The impact of expletives

Posted by Eve on May 5th, 2008 filed in rant

I am too Naughty for Social Spark at 2PhatGeeks crystalized some thoughts I’ve been mulling over for several months.

“In certain trying circumstances, urgent circumstances, desperate circumstances, profanity furnishes a relief denied even to prayer.”
–-Mark Twain

When I visit a personal blog, I expect the writing to be clear and honest and alive, not snow white and squeaky clean and bland. The occasional expletive used for impact doesn’t bother me, as I’ve certainly posted several downright vulgar (but honest and cathartic) rants over the years. I used to find a sick sort of pride in being angry and bitchy.

Among those who followed my extremely negative, vulgarity-laced rants, someone I respected told me that the point I was trying to make was lost in the harsh language I chose. He suggested that I was intelligent enough to do better.

“Profanity is the common crutch of the conversational cripple.”
–David Keuck

Writers who steep their blogs (or forum posts or web sites) in profanity merit eye-rolling pity. When every other sentence is punctuated with “f–king” “s–t” “stupid b—-h” “c— sucker” or “c–t”, the writer seems not only perpetually enraged or frothing at the brain, but lacking intellect and the ability to make intelligent word choices.

Foul language doesn’t make for the most effective communication. You don’t have to stew your prose in piss and vinegar to make a point.

Apropos of the use of “bad language” in blogs, Barbara Swofford posed these questions:

Are you proud of what you write?
Have you ever thought that a seven year old may be reading your blog?
Based on what you write, might your blog be “blocked” by a concerned parent?
Do you care?

Ultimately, if you are proud of your writing and you don’t care who outside your target audience might be turned off by salty language, there’s really no reason not to express yourself as you see fit.

A side note - “profanity” and “offensive language” are almost never used in business writing. All but the edgiest advertisers shy away from that sort of stuff when looking for a place to hawk their wares. If you’re looking at your blog or your website as a business or a potential source of income, or if a future employer might find your rants archived somewhere, it’s a good idea to avoid George Carlin’s “Seven Dirty Words” and the like.

Do you use profanity in your online writing? Why?

9 Responses to “The impact of expletives”

elf_fu Says:
May 5th, 2008 at 6:32 am
I do.

I use profanity a lot, daily, in my regular speech. I don’t blame that on anyone, I just picked it up and it’s translated into my writing.

That doesn’t mean that every second word out of my mouth or typed is a four letter word ol’ George would be proud of; strangely enough if I think I’m being funny, or witty, or if I am at my wits end about something, I’ll use it.

It’s true that I hope to use 2phatgeeks as a small income chance occasionally, but it’s still my own personal blog. I suppose if I really wanted to make a hard-core strictly business blog, I’d have a second word press all pretty and shiny :p
Lilithiel Says:
May 5th, 2008 at 11:04 am
I talk a lot more informally than I write and use a lot more foul language when I’m talking to people I’m comfortable with.

But when I write something for public consumption, it generally won’t have any words that one wouldn’t hear in a Disney movie . . . either an old habit from communicating through AOL’s TOS or a habit from business/workplace writing.

Granted I do have private “drafts” of posts that have a lot of F-s, S-s, and C-s in them if I’m ranting, and those words do come out in my roleplay for emphasis only. They’d lose emphasis if I used them too often.

If someone sees my character say F- in a public area, there are going to be O.o reactions, and there will be comments of “Uh oh, did you see what she said? She never uses that kind of language! She’s PISSED now!” whereas no one bats an eye at the characters that habitually and casually drop F-, S- and C- bombs, as they’re no longer emphatic.
Eve Says:
May 5th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
elf_fu, your personal blog is already pretty and shiny, even if peppered with um, more colorful words.

Knowing that any number of family members occasionally view this blog keeps my writing relatively tame.

Lilithiel, I completely agree with you about using profanity in roleplaying games for extreme emphasis only. Foul language has a lot more impact when your character is not known for dropping the F bomb.
swanofgrey Says:
May 5th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
You’ve read my blog. You know I punctuate with profanity when I’m frustrated… which is often these days. But I do try to avoid it when posting in the forums.

Kids read the forums. I have my blogs locked down so I know who has access to read them.
Eve Says:
May 5th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Profanity in your blog is still pretty rare. I’ve never seen you use it on the forums, though. Or live RP. Ever.
teflonpaladin Says:
May 5th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
My profanity turns off and on in life entirerly depending on the audience. In a office/professional setting, it rarely if ever slips out of my mouth. In other settings, it depends on the person I am talking with - my conversational patterns tend to unconsciously mimic the folks I’m talking with.

Character wise/writing wise, it is exceptionally rare for me to use profanity. Much as Lil does, I save it for the extreme situations.
elf_fu Says:
May 7th, 2008 at 6:01 am
The thing that I find odd/amusing is that none of my characters are prone to swearing, except for Suliss’. And even then, I generally try and mask it with drow because I am not 100% comfortable swearing with my characters.

I think that’s part same-reason Lilithiel has, and part old-timer role play. I remember when reading it in role play was pretty rare and if and when I did read it my first reason was, “WOW, someone REALLY messed up!”

Now, when it comes to out of character writing–Princess I am not, yes :p
Lucky Duck Says:
May 7th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Good topic. It is something I’ve been thinking about. Especially after some of my more…colorful moments.

I’ve certainly posted some profanity-laced tirades, although I try to remember and not set those entires for public view.

I won’t cross that line in a professional setting, even though a string of it may be going off silently in my head. Never in an office setting.

I’ve consciously sworn at a superintendent at a meeting once because he was getting way out of hand and unfortunately it took that to snap him back to the reality of the situation.

Usually it is the end of the rope anger and frustration that triggers it. And then it’s a string of ‘f…ing’ this and ‘f…ing’ that.

I don’t usually use it in casual conversation, even with friends and buddies.

I don’t recall any of my characters using profanity even at their worse.
Eve Says:
May 8th, 2008 at 12:29 am
I use several bad words in the office, usually only in jest. This is a When in Rome… thing: when my boss tells me to shut the f____ up., I tell him to f___ off. Most of the attorneys I’ve ever worked for are more apt to express themselves in profanity than in Latin. (There are certain people I will not swear in front of, though. Office Manager, Yes. Equity Partner, No.)