Poll: Do you Unconditionally or Selectively Censor your Language in forums/online/social networks?

[CrimsonBlaze]

So it's no secret that everyone swears, despite how many people try their best not to, for whatever reason.

My question is that when you are posting comments online, do you censor yourself? As in, do you use these **** or these $#!+ to cover up your vulgarity? If you do, is it unconditional (you do it all the time because it's a 'bad word') or do you do it selectively (within the given context, f*** can be an expression of an emotion and not the act of intercourse)?

As you could probably tell, I'm prone to censor myself unconditionally. I don't mind the words or the abundance in the world; I just don't like to spell them out myself.

 

[StriderShinryu]

I twns to censoe myself fairly unconditionally both online and off. Swearing in a way that appears uncontrollable definitely makes you look quite a bit less mature/intelligent and it also downgrades the impact of the language itself. Swearing, in my eyes, is a sort of exclamation point. It's the option to turn to when there's no other way to express what you're thinking or feeling. When swearing is the default, it stops having any purpose.

 

[Lieju]

I don't swear.
It's just not the kind of language I use.

If I'm writing a text, I'm actually more likely to put swearing in because I think about it more and might think it fits in the text.
And of course I have no problem using words like 'Hell', or 'penis', if I'm talking about stuff like that.

I think censoring your language like that (Like calling 'fuck' the F-word) is silly and kinda a pet-peeve of mine. Unless made for comedic effect.

Either use a word or don't.

 

[TehCookie]

I never censor myself like that, if you're going to say it then say it. There are occasions where I'll type a swearword, then think it sounds to harsh so I replace it. I'd rather change ass to butt than use asterisks and such.

 

[thesilentman]

Well, no. I like to be direct, and the best way to do it is to swear.

I usually still ask if anyone is around that may not approve, as I get a bit ranty with my swearing. =D

 

[Tom_green_day]

Every time I swear on a forum I think 'wait, do the forum rules let you swear' and then do it anyway. Then I completely forget in time for the next time I want to swear.
I'm trying to censor myself in general at the moment, I used to be effing and jeffing all over the place so I'm trying to cut down on it.

 

[MysticSlayer]

I rarely ever swear, but there are those moments where you just need to blurt out a cuss word just to adequately describe what you're feeling. With that being said, if I do it on a forum, I don't censor myself. It doesn't matter how I type it, the bottom line is, you'll read the word out for yourself in your mind, so there's no point in censoring it to protect the minds of the "innocent".

 

[Vegosiux]

It depends. If I'm invested in a discussion, I'll drop a few here and there, in the best case I'll replace it with some fancy idiom ("What in blue blazes" in place of "What the fuck" for example).

But you know, a good curse is like a a good secret ingredient of your grandma's stew. You just throw it in at some point.

 

[shrekfan246]

I generally only swear when I'm angry, with a few exceptions for dramatic effect. But I don't censor myself when I do swear. What's the point? It's not like everybody won't know what you were going to say.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

I do not swear beyond using the occasional "damn." Swearing has lost its meaning because so many people use it now. I also like to present myself online the way I would in public, and I don't swear in public either. I was brought up to believe that doing so is rude and inconsiderate, and if you can't get your point across without lacing it withe swearing, your point isn't worth hearing. You're letting your anger speak instead, in which case I'm done listening to you.

Now, there are times when swearing is called for, and I believe that if used correctly, swearing can get a point across much faster than normal words. I've often told my friends that if I ever swear at them, they need to back up or stop doing what they're doing. And they believe me because I never swear.

 

[Scarim Coral]

No but in saying so I don't swear in the forum most of the time. I rarely swear and even then it's the lesser/ not too offensive.

 

[Fractral]

I swear fairly rarely online and in real life, unless I'm making a joke out of it or something. People often laugh when I swear even if I'm not intending it to be funny because apparently they can't imagine me swearing.
I swear much more in games than elsewhere. In borderlands 2 I'm always 'oh crap, a badass' or 'oh bugger, he got me'. It has led to a few awkward situations where parents have walked in on me just as I'm cursing someone or something, but that happens less now.

 

[william12123]

I will admit to being a lot more careful with my language while online. Everything is recorded, isnt it? I dont want it to come back to haunt me latter. I tend to avoid any discussion on politics/religion/lifestyle because it's so easy to get angry/frustrated, and thus lose those filters.
I've also been cutting back in real life. I swore a lot as a teen but now it just feels like... whats the point? The people who do care will always react negatively, and those who dont wont react at all. So I've become quite the motherfudger.

Lame puns aside, there are a lot of "adult" behaviors that arent particularly mature (like drinking yourself silly, using drugs, etc.). And a number of "childish" behaviors that are mature (such as arduous collection of toys/comic books, etc.). To many people seem to think mature=adult.

 

[Beffudled Sheep_v1legacy]

Not really. Sometimes I use frikken instead of fucking if I don't want to come across as more annoyed than angry.
Otherwise I just do my swearing thang online normally.

And in person I swear like a sailor after his port wenches serve up child support documentation

 

[Kolby Jack]

Unless it's forum policy like on Gamefaqs, no. I don't even censor myself on facebook, which annoys my mom a bit but whatever.

FREE FUCKING SPEECH!

 

[karloss01]

Only if the website's rules ask me to otherwise I type what i feel.

 

[purf]

I maybe should. It's a weird language thing; I somehow find English to be much more inviting to a generous use of swearing than German. I do say 'Scheisse' a lot (I think?), but that's about it.

 

[Fijiman]

I swear all the time when I'm gaming, as anyone who's played with me for five minutes can verify. On the forums, however, I tend not to swear as much. Not that I wont swear on this site, I just don't do it as much for various reasons.

 

[Mistilteinn]

I don't censor myself online, because honestly, if I'm going to start cussing then why bother with throwing in '#$^^&$%' all over the place? If I'm gonna say 'shit' then I'll say 'shit', goddammit! Haha! That being said, I rarely cuss online compared to how much I do in real life, and that's mostly out of respect. I don't know who I'm talking too, and I don't know if foul language offends them, so I avoid it.