Aegis J Hyena's Super Hyena Fun Show: Random Banter Thread #215

[Amidus Drexel]

I had an interesting thought occur to me today.

I grew up with "all swearing is bad no matter what." This was reinforced by being homeschooled. This has caused one problem - I find it very hard to gauge the relative strength of any word stronger than "crap." They were all bad and offensive, so it's a lot harder to judge what's really offensive and what's just sorta-bad.

Well, it's mostly dependent on context. Most words are not inherently objectionable by themselves (racial slurs and a few other sorts generally being exceptions to this rule), but the setting and the people you're talking to can make different phrases more or less acceptable. People that never swear will be put off by much milder stuff than people who sprinkle vulgar words into casual conversation (e.g. me irl), and different cultures have different hierarchies of what's more likely to offend someone.

If you're just looking for a general idea of what "counts" and what doesn't, the gitp forum censor is a pretty okay metric for what most people are comfortable with hearing. With maybe a few exceptions, if you can say it here without your word being overwritten by asterisks, you're probably cool to say it out in public and even the more uptight people probably won't bat an eyelash.

[WarKitty]

Of course, I'm online here reading about the Scunthorpe problem on TV tropes...some of the examples are pretty funny.

(And yes, I had to circumvent the forum filter to get that one in.)

[enderlord99]

Of course, I'm online here reading about the Scunthorpe problem on TV tropes...some of the examples are pretty funny.

(And yes, I had to circumvent the forum filter to get that one in.)

You mean that thing that's like Pen Island but not exactly?

[FinnLassie]

Well, it's mostly dependent on context. Most words are not inherently objectionable by themselves (racial slurs and a few other sorts generally being exceptions to this rule), but the setting and the people you're talking to can make different phrases more or less acceptable. People that never swear will be put off by much milder stuff than people who sprinkle vulgar words into casual conversation (e.g. me irl), and different cultures have different hierarchies of what's more likely to offend someone.

If you're just looking for a general idea of what "counts" and what doesn't, the gitp forum censor is a pretty okay metric for what most people are comfortable with hearing. With maybe a few exceptions, if you can say it here without your word being overwritten by asterisks, you're probably cool to say it out in public and even the more uptight people probably won't bat an eyelash.

I gotta fully agree on this one. Personally I majorly cuss in "forum appropriate" way IRL, but depending on the group I might let a looot of different words slip in or even not use any form of craptaculars at all.

It's a silly world.

[WarKitty]

You mean that thing that's like Pen Island but not exactly?

Pretty much, yeah.

Also known as the Clbuttic problem.

[LaZodiac]

I gotta fully agree on this one. Personally I majorly cuss in "forum appropriate" way IRL, but depending on the group I might let a looot of different words slip in or even not use any form of craptaculars at all.

It's a silly world.

As I've heard someone say before, it doesn't matter if all you say when you're mad is "waffle iron" if you say it with enough venom to melt a crucifix.

[FinnLassie]

As I've heard someone say before, it doesn't matter if all you say when you're mad is "waffle iron" if you say it with enough venom to melt a crucifix.

Yup. My mum surely has taught me the art of rolling around with words to express my emotions. Quite a lot of times they aren't even words, but... any syllable really that comes into mind instead of the one that is about to come out.

[Qwertystop]

I tend to just sputter. Sometimes I say "what the actual" and don't add the expletive. I don't think I've ever actually said any of the words on The List except very quietly in elementary school. No problem with hearing them, they just never seen justified.

[DataNinja]

I tend to just sputter. Sometimes I say "what the actual" and don't add the expletive. I don't think I've ever actually said any of the words on The List except very quietly in elementary school. No problem with hearing them, they just never seen justified.

That's similar to myself. I don't see much point in actually using them, as it's easy enough to add emphasis without using strong expletives, especially ones that might cause offense, or upset someone. However, they do serve as a useful judge of when I'm genuinely angry or upset, and need to step away, because it's only then that I actually start using them in my head.

I... I wouldn't say I don't mind if other people use them, though, preferably not to me, but I won't stop them. No point in imposing my own values onto another person.

[enderlord99]

Lettuce.

[Amidus Drexel]

I work with a bunch of ex-military folks, and they have, if nothing else, greatly reinforced my habit of swearing all the time. Most of it isn't even meant to be obscene - it might as well be punctuation at this point.

I tend to just sputter.

Sometimes I say "what the actual" and don't add the expletive. I don't think I've ever actually said any of the words on The List except very quietly in elementary school. No problem with hearing them, they just never seen justified.

I do this when I get particularly frustrated with something - usually just strings of incomplete phrases. Granted, it doesn't stop me from swearing, I just stop sounding coherent after I run out of different obscenities to use.

[Rawhide]

Swear words are essentially power words, in that the more you use them, the less power they have. Consider someone who swears just about every other sentence. You may be offended, but you expect it from them. The words have no power. Now, when someone who has never sworn in the 20 years you've known them drops "the f-bomb", everybody stops and pays attention to what they have to say.

[factotum]

Swear words are essentially power words, in that the more you use them, the less power they have.

The same applies to the person using the swear words. Saw a TV programme once where they did an experiment--they got two actors to put their hands in iced water to see how long they could hold them in there, then did the same experiment with the same two people but asked them to cuss out loud while their hand was in the water. In both cases they could hold their hand in the water longer while cussing than when not, but Brian Blessed (who's fairly foul-mouthed) didn't see as much of a benefit as Stephen Fry (who rarely swears).

[2D8HP]

swear words......
cussing......

A bit over 16 years ago when I was a new plumbing apprentice, one of the journeyman plumber's said to me, "Kid, you don't curse enough. We're going to teach you to curse".

They did (worse years of my life).

[Teddy]

I do this when I get particularly frustrated with something - usually just strings of incomplete phrases. Granted, it doesn't stop me from swearing, I just stop sounding coherent after I run out of different obscenities to use.

When the computer is behaving odd, undefined or otherwise out of my control, I devolve into unfinished sentences jammed into one another as well. I generally stop before reaching any explicitives, though, as I generally don't swear.

Swear words are essentially power words, in that the more you use them, the less power they have. Consider someone who swears just about every other sentence. You may be offended, but you expect it from them. The words have no power. Now, when someone who has never sworn in the 20 years you've known them drops "the f-bomb", everybody stops and pays attention to what they have to say.

Well, most people haven't known me for 20 years, but I had this happen to me with a slightly more recent circle of friends. I usually go through lengths to not only avoid cursing (unless the situation warrants it), but also avoid obvious substitutions or omissions (like "heck" or "what the..."), so I guess it's notable that I don't swear. I can't remember the exact circumstances, but I'm fairly sure it was at Tuesday Gaming Club, and I don't think it was really warranted, but I cursed over something or to emphasise something, and some people interrupted whatever they were up to out of surprise. They just hadn't heard me swear before.

As a sidenote, since I also try to stay off all religious expressions, even when they're not even considered curses, I've become quite aware of exactly how many power words are rooted in Christianity. Like using "heaven" (or more likely, derivatives thereof) as a power word. Or a Swedish interjection for surprise, "jösses", which I'm fairly sure is an ancient bastardisation of "Jesus", but which carries just about no religious connotations whatsoever nowadays...

[Strigon]

I do this when I get particularly frustrated with something - usually just strings of incomplete phrases. Granted, it doesn't stop me from swearing, I just stop sounding coherent after I run out of different obscenities to use.

I don't think I've ever sworn in my life - unless crap counts - but that doesn't stop me from doing this.

"What the mothersonafa - DAGNABBIT" is not uncommon to those who know me.
And, yes, I do use dagnabbit. It started off - as so many things do - being ironic, until one day it came naturally.

[WarKitty]

Oddly I learned to swear in graduate school. I was the only girl, and I it was kind of a thing of "you don't have to be extra-careful around me just because I'm a woman."

[Lethologica]

I swear frequently at myself, and at politics. In other areas it's much less common (but not absent).

[Qwertystop]

And, yes, I do use dagnabbit. It started off - as so many things do - being ironic, until one day it came naturally.

For me that happened with "Bleep". I eventually stopped that because people kept laughing.

In other news: I have a new keyboard! It is in no way a new keyboard.

[enderlord99]

Vsauce edits are ****ed up. Not sure if "Vsauce edits" is the correct term, though.

[LaZodiac]

I'm the stupidest ****ing human in existence.

There's someone on my Steam list, probably from here, from my group of friends. And I can't remember who. And they're not telling me because it's funnier this way.

Help.

[DataNinja]

I'm the stupidest ****ing human in existence.

There's someone on my Steam list, probably from here, from my group of friends. And I can't remember who. And they're not telling me because it's funnier this way.

Help.

I'd suggest process of elimination, but, unfortunately that still leaves an enormous subset of the internet.

So... maybe don't think about it, and it'll pop into your head when you're doing something else and can't write it own, as stray thoughts are wont to do?

Other than that... well, can't really help you, my aplogies. Mainly because my amount of friends could be counted on four or five hands* so I can easily keep track.

_{*Disclaimer: Does not actually have more than two hands. So please, don't call the scientists to take me bac- er, take me to their labs.}

[LaZodiac]

I figured it out it was Rawhide.

[WarKitty]

I figured it out it was Rawhide.

Scuze me while I fall over laughing.

Naughty Rawhide.

[DataNinja]

Scuze me while I fall over laughing.

Naughty Rawhide.

Seconded. To both parts.

[FinnLassie]

... that reminds me, I have one or two people on my steam friendlist from here that I have like no idea who they are. Damn it people, why don't you use the same username everywhere?!

[Strigon]

... that reminds me, I have one or two people on my steam friendlist from here that I have like no idea who they are. Damn it people, why don't you use the same username everywhere?!

Usually, either because it's taken, or their interests change over time. I don't use the same username as when I was in high school, for example, because the reference is dated to me now.

[Lacco]

Oh, I'm lucky - I don't even have steam. I think I used to have it...but... I barely remember using it.

But I think my handle there was also "lacco36"... well, I must say that if I knew my first name was not taken here, I would have used it as my handle here

[DataNinja]

I know that for things like, say, Skype, I tend to "rename" people to include everything else I know them as. If there isn't that functionality, I keep a list. Of course, since I don't have a lot of people I know between places, that list is very short.

[WarKitty]

So I figured out how to play nethack online at work.


******* gnome with a wand of sleep.

Edit: managed to follow it up with death by kitten while changing armor. That one was me not paying enough attention though.