Use of "offensive" language on the forum

[Ughmahedhurtz]

I like this game. I wanna see who ends up with the most straw men killed once the argument settles down.

[Owltoid]

I like this game. I wanna see who ends up with the most straw men killed once the argument settles down.

At least it's focused in this thread and not infecting every other thread where someone says something objectionable to someone.

[Chivalrous]

That's really all you have to say? Why is it so hard for you to agree that we are better off not using the word in question?

and great job taking what I said out of context, let me clarify.

screw kids=fuck any person who uses the word rape knowing it brings up horrible memories for certain people, and u call them kids because an adult would know better.

so in that context, screw kids.


and earlier when I offended your creationist views? Good. You're an idiot if you think the earth was made 10,000 years ago. Ill offend that all day long since you have the gall to say saying rape is okay in a video game.

[zenga]

Unless you've been living under a rock, you HAD to know about the negative connotations of the term. I can't imagine this is the first time you've ever heard anyone complain about casual use, especially in a congratulatory or smiling-with-pride-for-your-accomplishments manner. And again, there are a TON of alternatives to that word, the use of any of which might have pointed you out as not being part of the 12-year-old point-and-click-warrior crowd.
...
Trying to make it out like you're being abused because you didn't know any better is...puerile.

I don't think I've been living under a rock. The English we see/read is a very colourful language. I speak Flemish (which is like Dutch), French, English and German, and English is by miles the language that uses the most colourful adjectives in my experience. Your average somewhat decent movie should show that clearly. I raid with a few native English speakers, one of them is a Canadian expat working as a CFO in Paris. Not your average 12y old, but one with a phd. He is our raidleader, and pretty much every other raid it goes like ... '... and the we pop lust and rape those adds'. When I RBG exactly the same thing. The word rape is so commonly used to describe a particular gaming situation that has absolutely nothing to do with the criminal sexual context. And definitely not only by 12y olds.

I can give you several examples (that are really hard to translate) of words that got a different meaning / context over time, in the languages I'm familiar with. Every year a ton of new words are being added to the 'standard' dictionary. The standard dictionary is not a group of people who made up a list of official words. It's a constant work in progress, and one - if not the main - of the criteria is how widely used a certain word is. About a decade ago in Holland, young adults/teens would use the word cancer to curse/express disappointment. Over time it became more and more accepted as a curse, and people no longer automatically link it to the disease over there. Just like the evolution of 'god damned ' (in different languages/cultures), where the problem is no longer that you use god damn instead of an alternative, but whether you curse or not curse.

25y ago I went to a catholic school. Back then there were still a lot of mission posts in Africa. The nuns themselves referred to the blacks as 'the little niggers' (in my language then, negerkes). It was not meant disrespectful in any way. Until years later some goof decided that all the blacks are offended by using the word 'neger' (nigger). So all in a sudden we could no longer refer to our black friends the way we described them for over 200 years, and a way that never caused a single problem.

Every day I hear words that could remind me to some though situation in my life, be it on the news, on a forum, in a game, ... I know someone who was murdered by her jealous boyfriend. But when my arena partner suggests to kill the mage, I don't tell him to use a different word. Life ain't faceroll, and there are plenty of bad situations people have to deal with. You, me, everyone has most likely had his/her bowl of shit we had to deal with. Telling someone to not use a widely used word in a totally different context, knowing that it has several official meanings, just for the sake of your own problems is nothing but emo bitching in my opinion. And creating drama. Definitely when done in such an arrogant way.

[Owltoid]

That's really all you have to say? Why is it so hard for you to agree that we are better off not using the word in question?

and great job taking what I said out of context, let me clarify.

This is fantastic - you really don't get it... you're defending your term because I took it out of context, yet attacking the slang of gamers in which you're taking their terms out of context. Unless you think after a guy killed an internet warlock he really did rape him.

screw kids=fuck any person who uses the word rape knowing it brings up horrible memories for certain people, and u call them kids because an adult would know better.

Plenty of adults, such as myself, disagree with you. So your generalization that an adult would know better is wrong.

and earlier when I offended your creationist views? Good. You're an idiot if you think the earth was made 10,000 years ago. Ill offend that all day long since you have the gall to say saying rape is okay in a video game.

I'm not a creationist - I was trying to prove a point. But all is lost on you, anyway.

[Chivalrous]

Owltoid, we aren't going to agree so I'm not going to bother to respond further after this post. You can say what you want, but in the end I feel like you're wrong about the subject originally presented. I've never been a strong debater, i am not a smart man. I am a roughneck, farmer, volunteer fire fighter, and gamer--this shows are stupid i am, I work my ass off for little reward other than the personal satisfaction of a hard days work, then I pick a hobby that requires an Internet connection in the worst spot on earth for Internet... Anyway, I always felt outclassed in any debate, but I stand firm in my belief that the word rape shouldn't be used so casually in any setting, especially a video game or gaming forum.

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Nice post Zenga. That being said, I think you're wrong too. People aren't emo bitches for trying to tell you that a certain word offends them, they are asking you to refrain from saying it where they can see or hear it because it hurts them. If you were empathetic or thoughtful you could just keep that in mind and ... Not say it? Sure, they can block you, but maybe they don't want to have to do that. Maybe they like talking to you most times? Just have a heart, you've obviously got a good brain.

[zenga]

Nice post Zenga. That being said, I think you're wrong too. People aren't emo bitches for trying to tell you that a certain word offends them, they are asking you to refrain from saying it where they can see or hear it because it hurts them.

The initial reply was a tat bit different than 'simply asking me to refrain from using it', nor were most follow up posts.

If you were empathetic or thoughtful you could just keep that in mind and ... Not say it? Sure, they can block you, but maybe they don't want to have to do that. Maybe they like talking to you most times? Just have a heart, you've obviously got a good brain.

Implying that I have no heart and that I'm not empathic ... somehow I think that a little bit more common sense would not hurt this debate.

[Ughmahedhurtz]

25y ago I went to a catholic school. Back then there were still a lot of mission posts in Africa. The nuns themselves referred to the blacks as 'the little niggers' (in my language then, negerkes). It was not meant disrespectful in any way. Until years later some goof decided that all the blacks are offended by using the word 'neger' (nigger). So all in a sudden we could no longer refer to our black friends the way we described them for over 200 years, and a way that never caused a single problem.

Now that's fascinating. Definitely illustrates the wide gulf between perceptions based on historical context. Not having a similar experience with non-native cultures, I'll grant you the point.

[Chivalrous]

The initial reply was a tat bit different than 'simply asking me to refrain from using it', nor were most follow up posts.


Implying that I have no heart and that I'm not empathic ... somehow I think that a little bit more common sense would not hurt this debate.

Nope, I implied you are not using your heart and not having empathy, I never said you weren't capable of it. I said this because at the end of an elegant post you insult many posters before you. Common sense is defined as
Good sense and sound judgment in practical matters. I contend that in this case common sense and common decency are the same thing, and that it is far better for everyone if we could stop using the word rape, and nigger, and probably several others. There is no harm in not using it, while there is obviously harm in using it... Sound judgement to me sounds like using a different word in its place would eliminate all problems this thread curtails and help curve Internet bullying.

Like with Owltoid, I will not reply further to you in this thread. My final thoughts are common sense = good sense and sound judgement = just stop using the word in a silly casual manner.

[Knytestorme]

One thing missing from this is the fact no-one has a right to not be offended.

I have plenty of gaming friends that use the phase "I just fucking raped him/her hard" about a lot of time when they win and shock/horror some of them have been raped, I also have plenty of friends that use the term "that's gay" for something bad, many of them happen to be gay.

People apply their own set of values to phrases they use, you don't have the right to decide for them in what way they are using the phrase, you only have the right to not listen to them....don't like something, change the channel philosophy works just as well on forums or in person.

The moment you have people telling others what words they can use we're at a situation where it's no different to telling them what books they can read, what music they can listen to and what movies/tv they can watch because it doesn't meet your approved standards and at that point you ARE impinging on the rights of others. In this situation yes, Lax could come down with a blanket list of words that he wants banned on the site and it would be trivial to implement since vbb supports that natively and it would absolutely be his right as the owner of the site but I would hope that the ability for people to ignore those they disagree with is seen as the most sensible and reasonable existing solution as that way no-one is impacted and everyone gets to see/read what they find least offensive.

[edit]

Yeah, #4 seems fairly appropriate when talking about a pvp encounter to me. Man isn't it hard when words have different meanings and you just can't accept it doesn't fit your narrow little viewpoint?

rape

¹ [reyp] Show IPA noun, verb, raped, rap·ing.
noun1.the unlawful compelling of a person through physical force or duress to have sexual intercourse.

2.any act of sexual intercourse that is forced upon a person.

3.statutory rape.

4.an act of plunder, violent seizure, or abuse; despoliation; violation: the rape of the countryside.

5.Archaic. the act of seizing and carrying off by force.


verb (used with object)6.to force to have sexual intercourse.

7.to plunder (a place); despoil.

8.to seize, take, or carry off by force.