# Lynn, Could We Please Have a Thread On Colorful Curses? Pleeeeaase? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 20, 2003, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-could-we-please-have-a-thread-on-colorful-curses-pleeeeaase/183132 "2003-06-20T11:36:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-could-we-please-have-a-thread-on-colorful-curses-pleeeeaase/183132/1 "2003-06-20T11:36:32Z")
Umm…I guess that the title says it all. There’s a need for a collection of inventive invective and vibrant vituperance. “Asshat” and “fucktard” get old. ---
**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-could-we-please-have-a-thread-on-colorful-curses-pleeeeaase/183132/2 "2003-06-20T12:48:32Z")
I don’t want to wander into “self-appointed Junior Moderator” territory, but I’d be inclined to put this question in the asked-and-answered category. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-could-we-please-have-a-thread-on-colorful-curses-pleeeeaase/183132/3 "2003-06-20T12:53:26Z")
If we predefine our profanity we’ll end up stagnating. Sure, the standards are boring. That’s why they’re _standards._ When somebody comes up with something new, we can celebrate it. If we have the A list of things to use when you want to write naughty words, it kind of takes some steam out of the rant. We’re not writing Mad Libs here, after all. ---
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-could-we-please-have-a-thread-on-colorful-curses-pleeeeaase/183132/4 "2003-06-20T12:54:14Z")
Yeesh she just posted this: > [@](#): > > OK, we’re not going to have a thread on colorful curses in English, either. In the recently closed thread below. And maybe email was a better way to ask this. IMHO, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-could-we-please-have-a-thread-on-colorful-curses-pleeeeaase/183132/5 "2003-06-20T12:54:33Z")
Speaking as head junior moderator on the SDMB, the answer is no. This question has been answered multiple times. **SimonX** , you are on thin ice. **Thin Ice.** 😃 ---
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-could-we-please-have-a-thread-on-colorful-curses-pleeeeaase/183132/6 "2003-06-20T12:55:40Z")
Thread I mentioned: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=191691](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=191691) ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-could-we-please-have-a-thread-on-colorful-curses-pleeeeaase/183132/7 "2003-06-20T13:24:35Z")
> [@](#): > > If we predefine our profanity we’ll end up stagnating. This sounds like some life affirmation for a mob goon. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-could-we-please-have-a-thread-on-colorful-curses-pleeeeaase/183132/8 "2003-06-20T13:55:12Z")
I’m going to assume that **Lynn** will be along soon to close this thread. Allow me to take this opportunity to say that I’m glad she’s back. The Pit just isn’t the same without you, **Lynn**! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Cheatem_Undhow)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-could-we-please-have-a-thread-on-colorful-curses-pleeeeaase/183132/9 "2003-06-20T14:27:15Z")
Am I the only one who thinks, given the breadth of vulgar topics that crop up in the Pit without a moderator lockdown and given that creative cursing is frequently rewarded with applause and Olympic figure skating style scorecards, that preventing a thread on colorful curses is a little bit…well, _weird_? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-could-we-please-have-a-thread-on-colorful-curses-pleeeeaase/183132/10 "2003-06-20T14:50:55Z")
**Dewey** , it’s not the creative cursing that’s frowned upon; it’s the cursing just for the sake of cursing. > [@](#): > > [_Originally posted by Lynn Bodoni_](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=157476&highlight=creative) > [T]his isn’t the forum or the message board for gratuitous vulgarity. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Cheatem_Undhow)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-could-we-please-have-a-thread-on-colorful-curses-pleeeeaase/183132/11 "2003-06-20T15:33:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jeff Olsen \* > \*\ ***Dewey** , it’s not the creative cursing that’s frowned upon; it’s the cursing just for the sake of cursing. \*\* Meh. Doesn’t seem like much of a distinction to me. Sure, such a topic would be childish and banal, but then again so are many other topics around here. I still vote for _weird_. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-could-we-please-have-a-thread-on-colorful-curses-pleeeeaase/183132/12 "2003-06-20T15:46:15Z")
I don’t know about weird but it is a Catch-22. All bad language is supposed to be confined to the Pit but the Pit is not the place for games. Threads devoted to creative cursing/[flaming](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=39536&highlight=flame) are technically games, therefore not Pit material. ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-could-we-please-have-a-thread-on-colorful-curses-pleeeeaase/183132/13 "2003-06-20T16:10:01Z")
I’m with Dewey on this one. Most pit threads are just a string of creative invectives wrapped around some inane injustice, with the only real point being to come up with new and creative swears. Banning threads that drop the pretense and get to the good stuff is ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-could-we-please-have-a-thread-on-colorful-curses-pleeeeaase/183132/14 "2003-06-20T16:41:17Z")
FWIW I did address the topic with a mod via e-mail, and received the perfectly reasonable reply (similar to what I’ve seen posted in other related threads) that they have a hard enough time keeping up with threads that are entirely in English without throwing other languages into the mix. I understand, of course, but I’m still bummed. (And my apologies to **bayonet1976** for leading, in part, to the closing of his perfectly good Pit rant.) Of course, I’m primarily a linguist by education (and by several years of professional court interpreting experience), so there is an actual concrete Fight Against Ignorance at stake for me. It used to drive me bonkers when witnesses would testify using slang that I didn’t know, and given the huge amount of dialect variation in Spanish and the rapid mutation of slang in any language, it’s next to impossible for even the most widely read and well-traveled native speaker to keep up with all of it. But yeah, I can agree with the point that people too frequently swear just for the sake of swearing, even in the Pit. It still seems goofy to me, though, that people swear rather vociferously at other individuals all the time in the Pit, and that’s OK, but simply listing and cataloguing curses is not. If anyone has ideas on other ways I could improve and maintain my slang vocab, beyond dating a monolingual Spanish-speaking gangbanger or something, I’d love to know. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-could-we-please-have-a-thread-on-colorful-curses-pleeeeaase/183132/15 "2003-06-20T16:55:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eva Luna \* > \*\*If anyone has ideas on other ways I could improve and maintain my slang vocab, beyond dating a monolingual Spanish-speaking gangbanger or something, I’d love to know. \*\* [Books](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0452264243/qid=1056128396/sr=1-7/ref=sr_1_7/002-4113576-7720853?v=glance&s=books)? ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-could-we-please-have-a-thread-on-colorful-curses-pleeeeaase/183132/16 "2003-06-20T17:38:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jeff Olsen \* > \*\*[Books](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0452264243/qid=1056128396/sr=1-7/ref=sr_1_7/002-4113576-7720853?v=glance&s=books)? \*\* Thanks; I’ve seen that one, and while quite colorful, it’s not as advanced or wide-ranging as I might like. Plus books like that are generally outdated by the time they’re published. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-could-we-please-have-a-thread-on-colorful-curses-pleeeeaase/183132/17 "2003-06-20T19:36:29Z")
Aslan2 said, “Speaking as head junior moderator on the SDMB, the answer is no. This question has been answered multiple times. SimonX, you are on thin ice.” SimonX, you’ve really got your tit in a wringer this time! (see how I slipped that in? Meaningful cussing. It’s an art. Thanks. I’ll be here all week.) ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-could-we-please-have-a-thread-on-colorful-curses-pleeeeaase/183132/18 "2003-06-20T20:17:14Z")
What’s weird is how much it bothers me that there is such a ban in place, when I know that if such threads were allowed, I probably wouldn’t even bother reading them, let alone posting to them. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-could-we-please-have-a-thread-on-colorful-curses-pleeeeaase/183132/19 "2003-06-20T22:40:18Z")
I think it’s safe to say that **Manhattan** ’s delicate sensibilities wouldn’t be taken too far afield from his current realm of experience were he required to review such a thread’s content. Nonetheless, I would certainly have sympathy for any moderator who would be forced to proofread a thread of concentrated and intentionally offensive content for the ocassional policy violation. Being a mod is sufficiently un-fun as it is without being shackled to such a millstone. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-could-we-please-have-a-thread-on-colorful-curses-pleeeeaase/183132/20 "2003-06-21T02:14:34Z")
No colorful curses? Damn. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lynn-could-we-please-have-a-thread-on-colorful-curses-pleeeeaase/183132.md?page=2)