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End the Ricochet Code of Conduct!
For the past few years, whenever I’ve made a pitch for new members, I’ve always included something along the lines of this:
The internet is a swamp. The “comments” on most webpages are disgusting nonsense. We’re different. We have standards:
No crazy talk, no insults, and — especially — no foul language.
The last one is hard for me during podcasts, because my day-to-day language is (I’m not proud to say) a little on the salty side. The old adage is, those who resort to profanity do so because they have small vocabularies.
Now, though, comes word that it may be the opposite. From Shortlist:
A new study published in the Language Sciences journal, which saw participants say as many swearwords as they could think of in 60 seconds, then name as many animals as possible in the same amount of time, found that the most verbal dexterity was associated with those who cussed the most.
….psychologists Kristin and Timothy Jay conceded that being foul-mouthed doesn’t equate to being uneducated, but rather the opposite:
‘Unfortunately, when it comes to taboo language, it is a common assumption that people who swear frequently are lazy, do not have an adequate vocabulary, lack education, or simply cannot control themselves,’ they wrote.
‘The overall finding of this set of studies, that taboo fluency is positively correlated with other measures of verbal fluency, undermines the [normal] view of swearing. Speakers who use taboo words understand their general expressive content as well as nuanced distinctions that must be drawn to use slurs appropriately,’ they added.
Whaddya know? I’m a [expletive] genius!
That said, I don’t feel like a genius when I use words in speech that we don’t allow here. I feel like a dumb[expletive]. Which is why, despite this new study, we’re keeping the Code of Conduct.
Published in General
I always like the end – “Hallelujah, Holy <expletive>, where’s the tylenol!”
Ah, but most foul-mouthed people use a very small vocabulary of foul words.
Those whose vocabulary of taboo is a rich and diverse tapestry of lexicographic filth are very much in the minority.
Me, I’ve studied the Wordsworth Dictionary of Obscenity and Taboo in order to raise the quality of my own scatology. Coining obscenities, either from Greek roots or via portmanteau of innocuous English words, is also fun.
Fudge on a muffin!
a) I find that bad vodka often leaves a saline aftertaste.
b) Most trendy vodka is bad vodka. When in doubt stick with the classics, Smirnoff and/or Stoli.
c) Me, I like Iceberg Vodka, made in Newfoundland from real icebergs.
“Bart, you’re no longer in Sunday School. Don’t swear.” – Marge Simpson
The problem with that Effin picture is that they don’t show you what she looked like before you drank the cheap vodka.
Okay, this HAS to be a code of conduct violation somehow. I’m swearing off vodka now.
I am busting a gut right now. THANK YOU!
Whew! This post’s title had me going for a minute.
I appreciate the CoC.
You had me going there.
That Long fellow is quite the troll, isn’t he? ;0
Victorino Matus at the Weekly Standard has a very good take down of the trendy Vodka scene a couple of years ago (he also turned his article into a book) Basically the ideal vodka is tasteless and odorless, and colorless and was basically perfected that a long time ago so everything else is just marketing.
Great [****ing] idea!
Didn’t mama ever teach you that bad language won’t get that man card? Just relax until your probation is up.
“Excuse me while I lay a loaf.” — Detective Andy Sipowicz on NYPD Blue, Season 1 Episode 12. January 4, 1994, ABC.
As George Carlin noted, it’s not the words, it’s the context. “You can prick your finger, but don’t finger your …”
One of the best television scenes ever.
I’m not sure that this research establishes what it seems to be claiming. Have they demonstrated that verbal dexterity is positively associated with intelligence or, even more importantly, wisdom? There are a whole lot of people out there that can be verbose without being particularly smart. Moreover, this study tells us nothing about whether the participants could string together a cohesive sentence.
That said, I have to admit that there are times when a naughty word or two is really helpful for expressing intensity. Some behaviors are not simply that of a jerk, but of an a**, and perhaps a total a**. As an evangelical Christian, there are scriptural reasons to not let it go too far, but every now and then, a cuss word or two is truly helpful and darn gratifying. (And frankly, a lot more powerful for your listener if you don’t use them very often.)