Re: Cursing

RickTerpstra · Mon, 25 Oct 1999 11:00:11 -0700

"This post is about cursing. More specifically,
it's about cursing in the chat room during the reading
of questions. It often comes out when someone either
buzzes in too early and realizes their answer later, or
when someone sits on a question and loses a buzzer
race. It does not happen very often, but it happens
more often than it probably should."

Judging
from the time stamp on this message I imagine that
this was posted very shortly after I committed the
offense in question. (Note to Hayden: I know you're not
coming at me personally...I just know that I tend to do
what it is you're writing about.)

"This is not
about cursing at an actual practice, or even yelling at
your computer when you answer Tyler instead of Polk. I
can't understand typing your favorite four-letter word
into a computer - it doesn't accomplish anything and
tends toward crudity. You actually need to think what
you're going to type, enter it in, and then press
return.
At least cursing in practice can be justified

(albeit veeeery shakily) with the 'I wasn't thinking'
defense - typing it in requires conscious
thought."

Well, I tend to type quickly so in my case there's
about as little conscious thought going into my typing
as possible. In chat situations I tend to type
nearly as quickly as I can speak so the typed uttering
of a swear word comes from my fingertips as easily
and "purely" as it come from my mouth. Is it right,
though? I really don't know. Can it make me look crude?
Sure...but those who know me know I tend toward crudity all
the time. :-) I see it as honesty more than crudity,
though. Am I upset that some may be offended my what I
say? No. 

"I'm not proposing some sort of limit
on topics in chat - discussions at 1AM tend towards
the strange and bizarre. But I can't see why anyone
would feel any need to type curses after
questions."

And I can't see why people need to discuss their
sexual prowess in the room. Others don't see why some
choose to discuss sports, wrestling, politics...in short
anything but quizbowl in the chat room. While topics arise
that I don't like and people say things I don't like I
tend to let it slide. The chat room is a virtual
cross-section of our community and it contains all types and
all interests and all manners of
"speaking".

"I have no problem with typing '$_at_#&! or 'she just
beat me', but actually typing the words 'in media
quizzing' doesn't really seem to serve a point, and I think
that chat might be better off if people simply stopped
it." 

What does one define as cursing, though?
Usually before I go dropping any hardcore swear words I
use less offensive words. Darn, dang, dabnabbit, and
shoot are all things I've used before. Is "damn" where
we draw the line? There are many lightweight curse
words out there that I imagine could offend some
people. Obviously there isn't one that, when used in
moderation, would offend me. Is it when people take the
Lord's name? It doesn't bug me but probably offends a
nice chunk of the QB community. Where's the line? I'm
not being a wiseguy I'm sincerely
curious.

Well, Hayden, now that you've brought it to my
attention I'll certainly do what I can to curtail my public
usage of swear words. I hope that other offenders try
to do the same. Still, that's the way I tend to
react to realizing I've been beaten or that I buzzed
way too early. I guess the difference being that in
real-life game play I mutter rather than shout the words.
In the chat room it's hard to mutter, isn't it?
:-)

Rick