Should Mumsnet forum users be allowed to Swear!

[cakelover14]

No offence I enjoy reading the discussions on this board but why do mums really feel the need to swear in their posts! What kind of example are we setting as mums if we can't control the use of our tongues and use language that is obscene.

Mumsnet - why is it not your policy to remove swear words from posts? saying we are all adults doesn't excuse the use of foul language! I am sure I cannot be the only mumsnet user who doesn't want to read swear words every five seconds. It makes me close a thread and stop reading what otherwise could be an interesting read.

All I can say is no wonder every time I go the playground with my kids I hear young children using foul language when parents can't even control their tongues anymore! Unfortunately I agree the world is full of people who swear but as mums should we not take the lead in setting a good example for the next generation???

The point is that your opinion is just that. Your opinion. Not mine, not Pacific's or Edmund's or Olivia's (queen of the Internet) or many other posters. We come here because we like to be able to express ourselves as we want without some keyboard censor telling us what to say.
Personally I tailor my language to the situation and imagine most posters do, we don't eff and Jeff everywhere.
Whether you think swearing is rude, or immature, or shows a lack of intellect (my personal favourite) that's your opinion, let's let it remain that, an opinion, not a diktat.
To misquote Stewart Lee "if you find this forum offensive, a milder one may be more suitable"

Ds1, who is nearly 23, is a member of Pistonheads - a site for petrol heads - so there are a lot of young male site members (so definitely not 'mums') - but swearing is utterly verboten, and they have to use Netmums-style asterisks, whereas I belong here, and can swear like a trooper! That always makes me smile.

In all seriousness, it is a daft attitude to expect 'mums' to conform to some Victorian standard of manners, simply by virtue of having given birth.

A question for ailith et al - since you think you are so much more intelligent than the sweary types like me - can you think of a single word that conveys the depth and strength of meaning that 'Fuck!' does? Darn, maybe? Or drat?

A question for ailith et al - since you think you are so much more intelligent than the sweary types like me - can you think of a single word that conveys the depth and strength of meaning that 'Fuck!' does? Darn, maybe? Or drat?

Well setting aside the fact I said nothing about being more intelligent your post almost answers its own question. If "fuck this" "fuck that" is used for any minor point or grievance it loses its stength. It's just redundant , space-filling letters.

ARRSE bans swearing. Maybe OP would be more at home there?

The best swear I've ever seen on a forum was the phrase: "ocean going thunder cunt"

I'm so pleased I can use it here if I choose.

The joy of being an adult and being able to choose which language I get to use in a given situation.

read swear words every five seconds

You managed to increase the average just by starting this thread.
Did you not see it coming?
Or maybe you did.

OK, TheLass - with apologies for my earlier generalisation - can you think of a word that has the impact and punch of 'fuck' at it's strongest, when not over used? Because I can't.

Billy Connolly on 'fuck off'!!

It's just redundant , space-filling letters

Well you could say that about a lot of the English language .

Actually, swearing can actually enhance English. Although there are plenty of prefixes (such as re for example) or suffixes (such as ing), there are no infixes in the language unless you add 'swearing'. So, in a way, swearing is abso-fucking-lutely marvellous, and only enriches modern English .

Billy Connolly on 'fuck off'!!

Here is an example where I am happy to enforce my feelings with swearing.

Billy Connelly can fuck off to the far side of fuck etc, etc.

He has the ego the size of the solar system. His "aw shucks, everybody loves me, and my funny , wee Glaswegian sweary voice" infuriates me. Just fuck off Billy. Not everyone loves you, you arrogant tosser.

And so far as Billy Connoly his over use of swearing didn't, as far as I am concerned, conceal the fact he was a one-trick pony who isn't particularly clever or funny.

It is interesting that you don't seem able to convey the depth of your feelings towards Billy Connolly without several uses of 'fuck/fucking', TheLass. I don't think there is another single word that could convey that depth of feeling with half as much impact.

Depends on degree...

Using words like "bottoms" is OK.

But using really rude words like "poo poo" very rude.
I myself would never say "poo" in any of my posts

How about pee and wee?

TheLass. I don't think there is another single word that could convey that depth of feeling with half as much impact.

Er ? I don't think I said it didn't? What I said in fact was if every single sentence is littered with "fuck this" and "fuck that " it loses its force.

A prime example actually being Billy Connolly.


Billy (I'm not really that funny or interesting but if I stick in lots of swearing hopefully no one will notice) Connolly is a prime example for me of swearing being counter productive in trying to prove a point.

I'm confused, LassWi (apologies for getting your name wrong before) - I thought you were replying to my question about there being no word that adequately replaced fuck, and that that meant you agreed with those who said that swearing was unnecessary - if I have been mistaken about this, I am sorry.

So - my question is to those who think using swear words betrays a lack of vocabulary - what single word would replace the word 'fuck' and retain the punch and impact of that word?

Late to the party - I don't swear in front of my child nor anyone else's but I may do so in the company of adults. When my DD is older we will talk about swear words and appropriate use. I don't agree with using profanity as punctuation but sometimes only a well-placed "fuck" will suffice.

Recently my DF described somebody as bullshitting, and my DM nodded.

I listened, wide-eyed, and agreed with my DSis later that it was the strongest word either of them had ever used in our hearing.

We then agreed that we'd describe the person under discussion as a fucking twatfaced wankstain, but it's all relative.

I wonder if the OP would join a vegetarian dining club with 5 members and proceed to introduce beef on her first turn to host. Probably not, that would be really arrogant.

Or maybe she would join a vetenary college with 800 students and try to get them to study botany. Unlikely, that would be ridiculous.

She joined a well established website with several million members and tried to change the rules with her first post! Behold, she has arrived! Let's all quickly change the way we write or she might not stay. Oh wait, that still leaves several million others who are quite happy.

Oh do fuck off.

Adults use this forum, not children.

Is this for the DailyFail again? Can I say they are Fuckers? My favourite swear word is Cunt. And I have one. And some people on threads act like one. Is that enough justification?

What kind of example are we setting as mums if we can't control the use of our tongues and use language that is obscene.

The OP is clearly Andrea Leadsom.

Swearing on here is a great safety valve and way to let off fucking steam.

I fucking love it. 😎

Is it wrong, that when the little Smart Car driving drug dealer delivers to Weasle Boy at the end of the road every day I mentally read the last three digits of his number plate as Oh! Fuck Off!? (I do blame MN).

The most important thing to remember when writing anything on MN is that the spelling and grammar must be correct. The punctuation too.

Otherwise, the fucking grammar police will soon jump down your fucking throat.

As long as your swearing is grammatically correct and the spelling is sound you should be fine.

There should be a section of the GCSE English Language paper dedicated to swear words. After all, most of them are simply good old Anglo Saxon anyway, so no problem there.