Use of language

indeed..

but my calipiers have no scale just displays..and even my digital "mikes" have verniers.....

John

I've searched the forum, unsuccessfully, to find just where E-On have posted your energy bill. Although that may well be a matter of personal grief for you, and may also be an appropriate spur for you to use some bad language, it has nothing to do with this thread.

This thread explores the effect that bad language has on the way folk perceive the forum. My contention is that, whatever our personal reaction to its use may be, we should not use it as it may upset OTHER users of this site.

The use of bad language is totally unnecessary and, I repeat, to continue to use it ON THIS SITE, knowing that it is offensive to others is discourteous.

Norman

Norman,

There was no bad language in the E-On thread, I was trying to make light of a post.

Also the software on this site does not allow the use of swear words so where is the bad language ?

I have even tried to post ***** in subscript so it can be classed as a scale model of bad language but the software won't allow me to do that either.

John S.

Posted from a bad language free zone.

JS the software does allow the use of swear words, I had to delete one on Saturday that had the full word and no ****.

J

OK Jason, understood and I stand corrected but as far as I'm aware I have not posted swear words in full as some suggest.

John,

I did not mention swear words. Deliberately!

I did refer to bad language. Again deliberately.

In your case, you did refer to parts of a woman's anatomy, and this, to my mind does indeed constitute "bad language" along with swear words. Yes. I know it is a description which is used by people whern something has gone wrong, but there is alternative language which will get the point across.

May I also remind you that you also made some sort of apology to Diane, eg "sorry Diane, let's change that to......" which does suggest to me that you were fully aware of what you were saying, but chose not to change it.

Regards,

Peter G. Shaw

ps. Ketan, as the originator of this thread has apologised. End of story. No further comment needed.

Edited By Peter G. Shaw on 16/12/2013 13:41:25

Aaarr.

The famous Vertically Challenged Mammary Glands to keep all the PC 'erberts happy.

In future i shall use this all the while, after all it's not bad language but 4 words out of the 'soft' version of the OED.

It is difficult to present a balanced view.

The reason for my apology was as stated in the opening post, based on a form of arrogance on my part, particularly in relation to the comment: 'But then again, all suppliers are ***** who are just out to dupe you...I guess' which is mentioned in response to comments by Howard Winwood, to whom I owe a higher share of this apology.

With reference to the use of expletives, I can see both sides. There are pros and cons. We live in the real world.

How people judge me is up to them. I cannot judge anyone for their use of expletives as a form of communication. Everyone has their own opinion, which is why a forum is a good place to be.

Some peoples language skills are better than others. If this was left one sided to please a particular group, could or would that represent a form of arrogance?..Also, judging by the cross section of audience mix on here, both sides are very well represented, in terms of engineering and language skills with and without expletives. Both sides help each other. If you ban one side, the dominant side which takes over, may or may not have the skill set to answer questions.

Sometimes (not always I admit), the clean language comments made on here are far more corrosive and counterproductive than the expletive responses given as a short sharp response. However, I agree that some of these responses are a form of arrogance - not ignorance or childish. So are they who use clean language to put about offensive arrogant ideas any better than the people who dish out expletive responses?

With all the finger wagging going on, I feel that the 'code of conduct' as it stands is reasonable.

As far as children are concerned, it is a matter for parental guidance. I would be happy for my 13 year old (If I had one) to come on to this forum. When my children were 13, I would have found it productive for their overall knowledge of engineering and life, if they came on here, but sadly, they have no interest in this field. The language here is still a lot better than many other forums or in real life.

If the young adult is mature or immature, they can easily make an explosive from what they learn on here. So, what type of young adult - 13 year old should be introduced to this forum? Again, this is an issue for parental guidance, and surely this is just as much if not more of a concern to the parent than the expletives used on here. So, again, there is an issue of balance, and where do you draw the line?

I guess that at points for certain responses, I may have to start using this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaPepCVepCg

or perhaps this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll5NyOREDLI

Now that is childish, and hope that no one is offended by looking at them. If anyone is, then I am sorry, it is always difficult to please everyone....I guess.

Ketan at ARC.

Peter,

I live in a cottage, on a little bridle path out in the country but it is also a shortcut for school children going via the fields over the frome river and up to another village, to the local school, the language is ripe and they do not say it to each other they scream it. at each other.
Bob

Sorry Peter, read your comment after I posted the above.

How do you all cope in the wider world -- things like football and rugby matches, newspapers, magazines, books, TV, radio, friends, family and what about other internet forums? I just don't get the outrage at a row of asterisks.

Martin.

Bob,

We all know that modern children have little or no self-discipline. Which is not surprising given the lack of self-discipline exerted by some of their elders. Allow me to give an example:

I was approaching a single lane bridge near Newcastle and according to the signs on the bridge, I had right of way over people coming in the opposite direction. As I approached, a 4x4 appeared at the other end and drove straight on to the bridge, so rather naughtily I kept going until the road became too narrow for both vehicles to pass and then I stopped. He stopped. Windows were wound down and I pointed out that I had right of way. There then ensued a form of conversation in which the F-word and "old man" appeared. I had my wife and 23 year old son in my car: there was at least one women in the other car. I therefore backed off, both figuratively and literally, but I admit, I did play up to the "old man" bit by giving a lesson in how old people should not be allowed on the road! Saddened I was, but realistic enough to know that people like that are nothing more than bullies and that I wasn't going to win.

John,

Obviously you see nothing wrong in what you said. I'm not going to labour the point.

Regards,

Peter G. Shaw

An interesting debate. I have the Procon Latte add-in installed in Firefox on this (family) computer - it's a profanity detector, and I have had to whitelist this website to stop being warned off all the time!

I think it's important to draw a line somewhere between bowdlerisation and profanity.

It may seem a feeble suggestion but somehow using **** seems much less offensive than when a first letter is added -perhaps because I mentally insert the word I would have used in the circumstances.

Or we could do what the kid's comics do and make up our own swearwords. Back in the 70s I remember being told off for using Judge Dredd's favourite 21st century fricative!

As a general rule, perhaps the forum should have in bold, across the top the sign that used to hang in Sgt. Bilko's mess: "MIND YOUR LANGUAGE - UNMARRIED MEN PRESENT".

Neil

I used to have an uncle that everyone called flip flop because when he was working it was always flip this, flop that as he didn't swear.

However if he was still alive and on this forum all his posts would read f*** this, f*** that.

this is a good enough reason to moderate our language

Also for the benifit of those for whom

{ early 21st Century }

( over 30 years old )

(southern England)

English isn't their first language, we sometimes need to use not our first choice of word but something more "international"....

C wot U R sayin m8 kewl innit

Gents,

The world is what it is, not how you would like it to be.

Dave