if your son or daugther or nephew talked this way? They learn from us.

Gadzooks Such Language

before talking about your MY SKINS PROBLEM, shall we first try to help you out with your CAPSLOCK PROBLEM?

Dont u ppl see that it is common phase - everyone says it and everyone will continue to say it - i dont see how it is a big deal.

profanity is still profanity, wether it is accepted by the adult populace as a popular phrase, it is not accepted here as a phrase we want the kids who visit WC to see .

everyone says it and everyone will continue to say it

i for one dont say it... and if everyone was doin the tango on the freeway in rush hour traffic , it stands to reason ud be out there doing it too?..



just cause something is popular that dont make it wright or proper ....

Jumping jehoshaphat! (carefully chosen expression of exclamation based on the fact that Isaac Asimov picked this as non offensive made up phrase in the 50's for his novels)

...I'd best ensure that I pass everything I might post in future through everyone else who might ever read anything here in case they need to censor it! That's if the phase I think has caused possible offence is the one I think people are refering to. I'd have never concidered that as being even remotely offensive.

I'm shocked enough by this decision to enact censorship on such an innocuous phrase to prompt me to raise this:

Since English is a living ever changing language, and that many phrases used today were mortally offensive in the past, and that different islands of English are evolving and changing in different ways all the time, how are we to know what may cause offense to anyone (!) if something as commonplace as this is to be censored?

Don't get me wrong, I'm in favour of dealing swiftly with people being intentionally offensive, but when a phrase is not used in an offensive way should it be censored? And who is deciding what should be censored?

For instance, should the phrase "nitty-gritty" be banned here? Personnally I'd never even considered it's origins or meanings, but after reading this http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1988681.stm I won't be using it in future in case some people take offense (regardless of the actual etymology)

Or what if people wish to offer advice on a suitable "rule of thumb" http://www.word-detective.com/back-n.html - should this be censored because some people may believe the origins to be offensive, even if they probably aren't? Is their offense any less real because of their mistake?

Alternatively, a good principal I've always found to work is that it is not WHAT is said, but HOW something is said that is more likely to give offense. Thus if the phrase I started this post with were to be aimed with intent at someone, then I'd expect it to be protested against regardless of it's lack of real meaning, but when someone uses a phrase innocently which happens to contraveine someonelse's (arbitrary) sensibilities, then the situation is much less clear. Censorship would seem a very harsh judgement IMHO in this case, though I didn't see the actual posts of course to be sure.

Alternatively, a good principal I've always found to work is that it is not WHAT is said, but HOW something is said that is more likely to give offense

Sput....unfortunately it ain't that simple on the net, where facial expressions determining 'way it is said' cannot be determined as easily.

Perfect example.....common Aussie-use word..."bastard" can be anything from endearing to reviling, depending on whether there is a smile or a frown...

jafo - I agree, your example is a good one...there's nothing wrong with any particular word or phrase IMO, it's how it's used...and in your example, if it's used endearingly with a grin then why shouldn't it be allowed? Otherwise, how do we cope with the huge variety of different cultures the net is populated with?

One alternative is to enforce censorship on _any_ word or phrase that anyone _may_ find offensive anywhere in the world, ever. This would be impossible to administer, surely?

Isn't it more practical to leave any posts unless someone exhibits deliberate intent to offend, or, at least wait until someone makes a case for it to be retracted?

I'll let this lie, it's entirely up to the discretion of the owners/admins after all, I just see this as a slippery slope...

Thundering Typhoons!

I glad that's over with

/me agrees with Stumpy, and also thinks this thread went way off-topic.

albeit for a good reason (nod to Koasati and Jafo)to clean up the mess

One alternative is to enforce censorship on _any_ word or phrase that anyone _may_ find offensive anywhere in the world, ever. This would be impossible to administer, surely?

The impossible just takes the brilliant Admins a little longer to overcome...

[BTW....tongue in cheek here]------>

common Aussie-use word..."bastard" can be anything from endearing to reviling, depending on whether there is a smile or a frown...

Well now!!
You and I might be a couple of 'old bastards' Jafo .... I certainly take no offense at being called a 'bastard' but I'm not pleased about the 'old' part ....
Of course, the great old American term 'fanny' causes gales of laughter when used by tourists in Oz ...
If only they knew!
In the Great Australian Tradition of mates you can call me an 'Old Bastard' and I can call you an 'Old Bastard' but if some 'Bloody Foreigner' (International or Interstate!) does so we'll sort him/her/it right out ....
Democracy .... Oz Style!
Goodnight and thank your Mother for the Rabbits.
[Message Edited]
[Message Edited]

(International or Interstate!)

I'm tempted Wombat... I'm tempted

/me already knows he's an old bastard