Excessive profanity in books - Page 14

kindlekitten · 10-29-2010, 01:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doreenjoy

This may be the last time I attempt to make a joke on this forum.

Slinking away now...

I'm truly sorry

, just a raw nerve that gets rubbed every once in awhile. don't take my knee jerk responses to heart

simonroyle · 10-29-2010, 01:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doreenjoy

This may be the last time I attempt to make a joke on this forum.

Slinking away now...

Now what you really have to be worried is drunk PENGUINS with firearms. Now that's some serious sh**

Jude2444 · 10-29-2010, 06:03 AM

I'm not a huge fan of profanity either. But I do like imaginative profanity.

WT Sharpe · 10-29-2010, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jude2444

I'm not a huge fan of profanity either. But I do like imaginative profanity.

Me too.

In addition, although I'm no fan of censorship, it can get the creative juices flowing. Many words and topics were off-limits when I was growing up, but creative people always founds ways to get their meaning across while remaining technically withing the bounds prescribed by the censor. I still listen to recordings of old radio shows and laugh because I know exactly what they're trying to say. On TV, NYPD Blue was a more recent example of a show that did quite a few interesting things with language.

Hellmark · 10-29-2010, 11:27 AM

Personally, language doesnt bother me really. Being a military brat, who is used to factory workers and construction workers, it is just the norm for me.

beppe · 10-29-2010, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShortNCuddlyAm

It makes sense that you find them all equally offensive.

I used to find the c-word more offensive, again possibly because I'm also female - but then again I know a lot of men who visibly cringe and look embarrassed if some-one utters it in their earshot.

I'm not sure when I began to find it more offensive that most people considered that part of my anatomy more offensive than the equivalent male part

But why should showing disrespect to women be more shocking than showing disrespect to men?

Interesting. I'd never actually looked up where it came from

In Italian, feminine anatomy might be employed to manifest appreciation, luck, happy outcome of an event

It makes sense. Obviously we find profit and worthy returns in treating nicely girls and alike.

Male anatomic parts are used to manifest surprise, mostly. Gonads are related to stupidity. Excreta are related to people who make damages without knowing what they are doing.

Profanity is actually profane and it makes use of words and concepts related to divinity. In the common use it is considered very base. It is a felony and can be persecuted. It is not uncommon that somebody would argue and start a fist fight with an offender. Personally, I would not mind slapping hard on the mouth somebody that curses in my presence. Unless he is old or drunk, or maimed, or sick, or just miserable looking. In spite of the fact that I am totally indifferent to what is represented. It is a tradition, like giving flowers when you are invited to dinner, or paying the bill when you ask her for an evening out. To each his own.

dsvick · 10-29-2010, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

there's no reason to be.

but it is true that hard charging troops live fast and hard. the work hard, play hard and so on.

During a movement overseas once my battalion got stranded due to bad weather. There were no military facilities nearby so each company (about 120 men) was put up in a hotel. Each night was a different hotel (change of scenery I guess), on the third night we checked into our new hotel for the night, changed into our civvies and headed for the hotel restaurant and bar. The sign on the door said "closed". Being the polite young gentlemen we were, we inquired at the desk as to when we could expect the bar to open, at which point we were informed "It won't. The Marines that were here last night ate all the food and drank all the beer."

We took the news graciously and headed into town where we tried to equal their feat at several local establishments

Avarwen · 10-29-2010, 09:14 PM

Meh doesn't bother me one bit I curse sometimes so I can't really complain also it depends on the book as well as the character. If it's a book about a sweet old lady then I cursing would likely have no place. But if it's a book about a drug dealer on the streets I'd expect a lot of cursing.

kindlekitten · 10-30-2010, 02:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsvick

During a movement overseas once my battalion got stranded due to bad weather. There were no military facilities nearby so each company (about 120 men) was put up in a hotel. Each night was a different hotel (change of scenery I guess), on the third night we checked into our new hotel for the night, changed into our civvies and headed for the hotel restaurant and bar. The sign on the door said "closed". Being the polite young gentlemen we were, we inquired at the desk as to when we could expect the bar to open, at which point we were informed "It won't. The Marines that were here last night ate all the food and drank all the beer."

We took the news graciously and headed into town where we tried to equal their feat at several local establishments

at one of my duty stations, our batallion headquarters was a bit far; we were in Nuerenburg, the BN was in Augsburg. we had what is essentially the "company party" day (organizaton day for those that know). we as a unit had to take a bus there. on the way our First Sargeant was telling us how he wanted us to to break records in the beer consumption category. I still have pictures of Top singing with us and drinking out of a boot (not the glass one) on the way back home

Maggie Leung · 10-30-2010, 03:50 AM

Profanity doesn't bother me. I earn a living with words, and I use them as I see fit. If some choose to judge me based on profanity, I'd prefer to know who they are, because I think that kind of thinking is simplistic and prefer to avoid such people, lol.

I'm also an atheist and respect people's right to believe whatever they want, but I expect the same. For instance, I don't want other people telling me what I shouldn't do, based on their religion.

slayda · 10-30-2010, 01:26 PM

IMO there are no profane words. There are words that might be used in a profane manner. To explain; at the age of 30, while walking in a city park where they also had an on-going dog show, I heard over the loud speakers, "The showing of the bitches will be at two o'clock." I actually cringed & ducked but it made me think about words. Early in this thread a posted mentioned that in years past we would never say a woman was pregnant but would use some other wording to essentially convey the same information. Was the word "pregnant" profane? Was the fact that she was pregnant & in public profane? Since it was OK to discuss it (using other words), the state of being pregnant & in public wasn't what was profane.

Another incident in my life was trying to explain profanity to my (then) 12 year old daughter. I used as an example the term "BS" & said in today's society, most people would find that somewhat acceptable but if we said "Bull s...", many people would frown on us. On the other hand if we said "male bovine feces", those same frowns would likely become grins. In the final analysis, we had just said the same thing in three different ways analogous to saying "in the family way" instead of pregnant.

So my conclusion is that the profanity is not in the word or even the meaning of the word but in the social circumstances where the word is used. Just as different words have different meanings, the same word used in different social circumstances has a different connotation. Our society, as a whole, determines which words are permitted in each social circumstance.

I've found that we typically frown more on the short, concise way of saying something, hence the reference to four letter words. (BTW other four letter words are love, mama, this & that

) Perhaps it's because the longer, more stilted way of speaking allows use to approach an idea more slowly.

As a final note, my wife says that "bitch" is not necessarily a derogatory term. I'll leave it to your imagination what she might mean by that.

WT Sharpe · 10-30-2010, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slayda

IMO there are no profane words. There are words that might be used in a profane manner. To explain; at the age of 30, while walking in a city park where they also had an on-going dog show, I heard over the loud speakers, "The showing of the bitches will be at two o'clock." I actually cringed & ducked but it made me think about words...

In recent years one of our neighboring cities passed laws making it a crime to utter certain words in public. Another passed a law forbidding the use of those words on bumper stickers. I briefly considered using King James Version Bible verses as bumper stickers that would have been a direct violation of the ordinances of both cities.

Spoiler:

Quote:

Originally Posted by slayda

...Early in this thread a posted mentioned that in years past we would never say a woman was pregnant but would use some other wording to essentially convey the same information. Was the word "pregnant" profane? Was the fact that she was pregnant & in public profane? Since it was OK to discuss it (using other words), the state of being pregnant & in public wasn't what was profane.

It was Lucille Ball, I believe, who made the quip (quoted from memory), "When I first began in television, you couldn't show a pregnant woman on TV. Now you can show how she got that way."

Joebill · 10-30-2010, 08:22 PM

You could show a pregnant woman on television in the 1950s.

What you couldn't say was 'she is pregnant'.

What you could say was 'she is with child'.

And it was Johnny Carson on his version of The Tonight Show.

Joebill · 10-30-2010, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maggie Leung

I'm also an atheist and respect people's right to believe whatever they want, but I expect the same. For instance, I don't want other people telling me what I shouldn't do, based on their religion.

I feel the same way. I'm a Christian, but I certainly wouldn't demand others live like I do. Hmm... I'll mention that some Christians I have met over the years chastised me for being against Segregation, not being a racist, and not living my life exactly the way they interpreted the Christian Bible to say I should.

I pointed out to them they distorted the Bible for their own political means. Some threatened me, some claimed I was Going To Hell ! I pointed out the Bible doesn't mention them having any control over where I go after death.

TGS · 10-31-2010, 05:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slayda

As a final note, my wife says that "bitch" is not necessarily a derogatory term. I'll leave it to your imagination what she might mean by that.

Hasn't "bitch" be reclaimed by some women as an acronym of "babe in total control of herself"?

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10-29-2010, 06:03 AM	#198
Jude2444 Member Posts: 20 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Sony PRS650	I'm not a huge fan of profanity either. But I do like imaginative profanity.

10-29-2010, 11:27 AM	#200
Hellmark Wizard Posts: 2,592 Karma: 4290425 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Foristell, Missouri, USA Device: Nokia N800, PRS-505, Nook STR Glowlight, Kindle 3, Kobo Libra 2	Personally, language doesnt bother me really. Being a military brat, who is used to factory workers and construction workers, it is just the norm for me.

10-29-2010, 09:14 PM	#203
Avarwen Connoisseur Posts: 87 Karma: 12170 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: EZ_ Reader, Nook wifi, Kindle 3G	Meh doesn't bother me one bit I curse sometimes so I can't really complain also it depends on the book as well as the character. If it's a book about a sweet old lady then I cursing would likely have no place. But if it's a book about a drug dealer on the streets I'd expect a lot of cursing.

10-30-2010, 03:50 AM	#205
Maggie Leung Wizard Posts: 1,449 Karma: 58383 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: Kindle, iPad	Profanity doesn't bother me. I earn a living with words, and I use them as I see fit. If some choose to judge me based on profanity, I'd prefer to know who they are, because I think that kind of thinking is simplistic and prefer to avoid such people, lol. I'm also an atheist and respect people's right to believe whatever they want, but I expect the same. For instance, I don't want other people telling me what I shouldn't do, based on their religion.

10-30-2010, 01:26 PM	#206
slayda Retired & reading more! Posts: 2,764 Karma: 1884247 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: North Alabama, USA Device: Kindle 1, iPad Air 2, iPhone 6S+, Kobo Aura One	IMO there are no profane words. There are words that might be used in a profane manner. To explain; at the age of 30, while walking in a city park where they also had an on-going dog show, I heard over the loud speakers, "The showing of the bitches will be at two o'clock." I actually cringed & ducked but it made me think about words. Early in this thread a posted mentioned that in years past we would never say a woman was pregnant but would use some other wording to essentially convey the same information. Was the word "pregnant" profane? Was the fact that she was pregnant & in public profane? Since it was OK to discuss it (using other words), the state of being pregnant & in public wasn't what was profane. Another incident in my life was trying to explain profanity to my (then) 12 year old daughter. I used as an example the term "BS" & said in today's society, most people would find that somewhat acceptable but if we said "Bull s...", many people would frown on us. On the other hand if we said "male bovine feces", those same frowns would likely become grins. In the final analysis, we had just said the same thing in three different ways analogous to saying "in the family way" instead of pregnant. So my conclusion is that the profanity is not in the word or even the meaning of the word but in the social circumstances where the word is used. Just as different words have different meanings, the same word used in different social circumstances has a different connotation. Our society, as a whole, determines which words are permitted in each social circumstance. I've found that we typically frown more on the short, concise way of saying something, hence the reference to four letter words. (BTW other four letter words are love, mama, this & that ) Perhaps it's because the longer, more stilted way of speaking allows use to approach an idea more slowly. As a final note, my wife says that "bitch" is not necessarily a derogatory term. I'll leave it to your imagination what she might mean by that.

10-30-2010, 08:22 PM	#208
Joebill Fanatic Posts: 517 Karma: 459442 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Alpha Centauri's Library of Alexandria Device: Pandigital Novel	You could show a pregnant woman on television in the 1950s. What you couldn't say was 'she is pregnant'. What you could say was 'she is with child'. And it was Johnny Carson on his version of The Tonight Show.