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I grew up a good church kid. Not quite choir material, but respectable enough, I guess.
We learned to say “dang” instead of ———-. It was “heck” yeah, because we couldn’t fathom acknowledging the underworld. If we were really upset, we might throw out a “goldarn” or a “dadgum” to avoid a g—d——. Church folks I knew might say “crap,” but they knew to avoid sh———, because that was a BAD word. Society-wide, we got the “n-word” because we all agreed slurs were beyond the pale. Oh, and they might toss out a “freakin’” or a “frickin’/friggin’” on occasion, if they were in the mood to push the envelope.
Never mind how arbitrary it all is, that one combination of letters is okay and the other one is naughty. Never mind that our minds translate each forbidden word instantly. Who are we fooling?
I still don’t use the bad words. Never got in the habit. And now it seems some more words are being phased out.
I noticed several examples on YouTube recently of the word “grape” being used instead of “rape.” Another example was repeated use of “s.o.” instead of “sex offender,” and a word I can’t remember being substituted for “pedophile.” I also heard substitutions for the word “suicide.” I’ve heard news hosts say they can’t go into topics for fear of being banned, so they use this kind of code. There are many more examples I’ve already forgotten. (I should mention these were ALL during news programs. I’d much rather watch raccoon videos.)
Apparently, despite all the daily garbage that YouTube flings at the world, it still considers our ears too delicate for some words and topics. So, those coming to English as a second language might wonder why they can’t totally understand a program, while English speakers might wonder why these meaningless word barriers are being erected in the first place.
Makes me think about Korean TV, where cigarettes are often blurred in movies and TV programs. It’s obvious what the blur is obscuring. And in Korea, cigarettes are everywhere. Who are they fooling?
Discussion (27)
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I still remember a conversation from the 4th grade with a girl I had a crush on and her saying, "It's just as easy to say 'fudge' as a bad word." I too have never gotten in the habit of swearing.
But the disguising of words online is a different thing. People use "r*pe" or "murd3r" to bypass automated content filters, prevent demonetization, and avoid having content removed by algorithms. It's a sad tool to avoid censorship. Sad, "brave" new world.
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Our Leaders are making continuing progress in the implementation of Newspeak.
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I've noticed, too, the substitute words on Youtube, especially when watching videos about the Ukraine War, where they use alternate words for "killing" and "death." However, Youtube has no problem at all with people using the "F-word" willy-nilly. Even in Youtube videos of distinguished scientific or sociological lectures in front of live audiences you will occasionally hear an F-bomb. This is especially true among the British for some reason. I guess the word has become acceptable over there, as well as on Youtube.
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I've got the perfect theme song for your post! The first line in this song is nearly identical to your title. And of course it is on Youtube!
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"Makes me think about Korean TV, where cigarettes are often blurred in movies and TV programs. It’s obvious what the blur is obscuring."
Okay, let's put porn on television and blur the naughty bits. It's obvious what the blur is obscuring.
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