Language use on DCP

[Jimisback]

I don't really follow what you're saying...

That is understandable. Give it a couple of years.

[GGarrett]

words.

Words...and the way we use them. That's the "walking the tightrope" issue here. It bubbles over here once in a while and becomes an issue that needs to be mentioned

by the powers that be, and causes all kinds of strife and chaos amongst the users of this forum that some sort of constitutionally guaranteed right is being stripped of us,

and that if the consistency of enforcement is spotty, well then the whole guideline rule must be flawed and done away with.

I'm no saint here, and I use terms that are borderline sometimes myself. There are some, such as "Kick-a" or "crap" or "hell" that are sort of "cussing lite" words... the

lesser offensive of the big ones that are the main issue here. What I do use a lot is innuendo in my posts, and that in and of itself is effective if used appropriately

in the place of straight out swearing or offensive language to get a point across. I rarely ... IF EVER... find it necessary to use one of the "Big Seven" as outlined by George

Carlin back in the seventies. (Even that list can be modified down to maybe FIVE in today's world in that two of them anyway have lost their vulgarity over time...)

If the issue is simply "our rights are being taken away from us..." well, I don't agree with that. I think more so, that the rules and the consistent application of them is

the hot issue. And I believe that the powers that be here are trying to get it to a consistent level. And I also believe that when even the slightest discussion of this is brought

up, it sends a few of us into "Defense/Conspiracy/Unfair" mode. It doesn't need to be that way. Anarchy and strife against authority and all that... come on.

When I worked for Continental Airlines, and then again at American Airlines, BOTH of their policy handbooks had sections regarding expected behavior of their employees

while in uniform and in the workplace. It was not acceptable to lay out a string of cuss words while working with other workers, and certainly NO ONE would go into a

meeting with the upper management and start blithering away some street talk or gutter "hood" talk to illustrate their points or demonstrate their passion of an issue.

I know DCP is not a work environment, and no one's being paid to be here, but the same basic fundamental expectations of behavior could reasonably be assumed.

Again, I AM guilty of having borderlined myself here a few times, and I'm certainly not a prude that thinks we should all be expected to use "soft talk" all the time. I can let

fly with all the same ones they use in all the bad movies and hockey games and truck stops and back alleys as well as anyone. And I have from time to time, too. But I can

definetly see the point here that is being requested by the "management": When typing away, and your response is typed out with a possible, probable or even downright

flagrant violation of what the Terms of Service here at DCP requires/requests... then can't you just re-type the sentence and use something else that might get the point

across without needing it to be "############" or "####" ? Perhaps with some clever verbage and a little inuendo ... you would come out looking and BEING way ahead in an unwinnable argument or heated point anyway.

Yes, we all DO indeed talk "like that" in our regular real lives, but we also DON'T talk like that around SOME people in our lives... like our mom's (maybe) or our grandmothers

(maybe) or our neighbors 12 year old kid (maybe) or our OWN kids. THAT might be a good way to look at this issue: if it was YOUR kid, and he was in school and told his

teacher to "go ___ themselves" ... would that be OK? I suppose if it WAS OK with you, well then I can understand why you might feel it should be OK here, too.

But I might not agree with you. I hope that's OK...

AND OF COURSE... I would like to point out that ALL of the above is strictly IMHO

...so absolutely no intent was made to offend, disagree specifically or harm anyone.

:)

Edited February 1, 2007 by GGarrett

[Jimisback]

"AND OF COURSE... I would like to point out that ALL of the above is strictly IMHO

...so absolutely no intent was made to offend, disagree specifically or harm anyone. "

If that was a rule to post, Then DCP would be safe. LOL.

[Krista]

That is understandable. Give it a couple of years.

what the heck is this supposed to mean?

[lisard5]

I totally agree with Chris. The thing is though THE POUND SIGN IS NOT ILLEGAL!!! THATS WHAT FILTERS ARE FOR!!!

And I'd like to note that I RARELY if ever curse - online, in person, its just something I don't do. But banning people for letting the filters work or putting their own self filters is just wrong.

[Jimisback]

what the heck is this supposed to mean?

Just what it said. Did it break a rule?

[Tristan]

Geno, that was very well-stated, thank you.

Emma: Why do you need to post like that in the first place?

[Krista]

Just what it said. Did it break a rule?

no, I'm wondering what he needs to "give a few years"

it's either meant as rude and snarky, or I'm missing something.

I'm just asking for some clarification.

[BariEuph]

Exactly. It's really not hard to just, you know, not use profanity. What kind of image do you want DCP to project to the rest of the world?

first, this isn't a personal affront and i realize you guys are stuck in the middle here, i'm just going off of what you said here....

let's go with the example that some straight and narrow, goody goody parents are coming to do research about drum corps and google sends them here. a hole has opened up in a corps, the corps contacted their daughter about filling it in late June. they read a few threads, trying to get an idea of what drum corps is really like. they decide they love what they see, the environment portrayed, and let little susie go off and tour with a top 12 color guard.

heavenly schnikes! susie goes on tour and is surrounded by filthy mouths, nudity, brief run throughs, sexual innuendoes, sex in general, etc etc etc.... susie calls her parents in a panic, and they have no idea what to say, because the research they did indicated nothing of the sort due to the "censorship" that occurs here....

see, to me, i think the line is somewhere in the middle.... the image of drum corps does include profanity. how many here ever had a staff member curse at them? *raises own hand*

what's so great about drum corps is that there are people involved from ALL walks of life... different races, genders, sexual orientations, religions, ethnicities, etc etc etc.... and we're all so different, from the clothes we wear to the food we enjoy to the language we use... why provide an inaccurate, censored portrayal of the diversity that is drum corps?

makes me sad that someone would be trying to homogenize and sugarcoat our differences. :(

/ my opinions

[bumo27]

Yes like - if we use one or two pounded out curses in a post, will that be okay?

Or is it only if someone goes on a rant and curses a bunch of times?

Or is it only curses that are used in personal attacks?

Or is it only like LLMM did with the F in front of it and the pound signs following?

For the record, I don't use curses for "shock value". It's how I speak to my FRIENDS that also speak the SAME WAY.

I don't curse in front of my parents and most of my family because they don't like it. I curse sometimes at work, because that's the kind of work environment I have.

I turn on my peronsal filter when necessary, just like Jim said.

And I KNOW that not EVERYONE in urban areas curses. But a vast majority does. At least here in NYC.