The Case for Cursing

[Snerus]

Titties

 

[Smurf]

In this day and age, I have seen 8 year olds curse like a sailor. I'd rather not have to censor myself out, but I understand it if people are somehow offended. In any case, they could always voice that, or people could keep it to a minimum around people that they know are younger.

 

[Archbishop]

*My opinions*
I have always been vocal about this. I do not like censorship. I never have. However, as an educator, I know that I do not like to see my students swearing up a storm, and in fact it is against the rules. There is a time and a place for swear words. If I see tasteful swearing I do not care, and oftentimes encourage it. But if I see disrespectful swearing I will call it out.

I would also like to state that I am ok with IC swearing, but if I see it on the forums (and God knows I've been guilty of it before), then we will have to start enforcing it.

*Staffles situation*
We're talking about the censoring of words as we speak.

 

[Squidziod]

There is a difference between offensive language and offensive attitude. Words are not inherently disrespectful; while swear words can be used in a disrespectful manor they are certainly not needed to be disrespectful. Some of the most hurtful, belittling, disrespectful things I have heard contained nothing explicit. I for one am not against people swearing, but I am against the malicious and disrespectful use of any language. They're just words, what matters is how you use them.

I believe, that we as a community, should be allowed to use what ever worlds we wish-- mostly for RP purposes and mostly present IC --so long as we don't go overboard when we communicate to each other OOC.

 

[NIAH]

*Staffles situation*
We're talking about the censoring of words as we speak.

I'm going to be honest here. I am hesitant. If we were to alter our current censorship system, I have a sincere fear that it would be abused. The thought of OOC chat being filled with fuck, shit, and god knows what else makes me cringe. I do not want new players to be turned off if they log in and see you guys throwing obscenities at each other. It's unflattering. We advertise a mature server, and calling someone bitch tits in OOC chat is not in line with the mature vibe and environment we want to advertise.

However, we do advertise as a mature server. And with that, we have to trust that the players we've whitelisted to be here are mature. The staff are currently discussing what's been brought up in this thread, and if changes come, it would be a show of faith in you guys. It would be an act of trust. If we were to make changes, the use of loosened swearing restrictions would be limited to roleplay. It would still be frowned upon to start throwing vulgarity in OOC, Trade, etc. And kicks and warnings would be given. Not because we don't think you haven't heard those words before, but because there is a time and place for it. And OOC chat is not that place, nor will it ever be. If the system changes at all, it'd be to allow for more colorful language in RP. An in reference to my hesitation mentioned above, if changes roll out and it is subsequently abused, it may be put back to the way it was. But like Arch said, we're talking about it. It is not yet decided. Specifics are not hammered out. But I wanted to post this to let you guys know that we've heard you. I think we're inclined to make some sort of change, but the exact nature of that change is being discussed.

 

[Immerael]

I swear a lot IRL though nothing like I used to. I am unfazed if we continue in the current vein or not. The times I am upset about having my words censored are balanced out by the times I'm glad some of the newer members (The ones who usually don't stick around long) are unable to use it to make up for a lack of vocabulary.

 

[Centurion]

Which is why still disallowing swearing and so on in OOC chat is a good thing, but not through censorship, rather attention and staff handling. If people can't handle keeping it away from one channel on the server, they probably aren't mature enough to be playing here anyways.

 

[Tarron]

I'm in favor of it in RP only. If no one is swearing directly at someone else then I don't believe there will be a large amount of problems.

 

[Rygan]

Everyone already doesn't swear in OOC, even with the censors, and if they do they get warned. Don't forget that we had no censors for two years while swearing was banned. It just requires good moderation.

 

[Smurf]

I agree with RP only, so long as swearing doesn't have sexual context and isn't overly creepy.

 

[dUMMY]

I'm a big ol' swearbear IRL. I do it a lot. Except around my mother. That said, I have no problem with swearing for the most part, I'm not put-off by it or offended. Except for when it's used stupidly. People have mentioned hearing 10 year olds using swearwords for every other word. Yup, nothing to protect them from. But it's obvious that they just recently landed in some new found power and they use it so much that they ruin it. You know what I'm saying? It feels fake and very stupid.

But I also have a strong defensiveness about things that I find to be pure. I dunno if anyone else can relate to this, but imagine something that you hold dear being corrupted into something that you're generally ok with, but you don't want your pure little whatever to become.

"Fuck off, Gollum." - Samwise Gamgee

If someone rewrote LOTR with swearwords like this, you bet I would open it and flip through some pages for a good laugh. But there ain't no way I'm actually going to read the whole story, it'd have a completely different feel and probably be real dumb. It just wouldn't be LOTR. Hollowworld is my LOTR.

So yeah, I'm fine with swearing. But I don't think it's something HW should have. It feels weird and out of place, its immersion breaking for me, honestly.

 

[Rygan]

People already do swear, though, it's just replaced with things even worse for immersion like 'beard' in place of 'shit' and 'bilge' in place of 'fuck'.

 

[dUMMY]

People already do swear, though, it's just replaced with things even worse for immersion like 'beard' in place of 'shit' and 'bilge' in place of 'fuck'.

Yeah, I'm not saying that's better.

Edit: I mean, that just comes out as bad writing for the most part. But yeah, bad writing is still awful and immersion breaking.

 

[Axex]

Plenty of excellent fantasy and historical fiction is filled with swearing, everyone does it, always have.

 

[dUMMY]

Plenty of excellent fantasy and historical fiction is filled with swearing, everyone does it, always have.

Yeah, but that's not my point.(If you're replying to me) My point is that I feel that HW is one of those stories that should go without. It's really only a personal preference.

 

[K9]

I'm a big ol' swearbear IRL. I do it a lot. Except around my mother. That said, I have no problem with swearing for the most part, I'm not put-off by it or offended. Except for when it's used stupidly. People have mentioned hearing 10 year olds using swearwords for every other word. Yup, nothing to protect them from. But it's obvious that they just recently landed in some new found power and they use it so much that they ruin it. You know what I'm saying? It feels fake and very stupid.

But I also have a strong defensiveness about things that I find to be pure. I dunno if anyone else can relate to this, but imagine something that you hold dear being corrupted into something that you're generally ok with, but you don't want your pure little whatever to become.

"Fuck off, Gollum." - Samwise Gamgee

If someone rewrote LOTR with swearwords like this, you bet I would open it and flip through some pages for a good laugh. But there ain't no way I'm actually going to read the whole story, it'd have a completely different feel and probably be real dumb. It just wouldn't be LOTR. Hollowworld is my LOTR.

So yeah, I'm fine with swearing. But I don't think it's something HW should have. It feels weird and out of place, its immersion breaking for me, honestly.

That's an interesting point, and I think it needs to be addressed. However, I feel that Samwise was the wrong character to highlight this.

I know for a fact, some will take this potential newfound freedom to strange lengths, but there are conditions where it can be used as a powerful literary tool, to highlight powerful situations.

Imagine, if in Lord of the Rings, a series so pure, Frodo swore and Samwise as the made the final length to Mt. Doom, as the ring influenced him more and more. Do you not think that a word so foreign to the nature of the series would've highlighted how the ring had manipulated and distorted his personality?

-K9

 

[Michcat]

I would like to think a mature community could be expected to behave themselves regarding swearwords, and swearing in OOC could be taken care of through warnings/tempbans as it has been done in the past - allowing more freedom of RP (Within reason, excessive use being taken care of through civil discussion, as it goes)...

in a perfect world

 

[dUMMY]

That's an interesting point, and I think it needs to be addressed. However, I feel that Samwise was the wrong character to highlight this.

I know for a fact, some will take this potential newfound freedom to strange lengths, but there are conditions where it can be used as a powerful literary tool, to highlight powerful situations.

Imagine, if in Lord of the Rings, a series so pure, Frodo swore and Samwise as the made the final length to Mt. Doom, as the ring influenced him more and more. Do you not think that a word so foreign to the nature of the series would've highlighted how the ring had manipulated and distorted his personality?

-K9

It would be very out of place and weird for me. Yes.