Advisory referendum

[Rory]

All due respect to the mods, who do a great job, but should any word be censored on H&V?

We are all intelligent men and women, surely we can accept that any word can be used in the proper context?

I respect other opinions on this, but for me, to argue otherwise is to deny the existence of certain forms of expression. The only way words can be offensive is in their context and intent.

But then I'm an English graduate, so may be a precious ******.

(I know however this poll goes, it's the prerogative of the mods to decide, as it should be.)

[Rory]

Like a Russian election, pretty definitive, I'd say...

[algy]

This feels like it’s a larger and more complex question than a simple yes/no answer.

In principle, no. I think any word can be used in a context where it shouldn’t be deemed offensive. For example, there’s a word typically associated with the slave trade in America that we’llsay is “nigella seeds” for the purposes of this discussion. So someone saying that great uncle barnaby had a favourite dog called Nigella Seeds. The context of that is such that, assuming the people hearing it are aware of the undertones of “nigella seeds”, I don’t think it’s particularly offensive.

However, the thing is that the context that you’d talk about Nigella seeds in that way appears so rarely - and in any case is so open to misinterpretation when it’s not a face-to-face discussion - that I can’t see why you’d risk allowing it on a football forum. Maybe you might be more relaxed about it on a forum focussed on dog names from 100 years ago, since that context would be appear far more often.

[Rory]

This feels like it’s a larger and more complex question than a simple yes/no answer.

In principle, no. I think any word can be used in a context where it shouldn’t be deemed offensive. For example, there’s a word typically associated with the slave trade in America that we’llsay is “nigella seeds” for the purposes of this discussion. So someone saying that great uncle barnaby had a favourite dog called Nigella Seeds. The context of that is such that, assuming the people hearing it are aware of the undertones of “nigella seeds”, I don’t think it’s particularly offensive.

However, the thing is that the context that you’d talk about Nigella seeds in that way appears so rarely - and in any case is so open to misinterpretation when it’s not a face-to-face discussion - that I can’t see why you’d risk allowing it on a football forum. Maybe you might be more relaxed about it on a forum focussed on dog names from 100 years ago, since that context would be appear far more often.

Got it! You mean *snip*

[Stu]

Time for bed, Rory.

[Monty]

Mad though that post of Rory's is, I think it illustrates the point that maybe we should look harder at censoring horrible racial slurs etc more than The C Word. Just seems a bit backwards to me that we can't call a ****** a ****** (when we can perfectly well call them a dick, twat, shitballs goatfucker, etc), and yet every now and again - though mercifully less lately - one has had to scroll past various unironic deployments of the word 'pikey'.

[Lucky Eddie]

In the context of the post above it that reads very badly indeed.

Close this down before anyone else defends the indefensible.

[Monty]

In the context of the post above it that reads very badly indeed.

Close this down before anyone else defends the indefensible.

What or who in the fuck am I defending? I'm literally saying we should prioritise racial slurs being censored rather a swear word some arbitrarily find a bit icky.

[olaftab]

Blimey Rory I hadn't realised that you were very well educated. You hide it well to make people like me comfortable Thank you. 

[Percy McCarthy]

Mad though that post of Rory's is, I think it illustrates the point that maybe we should look harder at censoring horrible racial slurs etc more than The C Word. Just seems a bit backwards to me that we can't call a ****** a ****** (when we can perfectly well call them a dick, twat, shitballs goatfucker, etc), and yet every now and again - though mercifully less lately - one has had to scroll past various unironic deployments of the word 'pikey'.

I think that word was central to the first row I had on here shortly after joining. I called racism and was told something like “Racist? Have a day off”. I think the poster’s username was something to do with Ian Taylor and is long gone.

[PeterWithesShin]

Not every thought needs to shared, as this thread proves.

[Sexual Ealing]

It really depends what you mean by censorship. Should the use of certain words be met by state sanction? No. Should people avoid using the N-word in the middle of the night? Yes, for the sake of their own reputation as much as anything else. I use the cnut word quite liberally, but I don't feel especially repressed if I see it published as asterisks.

[PeterWithesShin]

****** is high up in my list of favourite words. I also accept not everyone is me and that some absolutely hate the word, especially females. So leave it censored, which the admin will do anyway regardless of the vote.

It's also best not to post publically when drunk/high.

[Ger Regan]

I've edited the post, to save rory any further embarrassment, but more importantly to stop it from causing hurt to others who might see it.
The context of language is really important, but none more so than in the context of that word, and there are precious few situations where it being uttered by a white man is advisable.

[Stu]

My brother is an insane Christian evangelist who equated the ‘blasphemy’ of me saying “Jesus Christ” in front of him when exasperated to him using the n-bomb in front of me when he was complaining about black people. We don’t speak anymore.