The new Phileas Fogg ad makes me smile. I wonder how many ad men, over how many years, have, probably when very drunk, tried to come up with a national ad campaign that somehow includes the most taboo word in the English language. Well, Phileas Fogg have done it, and I congratulate them. I mention this because the issue of swearing in posts and blogs bothers me. We're not allowed for fear of offending. I bloody love swearing. Who doesn't swear. Some of my stories would lack gravitas without swearing. So, what to do. I can substitute words that vaguely sound like swear words. I quite like 'freaking', And 'twunting'. There are some words that I think are generally acceptable, like bloody, and hell, but what about balls, or wank? The thing is, I hate the idea of using an asterisk to disguise the word. It seems prudish and a bit childish. I'm an adult. I can drink and smoke if I choose, and I can go to bed when I like. The person reading is just gonna say the word in their head anyway. So, is it worse to see it in print or hear it in your minds ear? The Guardian doesn't use asterisks, and how many people manage to read that without feeling verbally abused. So maybe I should just go ahead and swear with abandon. But, I am a child at heart, and deeply frightened of being told off by the adults. The word moderation fills me with dread. When I log on, the first thing I nearly always do is check there are no berating personal message from an official. It's also such a shame that I am too cowardly to reply irreverently back to certain posts. I thought of quite a witty response to someone's query regarding the cancer busting qualities of hemp oil. It involved US healthcare system and the series Breaking Bad. I was too scared. Maybe I'll change my status message to include a caveat.
I think many people will agree with you that this disease makes us all want to swear but it is also true that there are people who are deeply upset by swearing and since this site is about help and support, we should try to avoid upsetting them.
A number of us used to post in a group "For those with a warped sense of humour - no holds barred" where the title of the group said it all! We were however aware of the fact that at least the first two lines were visible on the activities list and to avoid offence we would not use words which might offend sensitive souls until we were clear of that zone.
It was felt that people entering the group had been forewarned and it was acceptable
No one in the group used gratuitous swear words, but when times got tough and a few expletives helped they were used then.
If you feel the need to use swear words why not ask admin what can be done, and I'm sure they will advise you.
As for quack remedies we do get them from time to time, but a measured response gets your point across better than the witty and rude replies we would all like to post.
Colin
PS. This is a personal view and I am not a member of the admin team!
