Why are people so afraid of words?

[Togs]

As words very purpose is to carry meaning, frequently one with an emotional component- in this case the meaning is fairly innocent but the emotional component is derogatory and insulting.

So yes it is normal to be offended by them- no words are just words, if that was true they'd be useless.

The way I see it, though, it's context that makes words offensive. Saying that words have no inherent offensiveness is not the same as saying they have no meaning. It is context that makes words offensive, not anything to do with the word itself.

Eh... ok then use both the words in an unoffensive context, I personally dont think thats possible.

 

[Thyunda]

Eh, I'm fine with swearing. I don't care what the word 'represented'. It's a word. The Crusades led to a lot of pointless deaths and destruction, but we still use the word. Or is this because an acceptable amount of time has passed? Way I see it, a word's a word. Legally accepted racism is over. It's time people let go. If you're so determined to 'move on', stop reminding people it happened. It should not be the case where people are too scared to say things because of how it makes them look...and they look down on anybody that isn't too scared.

So I'm a racist. Well, I'm not really, I treat race as another defining characteristic. That person is fat. He has dark hair. She is Mexican. And to me race is important. It holds a lot of history in your family and in your blood, and it irks me that to mention somebody's race is some kind of social taboo. I, personally, do not like the word '******'. It just sounds awful. And it's overused by American teenagers and British kids on the Internet. I wasn't sure whether to feel insulted or pity for the twenty-something American on Halo 3 slowly drawling "shut the fuck up, ******" at my obviously white British accent. It wasn't even worth correcting him.
In that context, the word shouldn't be used. Take away the connotations and it becomes a nonsense word, and black guys using it stops making any sense at all. Look at it. We no longer use the word because of its negative connotations, and then the very people who were victimised by it suddenly start using it to address each other. They're the only ones carrying this shit on...how can you take a word back if its very conception was used as a weapon?

 

[b3nn3tt]

As words very purpose is to carry meaning, frequently one with an emotional component- in this case the meaning is fairly innocent but the emotional component is derogatory and insulting.

So yes it is normal to be offended by them- no words are just words, if that was true they'd be useless.

The way I see it, though, it's context that makes words offensive. Saying that words have no inherent offensiveness is not the same as saying they have no meaning. It is context that makes words offensive, not anything to do with the word itself.

Eh... ok then use both the words in an unoffensive context, I personally dont think thats possible.

Any of the examples in my original post. Using a word as a basis for discussion is not using it in an offensive context. To me, the words aren't offensive if they aren't directed at anyone.

 

[katboii]

My dad told me a story about something that happened to one of his friends.
My dads friends daughter asked him "Daddy, why is there swear words when we're not allowed to use them?" And this little girl got a point. Why make words we're not allowed to use. And who decides what's a swear word and not? Say if the words Dick and Piano were swapped out with each other they'd still make sense and they would mean the same (You know what I mean) So words can't be offensive only the way they're used. Another example is if I wanted to call one of you an asshole, I could easily call you a car and I'd mean the same. Only difference, you'd be insulted by one of them. (I hope I didn't just go blabbering with this and actually made sense >.< I'm not used to long posts much less this serious ones)

 

[b3nn3tt]

So why are people so very afraid to write down words in order to discuss them? Is it simply the fear of offending someone, or is there more to it than that?

You're a naive infantile moron if you think that people shouldn't be offended or belittled by words directed at them. Despite what you might think, it is perfectly logical. To suggest otherwise is to suggest that words don't have power, which is obviously incorrect and idiotic. You'd have to be a socially retarded game-playing basement-dweller not to see that.
See what I did there? You're feeling worse now.
The reason the OP and others were so tetchy was probably a mix of several things:

1) They were unsure of The Escapist's swearing policy.
2) They've been raised not to use those words except in the most extreme circumstances; discussing them is not extreme.
3) They want to preserve the impact of the words by using them as little as possible; use them too much and people become desensitised.
4) They hold themselves to higher standards.
5) They want to avoid offending people.

I think that your second point actually causes more harm. To save these words up for when they're going to actually cause offence gives them the power to cause offence. To use the words more often is to remove that power. I'm not saying that everyone should walk around calling each other ******, but words can only offend people as long as those people take offence at them. As you demonstrated, people can easily throw together an insult, but unless the target takes offence, no harm is done.

 

[Wuggy]

I'm not 'afraid' of either word. I do sometimes use the word "****", mostly for humorous purposes. However, I do not use the n-word at all. Not because I try to be politically correct, not because I'm afraid, it's just because I don't like using the word, simple as that.

 

[Tharwen]

Similarly, I don't think anyone should be afraid of swastikas.

It means nothing. It's just a symbol. If someone uses it to represent what they're doing, that's different, but simply seeing one should not be offensive to anyone.

 

[LordFisheh]

The most hilarious is the way the ESRB, whose job it is to look at some words, use the 'c-word' terminology too (I think there's a Critical Miss on it). But then, since they basically try to restrict access, it only makes sense that they're slightly afraid of the contents. People just like to ban things, no matter the context of the word, violence, sex, un-American Islamo-communist themes and whatnot.

 

[Something Amyss]

There are reasons for not wanting such words in the titles of threads (it might give the wrong impression of the sight to advertisers and potential new members), but I don't understand self censorship within the threads. The Escapist has never had a no-swearing policy as far as I'm aware.

Out of mild respect for the attempt at not being profane?

 

[ComicsAreWeird]

Probably people were afraid of suffering mod wrath, even though they are usually cool with those words as long as they´re not used in an offensive context.

 

[Sehnsucht Engel]

I insult people sometimes by calling them smurfs. I don't know why people are afraid of words and I swear a lot myself... Real swears, not like smurf..

 

[Thetwistedendgame]

I believe V for Vendetta talked about the importance of words. Can't remember what it was though... Something to do with how powerful they are...

 

[ultimateownage]

I'm not afraid of the word, I just don't say ****** because of the connotations associated with it. Besides, it's not like there's any good reason to actually use it.

**** is used all the time here, well all the time by people who want to swear a lot. People who cherry pick their insults tend to avoid it.

 

[Magicmad5511]

They are just words. There is not really any meaning behind them when people say them these days so it's a bit pointless to be offended by them.

The weird thing is though I still don't want to swear. I will type most words but I will not speak them.
Most probably because my friend groups in the past would always swear and when it came up I didn't they always asked me to. I try not to give into peer pressure so I refused.
It makes me feel a bit unique.
Also a past teacher of mine once said that people who swear lack imagination.
That's always stuck with me.

 

[honestdiscussioner]

I do believe that most "curse words" . . . well . . aren't. It's simply that a bunch of people started thinking it was a bad word and told other people not to say it so today we all have to watch to make sure we don't say "shit" in front of the wrong crowd.

 

[b3nn3tt]

I'm not afraid of the word, I just don't say ****** because of the connotations associated with it. Besides, it's not like there's any good reason to actually use it.

**** is used all the time here, well all the time by people who want to swear a lot. People who cherry pick their insults tend to avoid it.

But you just said both. And that's my point, there's nothing offensive about what you said, you were just stating the words. I can totally get on board with not using them to insult people, but it's the fact that people seem so unwilling to just state words when framing a discussion.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

Apparently, people are so thin-skinned these days...

 

[ultimateownage]

I'm not afraid of the word, I just don't say ****** because of the connotations associated with it. Besides, it's not like there's any good reason to actually use it.

**** is used all the time here, well all the time by people who want to swear a lot. People who cherry pick their insults tend to avoid it.

But you just said both. And that's my point, there's nothing offensive about what you said, you were just stating the words. I can totally get on board with not using them to insult people, but it's the fact that people seem so unwilling to just state words when framing a discussion.

If you're having a discussion about a word, you're going to say the word. Jumping around it like it's burning coal isn't going to change anything except make the whole thing look stupid. I'll say 'em when I want to, it's just that neither word is essential in a conversation except one about the words themselves. I've been in real life conversations about the word ******, and the second a white person said it the black people in the conversation got offended.

The whole controversy behind that word has given me more respect for Britain's English GCSE. The course involves reading Of Mice and Men, a book which uses both ****** and Negro plenty of times.

 

[sky14kemea]

I've just been browsing this thread:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.316255-Poll-Which-is-the-most-offensive-N-word-or-C-word?page=1

and the number of people who are afraid to just write words out is astonishing. As several people on that thread have pointed out, words hold no intrinstic offensive value; it is how words are used and received that make them offensive.

For example, I see nothing wrong with asking 'Which word is more offensive, **** or ******?' because I'm not directing those words at anyone in particular, nor am I using them in an insulting context. However, I wouldn't use the word ****** when addressing or describing someone, as that could easily offend. Again, I see no problem with that last sentence because it's not directed at anyone in particular, it's just an example.

So why are people so very afraid to write down words in order to discuss them? Is it simply the fear of offending someone, or is there more to it than that?

The reason people are probably cautious in mentioning those words is because this is a PG13 forum. While you do have a good point, just don't overuse the words, okay?

 

[Scrustle]

People are offended by words because they are taught to be offended. It's like the same way you get people who lead sheltered lives and are taught to be "proper" and have a heart attack at the sight of anything remotely out of the norm. It's like their fragile little minds can't take what they are seeing and they go in to shock. In the same way people who are taught that you NEVER say swear words seem to have their entire world view shaken when they hear certain syllables arranged in a certain way. Like with many problems, these people simply lack perspective.