AIBU at the word bollocks being used in Clifford the Big Red Dog?

[ThisMustBeMyDream]

As per the title. I watched this in the cinema with my 6 and 9 year olds. I knew it was a PG and checked to see if it was suitable on common sense media as well as googling reviews, after previously making a mistake thinking Ghostbusters was okay (I didn't realise it had loads of swearing!). Nothing was mentioned at all on there. No other googling brought up this either. I know bollocks is hardly hugely offensive, but as I have an SEN 9 year old, who has great difficulties with impulse control, I am careful over what he sees. Swearing and violence is something we actively avoid.
Anyway, AIBU to think that I should have been able to find that information beforehand?
Also, is it even necessary?! It is used in a scene where Jack Whitehall says (in an American accent) "You see, if I hadn’t moved here when I was two, I would’ve grown up with a British accent. Bollocks. Rubbish. Collywobbles". I don't even know why it was necessary, but there you go!

@ZZGirl
While I agree it's unnecessary in the movie, Jack Whitehall didn't write the script.

I suggest you read further into the thread

[quote SoniaFouler]@ZZGirl
While I agree it's unnecessary in the movie, Jack Whitehall didn't write the script.

I suggest you read further into the thread[/quote]
Found it, though you could have just reiterated the fact.
I apologise

I agree OP. Absolutely no need for it. Bad language is creeping more and more into pre watershed programmes on the TV too.

OMG this is the most hilarious thing I have read on here lately.
Bollocks is barely a swear word. I seriously doubt most children would even notice it if it is said ONE time in a film that presumably had loads more dialogue.
Whatever you do don't let your kids watch the PG rated film 'The Pirates in an Adventure With The Scientists' (which is an absolutely hysterical film). The part where the C word* is said was so unexpected I snorted so loud I made my (then aged about 5) daughter jump more than the word did.

*'Crap' incase you are interested.

I suspect it's a "divided by a common language" thing. I think bollocks is a rather adult word that I wouldn't expect in a kid's movie - I'd put it in the same category as words like cock and knob, rather than the milder willy or bum. If bollocks isn't a term used in America, the writers probably assume it is the latter category and not inappropriate.

"Mild" bad language would be words like "shit" or "twat".
Bad language with no qualifier would be words like "fuck".
"Strong" bad language would be "cunt".

Something like "bollocks" or "crap" wouldn't fall into any category. They wouldn't necessarily be used in a "U" but are fair game for a "PG".

The safest thing to do if you are unsure whether a film is suitable for your children is to actually watch it first.

MorningStarling

"Mild" bad language would be words like "shit" or "twat

WTF?

This thread is interesting, I'm surprised so many people see bollocks as being milder than crap and bloody.

To me bloody and crap are the mildest terms around, with bollocks being a step up from that and then shit being above that.

I swear (a lot) but would find bollocks being used in a kids film completely unnecessary and I'm surprised it has been used in Clifford the big red dog!? When Clifford the cartoon was on when I was a kid I'm sure it was aimed at kids that were about 3-5 years old!

It's just so annoying when film makers do this as it's just unnecessary and doesn't add anything to the film. Mind you it comes from a country where people take their kids to Hooters for their birthday parties so they just don't seem to really understand what's appropriate for kids generally IMO.
Mind you OP YABVU to mention the swearing in Ghostbusters and completely overlook the ghost oral sex scene.

@Marynotsocontrary

I once, on a phone call in the States to a utility company, who had utterly been messing me about, said that I was irritated by x, y, &z. The CS rep was very angry with me and told me off for swearing.

I'm not sure I understand @spongedog. Was'irritated' the word the rep didn't like or was it something else?

Yes - irritated. Which is very mild in the UK. Mild annoyance.

Apparently it was a lot more over there!

Isn’t it one of those swear words that people in the US find quite funny as they don’t use it? You can make a bollox of something in the USA but that’s not the same. Much like Gwyneth Paltrow having great fun saying “wanker” a lot in Sliding Doors.

I swear (a lot) but would find bollocks being used in a kids film completely unnecessary and I'm surprised it has been used in Clifford the big red dog!? When Clifford the cartoon was on when I was a kid I'm sure it was aimed at kids that were about 3-5 years old!

Same, I was surprised it was a PG as I thought the original show was aimed at pre-school/reception sort of age so would have thought they would have made it at U level.

@Tal45

It's just so annoying when film makers do this as it's just unnecessary and doesn't add anything to the film. Mind you it comes from a country where people take their kids to Hooters for their birthday parties so they just don't seem to really understand what's appropriate for kids generally IMO. Mind you OP YABVU to mention the swearing in Ghostbusters and completely overlook the ghost oral sex scene.

I used to love Ghostbusters but my god it’s rapey…Bill Murray’s character is basically a stalker.

I thought the same! It didn’t even fit in the context except for being a British word.

Bollocks is mild and not really a swear word.
Crap and bloody aren't swear words.
Americans use the word fanny a lot so why is it okay to say fanny but not bollocks?

@ShiteChristmas

Well I think this is as close as we’ll get to an official ranking!

www.indy100.com/news/british-swear-words-ranked-ofcom-7340446

Medium, so even though I wouldn’t have batted an eyelid personally, I’ll go YANBU.

How does ‘ginger’ get in a list of swear words?

Thanks @spongedog. I never realised the word irritated was controversial in the US! Good to know.

@TheCatWearsPrada

Bollocks is mild and not really a swear word. Crap and bloody aren't swear words. Americans use the word fanny a lot so why is it okay to say fanny but not bollocks?

Fanny means "bum" in American. I think even the most censorious of British parents wouldn't get too irate about their child hearing the word bum.

@SilverRingahBells fanny means something else where i live

I couldn’t get upset about this tbh.

Agree that this may be a UK-US thing. Nora Roberts has a recent book out in which the protagonist has a dog called Bollocks and then writes a children's book about this dog - fairly unbelievable that a publisher would accept this name. There's a mention of it in this review (though author of the review is also American and surprised by the use of the word).

Just unnecessary.

The linguistic blog Separated by a Common Language had it as UK to US word of the year in 2012, with speculation that Americans think it just means "nonsense" and don't realise the actual meaning. Of course Jack Whitehall would know it though.

Thanks for alerting me. Dd wanted to see it, but I won't let her now. I think it's very crude, like dick or cock and certainly not a word I would want my young child to hear.

PlanktonsComputerWife I don't remember piss worm being said in Matilda the film