What is the definition of ‘enough’ here?
The decision of the Moderators:
As a practical matter, the word “fuck” does not show up often on the main SDMB page. It appears pretty frequently in the Pit “last post” listing, but that’s at the bottom of the list. On most screens, the Pit listing isn’t visible unless you scroll down.
The word does appear often on the main Pit page, but not in other forums. Anybody who calls up the Pit page at work, where “fuck” or worse appears frequently, deserves what he/she gets.
We are willing to protect people from links to pages that are not workplace safe, but that’s a different animal. Such links involve pictures and graphic displays that are quite noticable, even for a boss wandering by at a distance, rather than just text which is not readable from across the room.
We do find random profanity irritating, and we might change our approach if it were to start appearing frequently and everywhere, that is, in all forums. However, barring something like that, we don’t see any reason for change. Those who are viewing the SDMB in a place where the word “fuck” itself is potentially awkward should not go to the Pit until they’re in a less restrictive environment.
An excellent decision. Fair and well thought out.
Thank you,
Jim
Thanks, Dex. Glad to hear it.
Oh goody, now intelligent adults are free to continue to act like children who just discovered a new toy.
I have to say I am disappointed at the narrow scope of this discussion. Somehow you have decided to limit the consideration to the word Fuck while I had originally and throughout referred to “Harsh” language. Your apparent consideration did not include cocksucker, motherfucker, dildo, cunt or some of the other choice terms or combinations of these. The zest with which adults defend their right to have pointless and mindless terms used freely anywhere is mystifying. As was stated by others, there are many sites populated with pre-adolescents that revel in the new found freedom to say anything they can think to type.
As to the Stay out of the Pit mindset, use the New Post button at the top of the screen and see if there is a way to screen out the Pit Titles from among the intelligent titles. Not everyone launches from the Main Page or a select Forum. The New Posts offers a list of what is currently being discussed in a wide range of topics.
None-the-less, I appreciate the Staff consideration of this question and all those that spoke their minds on both sides in an intelligent and civil manner. Also, to those that stated a new found appreciation for the reading rights of others with a pledge to post titles with this in mind, thanks.
Nic2004, I’ll join Beware of Doug in saying that I’ve used plenty of profanity from time to time in my thread titles and, since you’ve raised a good point about the possibility of others’ not wishing to partake in such ‘vulgarities,’ I’ll now do my best to amend how I label from now on. I think I’ll go the
TITLE [profanity inside]
route. Fortunately, I’ll be able to cuss up a blue streak inside, but I definitely feel I should aim for more creativity otherwise. 
And on a side note, whenever my step-son is around (and whose a devout Christian), I’ll just forego using the New Posts option. That way I won’t offend needlessly and, if I do, he’s peeking.
I appreciate your civility and well thought-out presentation. I always enjoy more food for thought.
So, since I do occasionally use profanity outside the Pit, I assume that (in a thread about home projects) “I hit my thumb with a hammer while doing that and it really fucking hurt” would be OK, but "I hit my goddamn fucking thumb with a motherfucking hammer while doing that and it really fucking hurt. Fuck." would be “random” and thus “irritating”? 
I would have thought both of those examples were relevant. ‘Random’, IMO, would be ‘I like toast and fucking strawberry jam’
But what if it’s Extremely Good Jam?
On the surface I’m displeased with the idea of censoring anything we write here in terms of this discussion. It chafes quite badly. It’s gratifying to know that we will not have to mind our P’s and Q’s to such a severe extent.
On a practical level, is it possible to tweak the New Posts settings to NOT show Pit threads? I know, I know- but it would eliminate the concerns of the OP’er and some others.
Me, I must admit, my kids know all the nasty language and sometimes use words I’d never dream to use in front of them. They’re 16 and 15 and you know what? They know my personal Golden Rule regarding language: The Same Words That Can Hurt, Can Heal.
If they respect the power of the words, then foul language is without power. Were I to to become angry with one of them for a misdeed, I could handle it verbally in one of two ways:
-
You really fucked up royally with your bullshit behavior, didn’t you kid?
-
Never in your life in this family have you seen an example of behavior that would have guided you to act the way you have. You have brought humiliation upon yourself and our family and have proven most deeply what an untrustworthy person you are. Right now, I do not want to be living under the same roof as you.
We’re all fairly intelligent folk. You tell ME which of the two you would rather never have a child hear ?
Methinks we give our children zero room to develop their capacity for articulation and the ability to learn the power of language. Then, at some point, we are suddenly dismayed because they are inarticulate and poorly spoken and lay the blame on outside influences ( the Internet, t.v., movies, music, social groups, etc. )
Cartooniverse
Well, I personally would suggest that both examples are too fucking long to be thread titles. Titles. Titles. Titles.
Let’s not lose sight of the fact that the request is to keep harsh language out of the title of the thread. No one has asked anyone to stop cursing on the board.
However, given the massive “censorship bad” reaction here, I suggest that the no hate speech rule be revisited as well.
I wasn’t asking about titles, I was repling to Dex’s comment about “We do find random profanity irritating”. I will go along with some of the member’s request for no profanity in Titles.
Sorry for any lack of clarity on my part, Nic2004. We did not limit the words in question to “fuck,” it’s just easier to deal with in explanation. In the thread title count, we included all variations on “fuck” (fucking, motherfucker, thumb-fucker, fuckster, etc.) which was the most common of the harsh words found. There were around five or six “fuck-related” words in titles per page, and then the occasional “cunt” or “shit” or other harsh word, rarely more than one additional such harsh word per page.
Hence, to make it clear what we were dealing with, we tended to focus on “fuck” as the most notable offensive word. We didn’t want to start dealing with administrative details (which words are harsh? is there a list of specifics? is it OK to say “penis” if you’re asking a GQ? Is “crap” OK? … ) We were trying to first deal with the major issue: do we want less profanity in thread titles? and we found that the most common profanity was “fuck” so we focused on that.
We found that there really wasn’t a problem outside the Pit, that the use of “fuck” in titles was rare and the use of other potentially aggravating words was even rarer.
IF we had decided that we do want to discourage profanity in thread titles in the Pit, then we would have proceeded to figure what words are potentitally offensive, etc. But since we never got there, we didn’t need to spend lots of time debating/discussing irrelevancies, if you follow me.
On a sociological level, I suspect that “fuck” has become an all-purpose word, with a variety of meanings and levels. “Shit” (for example) still has the limited meaning of feces, and so doesn’t come up in a thread title often. “I got treated like shit” is pretty much the only use, compared to myriad uses of “fuck.”
And the question of what you would want a child to see, reading over your shoulder, is up to the parents. If you don’t want your child seeing such words on your computer screen, then don’t visit the SDMB when they’re around.
I suggest removing the words vulgar, obscene and profane from the rules section. Potential new (paying) members might misunderstand the rule’s application, or lack thereof.
Good god. If you don’t want to see Pit posts, copy the URL of the other fora’s thread listings and email them to yourself. If you still see a naughty word, maybe it’s time to join the adult world, where we own our problems instead of begging other people to bend over backwards to accommodate our every minuscule issue. Some people don’t like “fuck” in thread titles, some people don’t like to see God’s name used in vain, some people don’t like the word “moist”. Get over it, or switch to another board.
Thank you C K Dexter Haven for both your consideration, patience and your clarification above. I feel you have responded to the majority of those on the Board. More the pity.
Thanks also to DrDeth, Zakalwe, faithfool, Beware of Doug and others that have participated in an adult discussion of consideration and restraint. I appreciate your participation in this more than I can convey.
fetus you have lived up to all I ever expected you to be.
A personal anecdote.
I once posted a thread under the title Fucking & Windpassing
It was about placenames. Both of the words in the title are towns in Austria.
Some bastard complained, and the mods saw fit to change the title.
You can decide for yourself if the change was appropriate.
I’m not up on all the house rules. Could someone briefly run down what we can’t say here?
I’d hate to offend y’all with any politically incorrect statements. So am I to understand that profanity in thread titles is off limits… as are religious references… minority slurs… what about political remarks? The list could be quite extensive.
I try to keep it clean for the most part, but that’s my choice. If you want to title your thread
Kiss my ass judge, fuck the IRS or George Bush is an ignorant ASSHOLE I completely understand. Plus, you’d probably get my attention pretty quick.
Censorship here? screw that!
Dex another vote no
BTW IIRC it’s been a problem in the past to get folks to detail their titles enough to recognize the thread content, now we’re gonna go the other way. 
It’s in post 82. Try to keep up.
Bottom line: no change. As you were.
Much Ado, one might say, About Nothing.
I read the first page but somehow missed the second page :smack:
thanks for the heads up.
fighting ignorance we are…