# Why Are Cecil's Archived Comments Rewritten Without Swears? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [August 9, 2013, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cecils-archived-comments-rewritten-without-swears/665839 "2013-08-09T22:00:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cecils-archived-comments-rewritten-without-swears/665839/1 "2013-08-09T22:00:20Z")
I’ve noticed it in many of Cecil’s old columns. [This](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/84/if-i-dug-up-a-body-what-would-it-look-and-smell-like) one would be typical. In it, an apparently troubled man, asks > [@](#): > > You’re going to think this is mundo bizarro, but I need to know a few things about the way a person is buried. First, is the corpse completely dressed? Shoes? Underwear, etc.? In the case of a man, is the penis altered in any way? Also, how would the corpse look after six months or a year? Would it be shriveled up or purple or what? How would it smell? Finally, how difficult is it to open an exhumed casket? It is signed, naturally, _A Pseudo-necrophiliac, Baltimore_. Whatever. But I was surprised by Mr. Adams’ reply. Cecil writes > [@](#): > > How difficult is it to open an exhumed casket? What kind of talk is that? Promise to be good and Uncle Cecil will explain–but remember, punk, I’m watching you. You see, I have the original column. More specifically, I have the book with Cecil’s columns in them. And this is not how the column originally went. In the original, Cecil answers “_What **is** this shit?_” Shit. It isn’t _that_ bad of a word. I remember when I was still in R.C. high school, it was the only word we were allowed to use. The “F” word was off-limits. But shit was okay. Why has this website suddenly become so puritanical? Frankly, if you ask me, I think the “S” word makes the original column. Without it, it just isn’t the same. What do the rest of you think? :):)🙂 ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cecils-archived-comments-rewritten-without-swears/665839/2 "2013-08-10T00:32:18Z")
Assuming Cecil wrote that column in 1979 in the print version of the alternative _Chicago Reader_, The editors at the Reader didn’t care about the language used. Not that they cared much about if the stray teen picked up a copy, but it was low priority. When the columns went online, they worried more about mom and dad of a teen reading the SDMB. Cleaned it up to get it accepted in more households. Just my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cecils-archived-comments-rewritten-without-swears/665839/3 "2013-08-12T19:12:32Z")
At one point, these articles were housed and posted on AOL. AOL was a bit prissy about things. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2013, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cecils-archived-comments-rewritten-without-swears/665839/4 "2013-08-12T20:45:02Z")
> [@](#): > > Shit. It isn’t that bad of a word. I remember when I was still in R.C. high school, it was the only word we were allowed to use. I can picture it now: Johnny: Shit shit shit, shit shit shit shit. Tommy: Shit shit, shit, shit shit. Johnny: Shit shit. Shit, shit the shit. Nun: \ ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cecils-archived-comments-rewritten-without-swears/665839/5 "2013-08-14T10:37:00Z")
The original columns, written for the Chicago READER, didn’t care a bit about language. Columns do undergo some revision (often updating) when they are published in a book. And our original online site was AOL-sponsored, the internet was sort of new, and it was felt that cleaner language would attract a wider following. My guess is that’s when the most language-cleaning occurred.