Whilst swearing on MN is ok, there are some words that are simply not acceptable.

[mamazon]

Please, before posting could you just do a brief speel check to ensure you have not used a word that is socially unacceptable.

Whilst we are all adults and as such we wont all faint at the use of words such as fuck/shit etc there are some words that simply are not to be used.

really. there is never any need to use some words.

I doubt very much that anyone here would even dream of including words like nigger/queer/paki etc etc in a post.
We all accept that they are offensive and wrong.

Please could we have a similar stance given to words that are offensive to those who have disabilities (or just those who are not ignorant morons) please.

I am specifically thinking of words such as "retard" "spaz" "mong"

all of which i am noticing with increased frequency on the boards of late.
Whilst MN is getting much better at deleting such offensive posts, if we could just make it clear that such vile use of language is wrong then hopefully we can prevent the need.

ItsAll, I love the Glasgow use of c*t

Why say "nobody" when you can say "nae c*t"

Using derogatory terms for disabled people or other groups (usually disadvantaged groups) is not the same as swearing and the two shouldn't be lumped in together

Whilst I agree with the sentiment it's worth noting that some communities are reclaiming words - queer springs to mind but whilst I have friends who openly describe themselves as queer (not l, g, b or t) doesn't mean I'd call them that or make it okay to be used as an insult. Ditto retard. My gay friends, on the other hand, call each other queers all the time. Language is a funny thing and one has to look at the context otherwise this could turn into that sketch where a gay person called another gay person a queer, a straight person got offended, the insulted gay tried to explain it was okay and then got offended because the straight person was offended when it wasn't their place and it spiralled out of control (in a very funny way) but with a serious point.

So let's use a little discrimination (in the non-negative sense of the word).

Lol at 'nae cunt'.

You see, before MN I would never have put c*t

I would just have typed the whole word

But I realise that it does upset quite a lot of people and I have no wish to upset them, so I censor myself

Not bigging myself up, just an illustration you understand

Oh unfortunate x-post getorf

The poncy stuff about c*t not directed at you!!

Reads how thread has moved on.

Wow I type slow.

I've also heard "every c*t else" which I like too

2shoes - I'm sorry, but that is my point, you can't categorically say 'they are offensive' about words in the universal sense - it simply isn't true. It's always all about context.

Look at amazon's OP:
"There are some words that are simply not to be used" (says who?)
"really. there is never any need to use some words" (in your opinion.....)
"if we could just make it clear that such vile use of language is wrong"

I don't disagree with the sentiment, but you have to see how narrow-minded and unworldly-wise it comes across....

5% of users are outside the UK. That's a significant minority.

At the end of the day it's an intellectual argument. But an interesting one nonetheless....

Of course it is the world wide web. But it is predominately UK based. We didn't get Obama on for a pre-election web chat as best I remember.
To pretend that a UK based site should abandon any sense of what is acceptable and customary for the vast majority of its target audience because someone is another country may float by seems to be stretching good sense to make a somewhat spurious point.

If I go to America and use a word that I am then told is roundly disliked I tend, out of good manners, to refrain from using it when there. is that a terribly difficult or unusual concept?

And again. I don't think Mamazon was sancemoniously jumping down anyones throat.

"I don't disagree with the sentiment, but you have to see how narrow-minded and unworldly-wise it comes across...."

tbh I don't really care.
why would people want to use a word that is offensive to people like my dd?
mn has an sn topice.
why don't you go and ask on there.
why do you need that word???
strangely I can ge through life never using it.

Whippet, while I do see what you are saying, the fact is this is a predmoniately UK site, and a lot of users from abroad are british as well.
5% may be a large minority but 95% is a very large majority and if 95% of users find those workds offensive then IMO they shouldn't be used.

I am not aware of any words that are offensive in USA that are in common usage here, but if I were, I would not use them when there was a chance an american may be listening.
It's called common courtesy.

LITR I aggree, I do think sometimes deleting threads and posts is not best, I think mn hq should put a messgae on thread telling person that it is wrong, but leave it, otherwise people never learn.

My DSs came home from school telling me older children at their school had called them 'retards'.

I explained to them what it meant and why it was offensive. It seems to have become common parlance in the senior school - among nice middle class private school kids I might add. I supect quite a few of the other words mentioned here are being used too. I also suspect many children/teenagers do not know what they truely mean.

"We didn't get Obama on for a pre-election web chat as best I remember." I bet they tried!!

Frakkin - you talk sense...

Mostly I think people point it out at the time anyway. I have seen some sanctimonious jumping down throats in the past though.

Just to be clear, I'm not saying we shouldn't point out that use of certain words may be offensive, and I'm certainly not endorsing them, I'm just pointing out that what seems clear and obvious to one UK-based person may really be quite surprising to someone from elsewhere in the world.

I guess whereas mamazon is appealing for some 'language awareness' I'm appealing for some 'cultural awareness' too.
The problem is that what is deemed offensive constantly changing.

I just finished the latest Kellerman and at the end he had a teenager saying "spaz" it jarred and I was very disappointed that it was used. I'm going to email him

Well said mamazon.

ABetaDad please don't kid yourself that they don't know what it means, most of them do,

We have Psychs at Uni who use the retard word with a little snigger and a 'am not really supposed to say....'

it's not big, it is certainly not clever and even if it is common usage somewhere you can still guarantee that if you use it on MN a great many of us will be looking at your post and thinking you are a twunt

Which is probably not quite how you intended to come across (I would assume)

'To pretend that a UK based site should abandon any sense of what is acceptable and customary for the vast majority of its target audience because someone is another country may float by seems to be stretching good sense to make a somewhat spurious point.
'

very ell said indeed

Whippet, somebnody does it somewhere else is possibly the worst excuse I have heard, and could equally be used to justify torture / fascism / any number of things we find heinous.

This is an international site with a vcery strong British: thus it goes by Bristish standards of what is acceptable.

Surely offensive is all about audience and this, MN, audience dictates what is acceptable....whether you American, English or whatever most people don't want certain words used. Why certain words aren't offensive in the USA is beyond me. I choose to believe it's because we are more considerate and less prejudiced.

"somebnody does it somewhere else is possibly the worst excuse I have heard, and could equally be used to justify torture / fascism / any number of things we find heinous"

Totally missing the point that it isn't offensive elsewhere. It's not that they don't know any better or they don't care, but that everywhere you go there is a different language. This is even true within the UK. Especially so with so many cultures represented here.

You can tell people a word makes you uncomfortable and out of politeness they may avoid it, but you can't assume it was an offensive word when used in the first place.

it is not a case of being made to feel uncomfatable......
it is offensive
these excuse piss me off.
would there even be a disucsion if we were talking a bout the N word?

No it is offensive to someone from a particular area/cultural group. If you keep off the net and just speak to close family/friends you may be able to only meet those with the exact same language as you. If you are going to venture out into the world (even out of your street) you will find it full of people who are not the same as you.

I agree with the op

But then I dislike swearing on MN (or anywhere) in general, particularly on thread
titles or for no particular reason.