#$%&# Profanity?
6This is a small thing but I'm curious. Don't get me wrong, I am not at all offended by dam-blasted cuss words and taking the Lord's name in vain and all. It's just that I am a human camera taking snapshots of Life, and I am focusing on this particular aspect right now, in my mind.
Back in the old days (and presumably currently but that is not relevant), on Woot's forums, I'm pretty sure I remember that profanity like the F-word and casting aspersions against this or that holy figure was frowned upon edited out (some would say censored from) of the forums.
Here, it appears that we can say pert' near any blasted thing we want and it is okay. (I know some bemoan that fact.)
Just curious as to what changed from then to now. Obviously Meh is a totally new identity, but the goals are somewhat the same. I know that the Woot/Meh guys are all about building community rather than merely offering one-a-day sales. A series of questions:
- Does the fact that a certain patois is permitted here that was not permitted at Woot mean that Meh is targeting a slightly different audience?
- Is it not anything so formal, it's just that the Meh/Woot guys said, "Fudge it. We sold Woot for a bazillion dollars, now we can do anything we want, we don't need to be wearing evening dress at dinner anymore"?
- Was there a certain pressure, a certain seriousness, that existed in building Woot the first go-around that is not needed now that that goal turned into reality and is not the case presently? Sort of like, formerly, "We would really like to attract a business partner or someone to buy us out, we need to watch our language" versus now it's kind of like your 86-year-old grandpa who's so old he really doesn't give a doo-doo anymore and just sits and farts on your living room sofa no matter who is around?
Apologies if this is equivalent lifting the rock to see what is scurrying around underneath it, and of course feel free to ignore any of these questions that you feel you do not want to answer. I can say that with great expansiveness, comity, and bon homie because I am sure you will just ignore any of these questions that you feel you do not want to answer anyway, so I may as well look generous about it.
- 38 comments, 99 replies
- Comment
where's the fucking TL;DR version?
@carl669 TL;DR: Why do they allow bad words on the forum here but didn't when it was woot.
@defibrillator My guess is their give-a-fuck is broken ;)
Goddamn that was long.
@ACraigL That's what she fucking said.
@armchair You're holding the ruler backwards.
http://elitedaily.com/life/culture/reasons-cursing-is-good-for-the-soul/879294/
That's a good question for the next live stream.
@sammydog01 Hells motherfucking yeah.
I seem to recall last July there was a big kerfuffle over this ... oh yes, here it is.
It turned into a big crapstorm PDQ.
@oppodude Did someone call for a crapstorm?
I think it is a way to stand out as edgy and non corporate, but mostly I think the attitude is: Words are just words. If you don't like the ones used here, meh.
In this situation I would assume that the Mehnonites that run mediocre want to be completely upfront about what they offer here in all aspects of the site. "Here's what we sell, here's where you can complain about it." Barring obvious things like various offenses ending with "-ism" you can pretty much say what you want, which is how it should be. This is a commerce site not a daycare, and given the daily traffic people apparently like that.
@Mofongo I can't talk about my rheumatism here?
@rockblossom Only if you refer to it as 'my rheumatizz'
I think it may have something to do with the fact that we are all adults here, and learned long, long ago that;
"Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me."
Hey guys, I think the question here is whether this is a reaction to something that happened at Woot, not a diatribe about potty language. I would like to know too.
@Pavlov I have the Southpark movie soundtrack. I need to put it back on my iPod.
@sammydog01 iPod? You mean Tweety and Sylvester, right?
@beachbum Perfect- "Uncle Fucker" coming out of Tweety's mouth.
Speaking of the old forums, I'd like to see skittles, "what can brown do for you?", and pole vaults brought back at least once. I do hope long cat has since been euthanized.
@cercopithecoid Please explain the skittles thing. At one time it was a filtered term on the forums and I never knew why. Something must've happened with them before my time.
@medz Near nekkid girls and skittles
For what it's worth, it's why I generally avoid the community aspect of Meh. I was more involved in the beginning, but the profanity eventually got old. Also, it keeps most of the girls out... Also, no pagination.
I said it in the past, but I think a no profanity rule might discourage a small number of people from visiting, but a profanity free-for-all discourages a large amount of people from visiting. I don't get it.
@phatmass The darkest (and best) profanity I've ever heard has all been uttered by women. Just fuckin' sayin'.
@phatmass What do you mean "it keeps most of the girls out"? Are you really saying that you think girls find swearing offensive?
@PurplePawprints girls, not women
@Pavlov I resemble that remark!
@TerriblyHuang Ahh, there's the distinction. Well, girls aren't old enough to buy stuff on the internet and don't need to be here anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter if the profanity is keeping them away. As for me, this woman will keep bitching about shit on here with alacrity.
@phatmass - - I suspect you might be surprised by the percentage of females in the forums.
I'm girlish, for instance.
@tHumperchick And that's the reason I like you so goddamned much.
@phatmass I haven't been a girl for about forty-three years.
@phatmass I've met far more men who couldn't handle profanity than women. We aren't all wilting flowers. I was raised to be both intelligent and be able to peel paint from the walls with my foul language, one does not exclude the other.
@phatmass No pagination is a mysoginistic tool of the patriarchy!
@KDemo The term "girlish" scares me, ...especially after seeing the photos of Bru.... er...Caitlyn Jenner earlier today.
I don't think it's what you say, it's how you say it.
@irishbyblood Fucking A, man.
@irishbyblood I agree - I rely on this fact to thoroughly offend quite often.
@Pavlov So many ways to tell someone to go fuck themselves without saying go fuck yourself.
I think that if you use potty language all the time it has no meaning. I save mine for special occasions. Because if that quiet thing that uses terms like "potty language" starts flinging the F-bomb, people notice.
I am just gonna leave this here
BATH!!!!!!
What the fuck is this shit?
People with truly offensive ideas seldom need dirty words to express them.
@PocketBrain Or we are just psychopathic enough to obfuscate our true intentions through peppering our posts with needless profanity.
@PocketBrain My family would disagree with that in regards to me. I seem to thrive with both like flowers thrive with sun.
I thought this was america!
@gilar1ja Hey, capitalize that fucking "A"!
@Pavlov Nope. This is the land of the free and that means they don't have to capitalize shit!
@medz Damnit - loopholes everywhere.
@Pavlov No just the spelling nazis
What I like here is that no one tells me what I can say or not say (within reason). I can post good things, or I can post goats (like @carl669 having intercourse with goats) Yes - Fucking. I don't swear much here, but neither do I care who does. There are some people who never do and still participate on this site everyday. We don't have to like what everyone says or does - but we are tolerant of each other. I have not met a person here yet who has offended me in some way - I hope they can say the same. This reminds me of the early days of wOOt (wild west), but with an even larger degree of freedom. I for one like it here. And if anyone does not like that - I really don't give a shit!
@defibrillator I also think your question was a valid thing to ask about the community here.
@mfladd I was made a goat because someone called me a really, really bad name. I guess I'd pushed her buttons pretty hard for her to do that. The post was deleted and she was banned.
@lisaviolet I too was called that name, fairly early on... I remember that comment and person disappearing... Apparently, there IS a line. That line is directing hateful shit AT someone.
@Thumperchick @lisaviolet recently I saw a post disappear for the first time. It was a remark made to a staff member. It was not hateful in any way, but just crossed the line of inappropriateness. I don't think any maliciousness was meant. I posted something after that in a good-natured kind of way, saying as such. The next morning it was gone. Unfortunately, it left my comment just hanging in space. That person posts frequently, but just had a bad post - it happens.
@mfladd Damn, I missed that one...
@lisaviolet -Once I called staff attention to a post with a link that was extremely racist. The post was removed, but that person still shows up here sometimes.
@Thumperchick Seriously, it didn't bother me. It was just a word, yanno? But I found the most awesome response gif for it, was getting ready to post that and poof the post was gone. I had a sad.
@KDemo Some things are wrong under any circumstances. Racism is one of them.
@mfladd Yeah, like geez, what a dork, right?
@mfladd I noticed that post vanish, too. I can assure you that there was no malicious intent, and as censorship is my pet peeve I was annoyed to see the comment excised. I think perhaps the powers that be have a double standard when it comes to comments that might get under the thin skin of an employee.
@eyewerks
@mfladd PASS, 'eh? Did I hurt your internet feelers with my post on another thread, causing you to clam up here? You brought up the matter of the censored post, ...and I think it was rather upstanding of you to do so. The post wasn't a personal attack, there was nothing malicious about it, and while it may (as you say) crossed the line of "appropriateness", it didn't violate any rule that I am aware of. It was an action of the Thought Police. Know something, @mfladd, ...I may not always agree with you, but I will fully support your right to express yourself as and how you see fit, and I will be your f'n free speech champion. You came here with a fresh perspective and an open mind and it pains me to see you back down and become apologetic, ESPECIALLY if it's due to anything I may have said. Now use those balls to come down on the side of integrity. Acquiescence is the saddest act of all.
Fuck censorship.
Everybody has different buttons you shouldn't push. E.g. mine is racism. I guess we Germans have a bit of history there and that's why it hurts more. I get offended when the INS sends me a form and ask about my race. That's very offensive to me. I don't give a rats ass about the f-word though. Doesn't do much for me, but doesn't bother me either. And it's all about context: Use one of the FCC banned words when you drop your keys and it's completely ok. Use it directed at somebody and it may be offensive. Lenny Bruce really pointed it out well. Words aren't good or bad. It is all about how, when and where you use them. And no rules can define offensive language absolutely. Which is why they are a moot point. That being said I really like the meh community because people here are nice, even when they aren't. TL;DR> bad words or not, meh rocks!
@einrad re: TL;DR Ha! I actually had to google that one.
I'm offended just to be offended because 'Murica
No idea.
Just came here for for an excuse to swear.
Balls.
@Chops
@thismyusername Haha, hopefully that was easier to find than my image. I google imaged searched "balls" for something funny and regretted it. My browser history now also makes me look like exactly as much of a weirdo as I am.
@Chops
And it started so simply one fateful Friday with the call of the meh in its natural habitat. To those who could hear it sounded like, "FUCK SPEAKER DOCKS!"
Profanity doesn't offend me, I just prefer not to be around it. It's like cigarette smoke.
Also, people who cuss a lot generally have less money than people who don't cuss (proven fact). If Meh wants to attract the poor crowd, so be it. It's just a really weird business plan when trying to get people to spend money.
@phatmass Citation please. Really. Seriously.
@phatmass People that use the word "cuss" generally live in trailer parks. I know that I read that somewhere, and since I have both 1) never been to a trailer park, and 2) never heard anyone actually say "cuss", I'm pretty darn content with confirming that it's a bonafide fact. Smiling in your general direction....
@phatmass I'd like to see where that's proven. Hubby calls bullshit. And along those lines, I really don't see people with money shopping over here on Meh.
@phatmass I can't speak to the cuss/income ratio, but I can leave this here: Based on the Internal Revenue Service’s 2010-2014 database below, here’s how much the top Americans make: Top 1%: $380,354 Top 5%: $159,619 Top 10%: $113,799 Top 25%: $67,280 Top 50%: >$33,048
@phatmass I say FUCK a lot and im in the top 10 according to @DaveInSoCal also I shop at Meh, I'd say thats my worst quality
@revloki New earworm
@lisaviolet We are now singing this all over my office. I feel like a horrible person.
@revloki Are you totally and completely ashamed of yourself now? laughing
@lisaviolet It should be noted that this is the ONLY funny part of this movie. The rest is complete drivel.
@revloki It's a movie? Okay. I won't ever watch it.
I use it just as much out of happiness or excitement as I do anger. My kids have been raised with it as was I and they never say anything worse than 'crap' and that's rare. Hell, my 13 year old said that he was ticked off and then hurriedly asked if he was in trouble. Because I tell them what I was told, learn first how to speak properly outside of your home, then we will see about the sentence enhancers when you're older.
But I will easily drop more foul words when excited about good things. "Oh my god, will you just look at that brilliant little fucker! Have you seen a more glorious bastard in your life?".
And that was the last time I was allowed to attend an elementary school graduation.
@jaremelz "Sentence enhancers"- my new favorite term
We're missing input from Mediocre staff, whom I think were the target of @defibrillator's questions--which, btw, aren't about whether "swearing" is good or bad, but whence and why it arose to be such a thing here.
I'm fucking done with the discussion (here at least) of what profanity says about my intellect, character, social status, upward mobility, spirituality, inclination to shop, what-the-fuck-ever. I'm willing to go toe-to-toe (or "motherfucker" to "fiddlesticks") with anyone who thinks that their not swearing makes them better than me. They may be better than me, but it's not because they don't say "shit."
And I'm truly not sure that I care. And I confess to being the kind of guy who cares about a ton of arguably meaningless shit.
The fact is that many of us, myself included, find the freedom of expression--a unique freedom of expression that I don't find in most of the other online forums I frequent--one of the singular charms of this place.
Anyway, what say ye, @JonT, @snapster, @JasonToon, @dave, @matthew (and any other lab rats with a particular interest)? I think @defibrillator asked some interesting questions that deserve explicit (ha) answers. I mean, I know similar questions (but maybe not all of them) have been raised and answered elsewhere. Maybe someone who's not so fucking lazy as I can track down those answers. Oh, and please link to the specific comment and not just the larger thread.
This maybe even deserves a "sticky" topic.
@joelmw TL;DR What the fuck? Someone from Mediocre speak the fuck up.
@joelmw I think that this thread was posted on a weekend and that it's Monday. Perhaps those folks are busy. Or they're just sick of explaining this shit every few months.
We're just taking advantage of the freedom we have to write the way we talk. We do lots of things that not everyone will like. Profanity is just one of them, and not a big one, to me. I don't know why a stray instance of "shit" is more controversial than, say, 20 years of obnoxious Hardee's commercials where supermodels drip burger grease down their cleavage. Except maybe for that first assault on speaker docks, we don't use profanity just for the fuck of it (LOL see wut I did there). It's because sometimes it's the natural word for the job.
@JasonToon - I find this site (including most of the mehtizens) to be more literate than the vast majority of other community oriented sites. Including the profanity.
@JasonToon I had the El Diablo burger from Hardees the other day. It was cleavage drippin' good!
@JasonToon I need some convincing, get some models of the same caliber as the Hardee Carls girls and do a speaker dock layout. Then have someone run some numbers or something.
@JasonToon Just saw this... no really it's real...
I personally try to use profane language sparingly in writing, particularly since it is so easy to seem edgy for the sake of being edgy ("someone made a post about curse words? Better jam as much foul language into my post as possible!"). But when speaking, that can go right out the window. You can ask others about my recent dealings with Amazon for examples...
Anyway, I can't speak for Meh, but does it seem like the internet as a whole cares less about profanity these days? It seems like everybody had a word filter back in the early to mid 2000s. SomethingAwful still has one if you aren't logged in, and I think even Digg.com had one. I'm not a redditor, but I can guess what would happen if they tried to censor language, particularly after their previous censorship meltdown. Anyone else notice this trend or am I crazy?
@Moose This is the most mature response I've seen here.
I think my point has been proven on Imgur today. http://imgur.com/gallery/sUyoECd http://imgur.com/gallery/BWynOBO http://imgur.com/gallery/4se4kIR
turd
@sammydog01- This is the most mature response I've seen here ;-)
@KDemo Hee!
If you want to establish a great sense of community why not just filter the most explicit cuss words into different words that only people who've been around a long time would get. So, instead of the old boring f***, it would change to something totally sweet like fupa. That would make everyone happy. The poor people still get to type all of their favorite words, and the smart people aren't forced to read them.
@phatmass That's pretty much exactly what Woot did. This is not Woot. Also, you really need to stop equating the language I use with my income bracket. It's getting pretty fuckin' old.
@phatmass Still waiting on that proof...
@phatmass Also, I find your last sentence pretty damn offensive in that you're directly implying that poor=stupid and not-poor=smart.
@phatmass All of the swearing in the world isn't nearly as offensive (to me) as your bias, ignorance and entitlement issues.
@phatmass
Can you not be poor and smart? All poor people are dumb? Wow, the hate and ignorance you are spewing are curse words to me.
@phatmass Yeah, because this wasn't at all annoying or insulting to our intelligence.
@phatmass Fuckin' A!!!!
@phatmass I don't even curse that often and I'm still broke.
@PurplePawprints exactly how a poor person would respond.
@PurplePawprints not equating the two. I was actually thinking, "All the smart poor people get to write, and the poorer smart people arent forced to read it". You conclusion jumper you!
@phatmass Wow. Taking this here in combination with your earlier posting in this thread all I have to say to you is: When you're full of shit, you're REALLY completely full of shit, aren't you? Many of us are still waiting for you to back up any of your 'proven facts' with a solid reference. Love to see how you want to backpedal out of being a buffoon.
My parents had a word filter for their TV/VCR. Sunday morning religious shows were hilarious to listen to. "If you don't accept CLOWN into your heart you are going straight to HILLBILLY!"
@Mehrocco_Mole Haha, is that a real thing? I gotta track down a YoutTube video for this.
From the talented (and not poor!) George Carlin:
Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television
What I wonder is if you use "sentence enhancers" liberally, do you have anywhere to go if you really need to emphasize something?
I don't swear much at all. But that also means I have that available to me if I really need to emphasize my feelings about something. I remember shocking someone when I used "shit" about something; they'd never heard me use that before, but they also instantly understood that this was serious.
So, what vocabulary tools do you have available to show real disapproval/distress/emphasis when you swear like a sailor all the time?
@SIMBM I never understand this argument. Seems fairly easy to determine emphasis/distress level/seriousness through tone (and volume) along with body language and other visual cues.
I swear pretty damn often, but I'm usually very laid back and don't get super worked up about things. When I'm mad or really upset, trust me that you'll know.
If someone I never hear swear does I might pay more attention, but I can just as easily tell when someone that does swear more frequently is really upset.
@SIMBM I think I agree with @JonT on this. We get far more out of body language and tone than we do from the words being said.
@JonT I don't want to meet that tense body language @jont!!! Just the thought of it makes me nervous!
@SIMBM I swear often and freely, but everyone certainly knows when I'm kicking down a number on the DEFCON scale. Between volume and body language it would be easy enough, but the nature of the words changes. Trust me, when I skip from calling a situation a little bitch to a rot-dicked puppet fucker, they know.
@jaremelz omygooodness........ twice now I have really laughed out loud -- have you ever called someone that?????? (wiping the tears from my eyes)
@mikibell My parents passed down a rich and colorful language of our people. I simply honed it. She was the real master when I was young.
@jaremelz Wow.. I am impressed.. I think the worst I have ever used is the phrase "obtuse bovine sycophant" -- and the person was!!
@SIMBM Everything I learned, I learned from my mother. My father was one of those people who wouldn't say "shit" if he had a mouthful. But as I got older, that changed.
I don't swear in public. I don't swear around anyone but my really close friends and my husband. And here. I swear on here.
@JonT @Thumperchick @jaremelz That all fine and OK in a face to face situation, but in the immediate case of this venue, we do not have any of those cues available. So, once you've used up that particular tool in the toolbox, what do you have left? Do you have anywhere to go?
@SIMBM Not @JonT, @Thumperchick or @jaremelz, but when I'm angry and my only option is to express it in writing? No swearing at all. I can make my point without the cursing and actually, the end result would be prettier had I done so. Sarcasm is my go to verbal method of fight club and it runs deep in my DNA. My mother was full blooded Irish (born and raised in Dublin) and she had definite personality issues. I learned from the best, God rest her soul.
@SIMBM @phatmass What I perhaps resent most of all is this suggestion that a class of words can only mean a particular thing in a particular way and can or cannot be used because someone finds them particularly offensive, for whatever reason. The discussion here has mostly revealed to me that those opposed to these words are prone to narrowness of thought and obsession with taboo--two qualities of mind I am more than happy to shit upon.
Certainly there are contexts in which I constrain my speech, but I do so out of deference to the established norms within those contexts and not because certain language is intrinsically inferior or superior or because it necessarily and unequivocally conveys a certain feeling. Personally, my preference is for environments in which I can speak freely and with the widest range and complexity of vocabulary, tone and construction. I prefer that meh be such a place and not yet another bastion of strictures imposed by a band of controlling and uptight assholes. There are too many such places in our society (and arguably the public space is itself predominately so) and too few where freedom is nurtured and celebrated.
@joelmw DR;ND (didn't read, need dictionary - poor dummy here)
@lisaviolet
@joelmw
@joelmw You've summed it up perfectly. I also dislike the assumption that because I do swear, that I've no control over the how and the where of it. I volunteer at an elementary school, and you could never convince the staff there that I swear the likes of which will make a Longshore fisherman blush. I do not swear to the general public or in customer service related situations.
But just get me in my car and subject me to the morons on the road. My teen gets the giggle fits when I start going off. He knows it's just me blowing off steam and that there's no lasting anger.
@SIMBM When I need to express a more intense emotion or point, I find that cursing isn't my best tool. Those are the times when I dig into my vocabulary, to make sure my point is clear and understood. I understand your point of view and agree with it. Perhaps if I need to be a direct role model someday, I'll go that route. In the mean time, this works for me and I find that I am pretty well understood, as a general rule.
If you don't stop saying "Darn," Gosh is going to send you to Heck!
@2many2no Oh, Jeebus Crisp, what a load of poo.
@phatmass "exactly how a poor person would respond". Seriously? You know what asshole, go choke on a bag of dicks, you mother-fucking whore's bastard. You are nothing but a pretentious prick who thinks that his asinine views somehow make him better than those who have a differing opinion. I'd feel sorry for you, but I'm too poor and stupid to give a fuck.
@SIMBM, I definitely have somewhere to go with my language when I feel the need to do more than throw out a casual "fuck this" or "that's the shit, right there".
I use profanity more in real life than online, and have used it more in this thread than anywhere else on the forums, but at home, I curse like a sailor and have no problems getting my point across. I also have no problems keeping it in check in areas where it's not appropriate.
@PurplePawprints Forgive me for interrupting, Purple, but I think it would be far better if he choked on the dick of the guy in the contest picture rather than a bag of generic dicks.