Profanity

[+Charlie Cat]

 

Yes and I don't swear in my videos either obviously because my kids are in them.

 

 

Even though I'm not a father (so far), I understand the situation. Many gamers that post on YouTube are becoming unbearable to watch because of the publishers make a video more like its R rated! I just want a pure basic video without the foul language and drama that's part of with it!

 

Anthony...

Edited May 2, 2015 by fdurso224

[thevnaguy]

you should subscribe to the No Swear Gamer on youtube, very family friendly, informative and entertaining. He and I (Arcade USA) are part of the Retro Junkies Network where the number one criteria is to be family friendly. you should find plenty of family friendly content on the website.

 

http://www.theretrojunkies.com/podcasts.html

 

Now with that being said, I also am on two other podcasts where we can let our hair down and is NOT family friendly Everything is fine in moderation. It would be a boring place if we were all the same, variety adds the spice to life.

 

Willie!

[78001987]

I'd feel pretty damaged as a kid if my teacher whipped out his willy. "It's just nudity, kids. Come on, look at it. It's perfectly natural. Why are you crying? I'm doing you kids a favor! Your human development will be damaged if you don't look at my wiggle stick and his bouncing buddies!"

when in doubt, post some ridiculous hyperbole!

 

I was talking about occasional nudity in movies or TV, not flashing people.

 

Your kids aren't going to be ruined if they hear an f-bomb.

[omegadot]

when in doubt, post some ridiculous hyperbole!

 

I was talking about occasional nudity in movies or TV, not flashing people.

 

Your kids aren't going to be ruined if they hear an f-bomb.

 

 

Really depends on the situation. I don't care much about my son hearing cursing or seeing a boob now and then (up until a year and a half ago he ate from them) but sometimes I want to avoid it because he gets in moods where anything that goes in comes out. Like the first Turtles movie, for example. Does the word damn or freak hurt him? Nope, and he will hear them a lot in his life. But! he's going to run around at the play center saying that to other kids and they aren't smart enough to deal with context. He thinks he's being raph, but that's not going to come through his rendition. I love that movie and I do watch it with him, but sometimes you want to keep it clear too.

[78001987]

 

 

Really depends on the situation. I don't care much about my son hearing cursing or seeing a boob now and then (up until a year and a half ago he ate from them) but sometimes I want to avoid it because he gets in moods where anything that goes in comes out. Like the first Turtles movie, for example. Does the word damn or freak hurt him? Nope, and he will hear them a lot in his life. But! he's going to run around at the play center saying that to other kids and they aren't smart enough to deal with context. He thinks he's being raph, but that's not going to come through his rendition. I love that movie and I do watch it with him, but sometimes you want to keep it clear too.

sure. Makes sense.

 

It's funny though, how parents sometimes get more worried about what their kids will say or repeat in public, than what they might hear. It's as if some parents today are more concerned with the public perception of their parenting skills, rather than they are with what their kids are actually saying or doing.

 

Kids are going to repeat everything. That's how they learn to speak. It's how you teach them right from wrong that is important, not the opinion of some other random parent on the playground.

[+Random Terrain]

It's funny though, how parents sometimes get more worried about what their kids will say or repeat in public, than what they might hear. It's as if some parents today are more concerned with the public perception of their parenting skills, rather than they are with what their kids are actually saying or doing.

I think it's been that way for a long time. There have even been sitcom TV episodes about it since the 1950s if I remember correctly.

[Torr]

how parents sometimes get more worried about what their kids will say or repeat in public, than what they might hear. It's as if some parents today are more concerned with the public perception of their parenting skills

 

THAT is what it boils down to most of all.

 

Parents are afraid that if child X does activity Y then it will reflect on them.

[potatohead]

And the real question is whether or not they should care.

 

Personally, I didn't. Our family does what our family does. Others think what they think, and their families do what they do. I'm willing to get along, and will work with others willing to do the same.

 

Those that aren't, or who want impractical or painful remedies? I don't care what they think. And it's not mean, or anything. It's just not productive to actually care.

[omegadot]

Concern that people won't think I'm the wonderful and amazing parent a clearly am? Nah. Concerned when my kid acts like a shit head to someone? Yes.

 

A little more on topic, the gaming scenes in general have a pretty awkward relationship with profanity. It's just ... blegh so much of the time. There's a rhythm to speech that is not respected when someone just says fuck or whatever over and over. If my son is going to learn curse words, I'd rather he not learn them from someone screeching out every swear word he knows. AVGN I don't mind because there's often an interesting progression to the videos. I could do without the awkward swearing character, but eh, I like the other aspects of it enough to deal. For the tubers that don't even offer that and still have all the swearing? Stay far far away.

[+ls650]

I'm not talking about protecting children, I'd just like to not be bombarded by foul language. It's just plain gross to hear.

 

Can't people show some class and use a better vocabulary?

[78001987]

Not everyone is offended by swearing. Not everyone considers it classless. Expecting everyone else to adopt your particular chosen moral standards is presumptuous.

 

The video gaming industry in 2015 is overwhelmingly dominated by adults, not children. It's no longer considered just a toy marketed to children. Far from it. The biggest selling games are rated mature. The biggest sales come from the 18-40 year old male demographic.

 

It's a different world.

[+Random Terrain]

Can't people show some class and use a better vocabulary?

We all thought we were gonna die in 2012, so we never bothered to do no learnin' 'bout that fancy pinky in the air stuff.

[+madman]

I don't use profanity openly. I may mix it up in conversation with my wife, but avoid it entirely outside of that. In forums I spell it using symbols, a$$, f**K, etc..

Legitimate question, not judging you, as I see people do this on Facebook. How is "a$$" different than "ass"? It looks like "ass". People are reading it as "ass". Your intention is to use the word "ass". Somehow using dollar signs makes it better even though both parties know what you really mean?

[+ls650]

Not everyone is offended by swearing. Not everyone considers it classless. Expecting everyone else to adopt your particular chosen moral standards is presumptuous.

 

Exactly my point. Why assume that cussing is acceptable behaviour?

 

If you cuss regularly, aren't you forcing your particular standard onto everyone within earshot?

[potatohead]

It is acceptable behavior. This stuff is as offensive as any of us thinks it is. This goes with free expression.

 

Everyone has taboos, some more than others. And some of us have few, or maybe none too. I have very few for sure. Some people have problems with couples displaying public affection, or various articles of clothing, for example. Others don't care. And we all get to do that.

 

Time and place disagreements go all ways too. The people who want purity of some sort are also enforcing standards the same as people expressing themselves in various ways are.

 

We've all got options. We can talk about it, perhaps come to some mutual agreement for a time. We can leave. We can do lots of things.

 

Going back to the people and clothing example. Bare midriffs are offensive to some people. They get to say stuff about it, and the people showing some skin can care about that or not too. All get to make choices for themselves, but not others.

 

This means people who really do seek a high degree of purity need to make choices to that effect. They can pick times and places where there is less of what they find objectionable, can form clubs, etc... And it's on them really. They are the ones really offended, and that is OK. But, they may be among others who see it entirely differently, not offended at all.

 

Offended is what we think it is, and it's as important as we think it is too.

 

The law and government really has no role here, leaving it to us, but for very clearly defined harm, which is things like "fire in the theater", or actionable threats, etc... those are crimes.

 

Profanity, blasphemy, and other forms of expression aren't criminal things for these reasons.

 

Private entities, such as here on AA, can and often do regulate expression. That's fine. Some places may regulate it a lot, Disneyland style, others might not regulate it much at all. Everybody is free to make their choices and go from there.

 

Those guys making profanity laced videos aren't doing anything wrong. And they are accountable for that too. If a lot of people look down on them for it, then they look down on them for it. It's up to the people producing things to value that and maybe they want to modify how they do things, or not. All up to them.

 

And that goes back to lazy profanity as opposed to higher value profanity. I don't think too much of people who just use a lot of it. I happen to really enjoy people who know the difference. Everybody varies in this, and that's again what free expression is all about.

 

 

 

Can't people show some class and use a better vocabulary?

 

Sure they could. And your remedy for their speech you don't like is more speech, or making other choices, like avoiding their speech in the future. They either care about what you think, or they don't, and that's OK.

 

You make your choices, they make theirs.

Edited May 3, 2015 by potatohead

[78001987]

 

Exactly my point. Why assume that cussing is acceptable behaviour?

 

If you cuss regularly, aren't you forcing your particular standard onto everyone within earshot?

no.

 

One person cannot predict who will be within earshot of them in a public place. If I use profanity in public, I'm merely speaking. If I'm not speaking directly to you, it's none of your business what I am talking about. Stop eavesdropping if you don't like it.

 

If I walked into your house and swore at you, that would be forcing my behavior on you. We are all free to speak as we wish in public.

 

You expecting others to behave as you would like is forcing your behavior on them.

Edited May 3, 2015 by 78001987

[CatPix]

I noted to my wife that when watching documentary videos of the war in Vietnam and comparing them to movies that are supposed to be 'accurate' depictions of the events therein, there is an overuse of profanity in movies, even considering the high stress and insane environments of war. Today people swear far too much, in my opinion. Language has been loosened.

English audiences have a weird relationship with curses. You can see videos where not only they are beeping the word, but also, pixelising the motuh so you can't READ what the guy said.

Yet American English at least loosened a lot, it feels. and it translate poorly.

I follow a French Youtuber here doing reviews, in Ashen's style, but he tried to add an AVGN feel to it. And it felt so painfully exxagerated that he stopped doing so quickly.

 

Another, weird thing I saw was a video of two French comedians playing a scene, which was subtitled in English.

The original French text had maybe one light curse in it. The English one had a curse at every line. It was just amazing that whoever made the subtitle felt the need to push the comic side with curses.

If I can find it back I could do a side-to-side comparison, it was pretty terrible to see.

[IntellivisionDude]

My youtube channel is mostly swear free but i have let a few fly once in a while. Especially when i have done my drunken gameplay videos which nobody should watch especially kids.

 

I did start out my channel to be family friendly and still mostly is. Except for those few occasions. Except for those drunken videos where i swear purposely (and there are very few of those) if i do swear it is mostly accidental and it slips out.

[BydoEmpire]

To me, profanity is a sign of a weak vocabulary. If the best adjective you can come up to describe something is a cuss word, you need to read a thesaurus.

 

Profanity is the spice of language: a little salt and pepper can enhance the flavour, but too much can ruin the meal.

I tend to agree, though of course it depends on the audience. If I'm with friends, sure, I swear (probably more than I should). But if I'm with co-workers or kids, there's absolutely no reason to. Show some class, people.

 

Largely I think it's just habit. People get used to swearing all the time, and don't think about anyone possibly noticing or thinking ill of it. It's like using "like" and "you know," both of which are pretty irritating when overdone.

 

 

 

I've always been of the opinion that sheltering kids from harmless things like profanity, nudity, etc is far more damaging to their human development than letting them experience it naturally, and taking the time to teach them why it is wrong or inappropriate.

If kids are 'over exposed' to swearing and start using those words too much, they won't realize that it will have an effect on their ability to communicate. Other people - perhaps important people in their lives - will judge them for it. Like it or not, that's the way society is. So with that in mind, IMHO it's not shielding them from "ugly" things in life, it's letting them know how our society thinks and acts towards language. My parents never swore around me, and it didn't stop me from cussing like a sailor for a long time. Kids will pick it up anyways, and it's all out there anyways, but IMHO it's good to make the line clear what's socially acceptable and not. And there's no reason to overdo swearing or not be mindful of having kids in the audience.

 

For what it's worth, I'd much rather have my kid see boobs on TV than people getting shot or beheaded or people dropping the f-bomb. I have no problem with nudity, but I'm very careful what I say around my kid. He picks things up and gets stuck on them - once it's in his head it's very hard to get past it, so if he started swearing it would very likely cause him problems. He's got enough to deal with, he doesn't need that.

[AtariLeaf]

I don't swear in my videos. I think it adds absolutely nothing to the game or system I'm talking about or reviewing. Do I swear other times, such as atariage? Sure occasionally sometimes for humor, sometimes in anger. In real life? I work in construction, what do you think? However it's almost always out of frustration or anger (or pain, like today when I knelt on a subfloor with a screw jutting out that I didn't see) but I don't use it in conversation. I think my vocabulary is sufficiently advanced that I can come up with appropriate adjectives that don't involve cursing.

 

I find those who can't seem to NOT swear amusing. I've challenged people to converse without it and its so ingrained in them that you can see the struggle on their face as they try to not describe everything as a "f***ing" this or that.

 

Personally though, I don't like hearing it or saying it. It really is verbal diarrhea that adds zero to any conversation or discussion. Is that hypocritical of me due to what I've already written. Sure I suppose it is.

Edited May 5, 2015 by AtariLeaf

[Rhomaios]

I said "fuck" once in my class (actually, "fucked up"), and it was to really drive the point home. Otherwise, you're basically right. A limited vocabulary is an unsightly blemish that some don't even know how to remedy, so they cover it up with "adult" language. A shame, really.

[Eltigro]

There are some that don't use profanity, or at least not much. Some that I like are Classic Game Room (mentioned above), Metal Jesus Rocks (who posts here), and Game Sack. They all give pretty good reviews of games with some footage of the games and don't use much swearing. There's the occasional innuendo or whatever, but we all have a bit of that sense of humor.

 

As far as my opinion on swearing in videos and such goes, and really, in general, I feel it's like the old "boy who cried wolf" parable or the meme about "If every email is urgent, none of them are" or whatever. Swearing loses its effectiveness or value in increasing emphasis of a statement with repetition. It's one reason why I'm not a fan of the Angry Video Game Nerd. It was kinda fun for a little bit, but then it just became too much for me. I'm like this IRL, too. My girlfriend laughs when I swear because she says it seems out of character for me. Oh well.

 

But at the same time, I have no problem with there being videos and posters like AVGN. It's not for me, but obviously other people like it and they can like what they want. Same with music or movies or books or any other media. I'm not going to censor someone else just because I don't like what they are saying. I just won't watch their videos.

 

Also, and someone mentioned this above but I'm too lazy to scroll back up and find it, I really don't see the point in changing "fuck" to "f&ck" or whatever. Why? Everyone knows what word you're saying, thinking, and feeling. If someone is going to be offended by "fuck", they'll probably also be offended by "f&ck". If you feel it, say it. It's not like someone's going to come along and say, "Whew, I sure am glad they cut out that vowel, or I would have been shocked and offended!" I've argued this on Facebook before and always get the same resistance. Personally, I know that if, when I was growing up, if I said "Mother Fracker" in front of my mom, I would have gotten in just as much trouble as if I said the real word. What do I do? I just don't use it. At least not much... and when I do, my girlfriend laughs at me... sigh...

[Papa]

It's so it doesn't pop up if you look for it, so it doesn't blatantly spell it out, showing respect for those reading the message, and showing a sense of reservation (something most don't understand). Just over a hundred years ago you never heard higher minded people use bad language. They didn't write it or speak it. A sign of being educated was ones use of expression and not just filling in every other word with swearing. My wife doesn't swear much and I don't either. I reserve it for cheap/bad comedy or personal discussions where I see it fit. I don't think children should be exposed to things for their 'benefit' so the 'true world' isn't 'hidden' from them. Perhaps if we raised our children without exposing them to sick, cheap, and stupid things then those things would thin out and eventually disappear.

 

My children are all high ability students and score in the top two percent in the nation (the ones in school, that is). My two year old talks with precise enunciation and knows her alphabet and draws, practices writing, and plays video games! I was deeply disturbed by porn, violent, and sickening movies ("oh, it's fake! It's no big deal!" was my own mothers excuse) when I was a child. People that God damned each other verbally hurt me deeply, as I had read quite a bit on the subject of damnation as a child. My wife and I watch everything before my children see it and have turned away many things that others might see fit for young viewers. I don't subscribe to television, my children read as their primary form of entertainment, and it makes a BIG difference!

 

I have six kids and have extensive knowledge in how to raise them, having a daughter about to turn sixteen that actively volunteers to help at the school where my wife works on days when her school is out. She is extremely creative and has read hundreds of books. I've heard several teachers say "If only there were more Caraways in this school.." and "She's the smartest girl I've ever met.." about all three of my school age daughters. My son has won awards in science and plays games like Alpha Centauri and Freedom Force (having beaten FF several times)!

 

Just because people treat it likes it's part of our culture doesn't mean we can't refine things for future generations.

[+ls650]

I think much of the "Fsck, $h1t" etc. is simply because folks use it to get around comment filtering at various web sites.

They become so used to doing it that they continue to do so at other web sites that don't filter.

[Eltigro]

I can see the filtering thing, and using symbols instead of the letters to get around that, but if someone's using them to not offend someone... well... if you're that worried about offending someone, use a different word. You don't have to use that word. I mean, maybe if you were quoting someone else, and they said it, and you were just trying to accurately convey their message...

 

As I said, I rarely use profanity. Not because I'm opposed to it or offended by it or even that I'm worried that others might be. I just don't feel the need. When I do, I do. But I usually don't.