The use and abuse of swear words on MN

[conniedescending]

I think it's great that MN "allows" the usage of swear words without censoring as many other forums do. Swear words add emotion and colour to language imo so that side of it I have no problem with.

but, it does make me wonder when people use swear words to tell others to 'fuck off' or 'you're a twat'...........seems to me that its a misuse of this liberty.

now resist the temptation to reply with 'fuck off' etc and I'll be interested in others opinions on this matter.

[Andthentherewerethree]

yes i had noticed more and more swearing on threads and in thread titles. personally even though this is an adult site i find it innapropriate and no need for it at all.

now i think i am goign to get told to eff off for voicing my opinion.

oh and beofre someone says i don;t need to read it, i generally don;t, if it has swearign in the title.

[Janni]

It's the same as in daily life - a
well-timed profanity can really add strength to your statement, whereas if every other word is a swear word, your audience will glaze over.

[BecauseImWorthIt]

I love the fact that we can swear, because it is an appropriate antidote to the anodyne approaches of other parenting sites.

OK, sometimes it's juvenile, but often it's very funny.

Don't like it when people are told to fuck off though - and agree it should be reported.

[conniedescending]

i think its swearing at people thats the problem, not the use of the actual word

[lulumama]

oooh, a thread by Connie praising MN !! woooo hoo !

[hecate]

No, I think swearing at someone - in an agressive manner, rather than a shared joke or something, is totally out of order in most cases. Exceptions being trolls, or people who have been extremely offensive themselves and totally deserve a chorus of fuck yous.

I must admit I don't like it in thread titles. Or overused. Every fucking other fucking word is a bit much. But otherwise doesn't much bother me.

If they could just keep it out of thread titles though, that would be great.

[Miyazaki]

yes I agree, and who knows, could be totally delusional but seems that I have seen a lot more of the

fuck off, now there's a dear

type posts lately

than I remember.

[conniedescending]

whats the issue with thread titles for you hecate??

not sure I agree that swearing at the exremely offensicew or trolls is ok either

[Pan]

A swearing thread!! Not had one of them for ooohh , minutes!!!

it's all a matter of taste isn't it? Not my style to swear a lot, though do appreciate the finely timed expletive. But I don't mind the excess. It's a big big world, right?

[TheNaughtiestGirlKeepsaSecret]

I think people use their fucks sparingly, so it's not like we're a bunch of inarticulate drunken navies (or teenagers) who can't string a sentence together without gluing it together with the word fuck.

[hecate]

Thread titles because I have had ds1 creep up behind me and read them out!! They stand out more! In a thread your eyes aren't drawn to them in the same way.

Plus I think they are done for shock value.

I disagree with you on the offensive or troll thing. If you have someone telling you, for example, that your disabled children are karma for the wrong you did to another person as a child, I think a full on "fuck you" is entirely appropriate!

Sometimes someone says something so repugnant that you don't even feel like engaging them in healthy debate about the issue.

[whomovedmychocolate]

I would never use foul language to personally abuse anyone directly (at least not a fellow mumsnetter) but how can we talk about bumsex without swearing?

[FabioHungoverNoShoutingPlease]

I heart profanity.
In fact, there should be more of it on the ttc threads in particular.

Less of the 'baby dancing' (hurl) and more of the 'fucking senseless'

EG I'm ovulating, yippee! so tonight me an' hubby are going to fuck each other senseless - wish us luck, ladies!!!!!!!!

[Cocolepew]

Tsk Fabio, and you with no knackers.

[daftpunk]

i suppose it depends what you're like in real life...if you go into the bank and say

" here's one big bastard of a cheque and you better give me £50 fucking pounds just as fucking quick as you can" then it's pretty normal to you.

[whomovedmychocolate]

I do think it's a tad lazy though - I mean, you can be much more creative euphemising than directly swearing (though baby dancing is beyond me). Indeed indirect references to sex can be like haikus:

Instead of 'shagging like rabbits on the hill'

we could have

'bodies dance daily together but alas no goal.
Could be infertility, could be wrong hole'

[expatinscotland]

'prissy Americans who say "oh my gash" rather than blaspheme.'

Another reason I'll never live there again.

[FabioHungoverNoShoutingPlease]

I think saying 'oh my gash' is fairly obscene.

I don't want to hear about American gashes.

[TheNaughtiestGirlKeepsaSecret]

Gash sounds worse than anything I say regularly!!!