No swearing!

[Col.Hengist]

It also says there is a filter but i still see cuss words. I'm hesitant to ask about certain words on here since one more warning and i get a week ban. But some words i see i think should be banned but aren't...or is it on an individual moderated basis i.e. what one mod thinks is a cuss another may not?

[roosterboy]

It also says there is a filter but i still see cuss words.

If the filter doesn't catch a word, it's okay to use. (For the most part. There is occasionally a word that makes it through that will be added to the filter because it's decided the word shouldn't be allowed here, but in general if you maintain a PG-13 level of language, you're cool.)

But some words i see i think should be banned but aren't

If there's a word that isn't blocked that you should be, talk to the Admins.

[Col.Hengist]

If the filter doesn't catch a word, it's okay to use. (For the most part. There is occasionally a word that makes it through that will be added to the filter because it's decided the word shouldn't be allowed here, but in general if you maintain a PG-13 level of language, you're cool.)

If there's a word that isn't blocked that you should be, talk to the Admins.

 Ok, thank you for clearing that up. I'm not very smart and sometimes i need things spelled out to me more than other people.
 I also don't like to rat on other people but i do feel abit picked on with my warnings.

[captnmartin]

I'm not very smart

This affects all of us at some time or another.

[Col.Hengist]

Yea, i'm very much a blonde cliche'.

[StCptMara]

Yea, i'm very much a blonde cliche'.

You should make sure your SO keeps the white out away from your computer then ;)
*ducks!*

[Col.Hengist]

You laugh, but I'm pretty sure that joke IS about me lol.

[HikageMaru]

I avoid profanity and I'm 35.  I didn't always, but now I do.  And I don't have a problem with the swearing rules on this forum.  Others swear it and I reckon people can do what they want to do, but I'm no more impressed by it than I am with the guy at the stoplight in the next lane over with his bass shaking the mirrors of my car. 

What I never really understood, however, is the swearing in the books.  Take Operation Klondike---within the first 1/4 of the book there is at least one f-bomb and several GDs.  I think Battletech's level of fiction is sufficiently high to not need such colorful metaphors to bootstrap the writing, particularly with those considered patently offensive.  I can see it squeeze by in a novel, but in a game book?  Really?  Remember the Alfred Hitchcock rule---what's scarier is what you don't see (this is why horror movies with their special effects are so lame today).  It's better writing to show the emotion through the story rather than simply drop an expletive.  It reminds me of what one judge wrote about the "and/or"---it's a conjunctive/disjunctive crutch for sloppy thinkers.  BT writers are good enough to not need expletives to sell game books.

[roosterboy]

Who says they need it? But if BT fiction (and that's what the non-rules sections of sourcebooks are, after all) is supposed to portray the trials and tribulations of real people, it'd be weird not to see any swearing. Especially as the majority of the folks we are reading about are military.

It's a mistake to equate swearing with sloppy thinking or a lack of vocabulary.

[Blacksheep]

People in the military swear, therefore the characters portrayed in BT fiction swear...that's just the way it is.  Are there people in combat units who don't swear?  Absolutely, but they are an absurd minority as are those who lean to the left of the political spectrum.  Like it or not, it's simply the nature of the beast.

[HikageMaru]

People in the military swear, therefore the characters portrayed in BT fiction swear...that's just the way it is.  Are there people in combat units who don't swear?  Absolutely, but they are an absurd minority as are those who lean to the left of the political spectrum.  Like it or not, it's simply the nature of the beast.

I was raised in the military and my brother and sister are still in the military.  Trust me: I know GIs swear and I'm not suggesting they don't or that we should sterilize it.  People swear in real life.  My point is, unless it really adds something to the writing, gratuitous swearing doesn't improve fiction, it cheapens it.  Shock fiction, such as hard profanity or concupiscence is used as a cheap hook to draw people in.  Battletech doesn't need it---it's good enough without it.  This is not a political statement, it is a literary one.  It seems somewhat ironic to prohibit swearing here (which I think is fine) yet post what is patently offensive (i.e., f-bombs and GDs) in the game books.

And it doesn't help when you have three children of your own and you want to pass your hobby on to them.

[vidar]

 [rockon]Swearing seems to be an indicator of social status, people swear less are considered to be of higher  status therefore limiting swearing on the forums show an attempt at higher status.   :-X
So to attract more people we limit swearing to appear to be of a superior social group, which in turn subconsciously draws in people as they hope that our perceived status is transferred to them.   ;D
So don't think of it as a language restriction but as a tool to manipulate the masses over to our side.   [rockon]

[HikageMaru]

[rockon]Swearing seems to be an indicator of social status, people swear less are considered to be of higher  status therefore limiting swearing on the forums show an attempt at higher status.   :-X
So to attract more people we limit swearing to appear to be of a superior social group, which in turn subconsciously draws in people as they hope that our perceived status is transferred to them.   ;D
So don't think of it as a language restriction but as a tool to manipulate the masses over to our side.   [rockon]

Well, I think it's sorta backwards.  I don't think that those who swear less are considered of higher status---I think those who walk around cussing every other word show a lack of class.  I think CGL is a classy organization and swearing on the forums would only drag things down (once cussing comes in, you start to get trolling, arguments, et cetera), so I think it's a good rule.

[the12thVeganRanger]

Well frack..............................

[vidar]

Well the simple fact is the higher paying the job the less likely the person swears in normal conversation.  Think about it the "Class" of a person in modern times is largely based on their income and studies and experiments have shown that the income of a person who swears is less than one who does not.  Therefore the less swearing you do the more likely you have or will get a higher paying job and a higher social status.  Sad but true.

[the12thVeganRanger]

I call ********.  ;)

[roosterboy]

Well the simple fact is the higher paying the job the less likely the person swears in normal conversation.  Think about it the "Class" of a person in modern times is largely based on their income and studies and experiments have shown that the income of a person who swears is less than one who does not.  Therefore the less swearing you do the more likely you have or will get a higher paying job and a higher social status.  Sad but true.

I assume you have some evidence to back this simple fact up...? Like pointers to these studies and experiments?

[Rael]

I'm thinking that at best, a little cause and effect have been mixed up there.

Like how owning a Lear jet and a summer house in the Seychelles will help you become the CEO of a successful corporation.

[HikageMaru]

Well the simple fact is the higher paying the job the less likely the person swears in normal conversation.  Think about it the "Class" of a person in modern times is largely based on their income and studies and experiments have shown that the income of a person who swears is less than one who does not.  Therefore the less swearing you do the more likely you have or will get a higher paying job and a higher social status.  Sad but true.

When I say "class," I don't mean social class.  I mean social graces.  I know a lotta lawyers that swear like sailors.  And frankly, the bigger the shot they think they are, the bigger the potty mouth.

This forum is the only one I really like---well, this one and Camospecs.  For the longest time I never posted---just read.  But because we don't have all the swearing and arguments and trolling, and because our moderators do a pretty good job, I decided to join in the fun.

[Blacksheep]

And it doesn't help when you have three children of your own and you want to pass your hobby on to them.

Use it as a teaching point.  Your children are going to be exposed to the language eventually so a book where you know its coming and you're aware of the context makes a pretty good opportunity to demonstrate your values to them.   

[keisukekun]

But we want to keep this place looking like it's PG-13, so as to not scare off the 'rents trying to dicide if this is the right hobby for their youngens.

I say keep the real Profanity elsewhere (at least till the new Boards smell fades).

Maybe you are thinking PG?  In PG-13 movies swearwords are mostly fair game cept teh f word which can only be said once. 

So maybe one f-bomb per thread? ^_^

[HikageMaru]

Maybe you are thinking PG?  In PG-13 movies swearwords are mostly fair game cept teh f word which can only be said once. 

So maybe one f-bomb per thread? ^_^

And that one f-bomb cannot be used within its literal context.

Perhaps the forum is rated PG.

[Col.Hengist]

I prefer the pg version. The problem i had is i got a warning for using a letter then asterisks behind it. This is a word that isn't even filtered and i see used often. I could type it in now and almost everyone would say its a cuss word

[Peter Smith]

Well the simple fact is the higher paying the job the less likely the person swears in normal conversation.

You don't work with MDs much. Surrounded by them at work, they're just like everybody else. Some of 'em are clean with their language, some of 'em swear more than the contractors we have rebuilding a few of our floors.

[Guitardian]

words are words. Intentions are offensive. Its okay to blow stuff up and kill people and so on but just don't f-bomb it okay? just regular bombs are fine in print though. I want my kid to grow up knowing how to KILL like a good, god-fearing xtian person who doesn't say naughty things!

[roosterboy]

The problem i had is i got a warning for using a letter then asterisks behind it.

Right, because that's against the rules. Why? Because it prevents the censortron from doing its job of scanning the text and hiding stuff that the admins have decided shouldn't be said on the forums.

This is a word that isn't even filtered

Then why fuzz it out yourself?

and i see used often.

Then it's okay to say it and you should just say it. If you don't feel comfortable typing out the word, then why are you even using it in the first place?

I could type it in now and almost everyone would say its a cuss word

If it doesn't get blocked by the board software, then it's okay to use here, regardless of what "almost everyone would say".

[Col.Hengist]

ok, shit shit shit shit. Is that a cuss? it most assuredly is yet is is not filtered.I really don't know any one that would say it is a decent upright word to say around children or let children use. When i did the asterisk thing is hadn't read the rule in some time and must have forgotten it, for that i was incorrect. But getting a warning over a word that is apparently good for all upright citizens to use is the pervue of the mods.

 Oh, and titties is another one.I'm sure you want your 3 year old son using that word.

 Now go ahead and ban a loyal fan for having an opinion other than yours, or using a cuss that i see repetedly.

[roosterboy]

ok, shit shit shit shit. Is that a cuss? it most assuredly is yet is is not filtered.

And therefore it's okay to use here.

I really don't know any one that would say it is a decent upright word to say around children or let children use.

That's irrelevant. The rules of this site pertain to this site, not to saying things around children or letting children use certain words. How you conduct yourself off these forums or how you raise your kids is entirely up to you and not at all relevant to the rules of this site.

When i did the asterisk thing is hadn't read the rule in some time and must have forgotten it, for that i was incorrect. But getting a warning over a word that is apparently good for all upright citizens to use is the pervue of the mods.

You didn't get a warning because of "a word that is apparently good for all upright citizens to use".

You got a warning because you failed to follow the self-censoring guidelines as laid out in Rule 2. To wit: "Do not leave any letters of the word visible. If you want to censor it, censor all of it." By your own words, what you used was "a letter then asterisks behind it", which is clearly a violation of the rule because you left letters of the word visible. If you had just typed in the word or if you have replaced all of the letters with asterisks, you wouldn't have been warned.

It absolutely boggles my mind the number of people who have trouble grasping this very simple rule.

Oh, and titties is another one.

Again, not censored so it's okay to use.

I'm sure you want your 3 year old son using that word.

Again, not relevant.

Now go ahead and ban a loyal fan for having an opinion other than yours, or using a cuss that i see repetedly.

Who said anything about banning anyone? Don't be so defensive. I couldn't care less what your opinion is; you weren't warned because of your opinion but because of your failure to follow a simple rule.

And I have to ask again, because this is another thing I have trouble grasping why so many posters do it: If you don't feel comfortable typing out a particular word, then why are you even using it in the first place? If there were a word I didn't like using, I sure wouldn't use it in my speech unless I absolutely had to. And I definitely wouldn't try to have it both ways by hinting at it oh-so-cleverly while trying to cover it up with cutesy symbols. So I have to ask: Why do people do that?

[worktroll]

ok, shit shit shit shit. Is that a cuss? it most assuredly is yet is is not filtered.I really don't know any one that would say it is a decent upright word to say around children or let children use.

However, this forum is specifically for people 13 years and older. You're required to agree to this when joining. By 13, the word you've used is hardly an eye-opener; if we catered routinely for 3-year-olds, we would impose separate rules.

If you choose to show your 3-year-old content from this website, given that it is declared as being PG13+, then that's your decision as a parent.

Worktroll, Moderator.

[Col.Hengist]

  What you are at least implying with your reply is that this isn't a PG site, and as Worktroll has just stated this is a PG13 site. Swearing is allowed. So with the logic you have given me in your reply IE : swear words are able to be used on this site, then all of them should be usable and none should be cecered.But, if this IS a PG13 site, as has been inferred because children 13 and older read this forum and others may be offended by them, and with the heading of " NO SWEARING " on 2 threads, 1 locked and 1 postable,then all perceived swear words should be filtered.

 I rarely use any of these words but there are times when they are called for to bring an added emphasis to a statement.
 
 I realise you don't care one whit about my opinion,and i am defencive about being warned for something that i still feel i shouldn't have been warned for. My opinion is that it is very condecending for a person in power to belittle people by using phrases like "hinting at it oh-so-cleaverly with cutsey little symbols " or how it boggles your mind that people don't understand the rules. Or the flippant attitude of me getting a warning, not for a banned word but because i used a letter and put asterisks after it. So with that logic then H#!!* is bannable.To me that spells hello and is just about as clear as the l33t speak you see on MMO's, or used here at times, but i suppose to some one else that may be misconstrued as a swear word.

 As to why people do that, i can't speak for others.Why i did it was not to be cute or to boggle any ones mind but to add emphasis to my statement. It wasn't because i wanted to be a rebel or chose to break a rule on purpose.I understand i did break the letter of the law concerning this rule but i do not feel a bannable warning was fair.