Honest Question

[Mithrandir]

You can even slip profanity in to a G rated movie. In Transformers the Movie back in 1986, you had a #$%& and a #$%& in a G rated movie for kids. And you know, I don't think anybody actually cared.
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I would like to interrupt the discourse to state that Transformers: The Movie was perhaps the greatest animated movie I have ever seen. I remember seeing it as a little kid and crying when Optimus Prime died. In fact, watching T:TM with my dad is one of my earliest memories.

I guess I turned out okay despite all the "naughty words."

I would agree that this country has very odd views when it comes to violence vs. sex vs. language and what is deemed appropriate for viewing. Goes back to the country's Puritan roots I imagine. Language is all a big smokescreen anyways... what you say is not nearly as important as your true meaning behind it. I can swear like a sailor with (perhaps 'at'? :) ) my friends and not a second thought will be given to it because they know there is no antimosity meant. Just words. It is just as easy to turn a phrase that is seemingly innocent into the most vile, hateful series of words possible by putting malice behind it.

See 'Othello' for a lesson from The Bard on hatred, contempt and racism packaged together under the guise of "nice" language. Everything Iago says just drips with poison. I shudder just thinking about some lines form that play.

That said, the internet makes these things more difficult, naturally. It is much harder to know what someone truly means when there are no facial or vocal indications. Perhaps some discretion is indeed needed. I honestly don't know.

Is it really such a bad thing if a young teenager sees the word "#$%&" on these forums and goes and asks mom and dad what it means? I mean, he's gonna hear it soon anyways. I'd be absolutely floored if he hadn't heard or read it already in fact.

I guess I just balk at the idea of any policy which stifles the free expression of ideas... minor though it may be in this case (a couple alphanumeric characters in certain sequences replaced), that's still a couple less words that are legitimate means of expressing oneself in a language that is already an inadequate method of communicating *exactly* what one *truly* feels on occasion.

What is the word filter supposed to do? Shield us from swear words? Everyone knows what the word is anyway (or can at least narrow it down to a couple options and then based upon the context make a very logical guess), so what purpose does it serve?

Having said all that... I fully support any decision Bolty and the mods have made in this regard. Not my forum, not my rules. It's certainly a grey area and I can respect that.