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Originally posted by FreakOfNature:
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Originally posted by Captain Skyblade:
**No offense intended, but freedom of speech refers to the English language, not profanity. (which isn't part of English, but words thrown in to make it dirty)
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At the risk of further derailing this topic, I would like to make a few comments about this statement.
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Freedom of expression is a right explicitly recognized by the constitutions of most democratic countries. It is generally taken to include speech, writing, and 'symbolic speech' (such as wearing armbands, burning flags, or the use of other non-linguistic symbols). No democratic country that I am aware of restricts freedom of expression to a single language.
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Constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression only protect people from governmental interference. The owner of a private forum, such as this web board, can set rules about who may express themselves there, and about what constitutes appropriate expression. As the owner of this web board, Ambrosia has the right to censor offensive language in posts, or to delete inappropriate topics, or to ban people from posting. In fact, if Ambrosia did not have the right to regulate its own web board, then Ambrosia's freedom of expression would be threatened.
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Ambrosia has decided to censor automatically some words that are widely considered offensive or taboo. Other potentially offensive words are not censored, but there are guidelines that caution posters against being deliberately offensive or insulting.
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I conclude from Ambrosia's policy that any words not automatically censored are at least potentially acceptable in posts. Of course, posters may decide to limit their own vocabulary further in deference to the feelings of others.
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Finally, a linguistic point - 'profane' words are indeed a part of the English language. Most taboo words in English have been in the language for many centuries; some of them were not always considered offensive, but have gradually become taboo as other words have replaced them in polite usage. From a linguistic point of view, taboo words are not just "thrown in to make (the language) dirty." However, it would be reasonable to say that such words are not part of formal written English.
Oh, and on the original topic - my sympathies to Gunsh! That was a truly rotten trick.
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I agree with Freak on this. The only thing that makes 'profane' words profane is that they were replaced with more polite words (although some of the profane words have more than one meaning, e.g. ass as in donkey, or ass as in rear end). And yes, anything not censored by the board is acceptable. I also feel sorry for hermy crab, and whoever was the little ****bag who did what he/she did, the worst of luck to them!
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If you knew my precise record on my game you'd think I'm an Azdgari, but I'm not. Just the commander of a small mercenary fleet that favors the Azdgari. Ships include: 3 Aradas including my own, 2 CW's, and 2 Laziras.
Sorry about the hoax!