The goddamn mothersmurfing swear filter

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Originally Posted by KC

Family friendly
Should EoFF be as family friendly as it was in the past? How would we change it? Should we?

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Alright, folks, let's get with the times. Why the smurf do we still have a swear filter? It's 2012. Everybody is familiar with the "seven words you can't say on TV" unless they've been living in a cave for 60 years. It's how people talk.

Having a swear filter is a throwback to a bygone era. It is the 21st century now. We are living in an age where swearing is present in every type of media available. People subscribe to HBO to watch shows containing people who speak the way real people do, not some Nanny Nice alternate universe where everything is sunshine and rainbows and tit don't stink.

Yes, there was a time when swearing was not socially acceptable. That time was called the 1950s. Guess what else was not socially acceptable in the 1950s? Interracial relationships (The first televised interracial kiss occurred on the original Star Trek). Homosexuality (Alan Turing, a freaking war hero and the father of artificial intelligence was put on trial and convicted for homosexuality in 1952.) Political freedom (Joe McCarthy's anticommunist tribunals started in 1950). Racial equality (Segregation in the US went on until 1954). Those years are over and by whatever gods may be, I do not miss them!

The time has come to end the tyranny! End the censorship! Rise up and strike a blow for FREEDOM! Mister Gorbachev, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!

Regardless of morals and parental standing; I find the swear filter cute. I still chuckle when trout is subbed to tit.

I agree that the swear filter has a certain charm, and that tradition is the only possible reason I can see in its favor. I think we used to need a swear filter due to ads, but as far as I'm aware, that need has long since gone.

I agree with Bleys that EoFF should be a leader in e-social e-liberation and end censorship of words that no one who would actually browse EoFF cares about anymore. DOWN WITH TYRANNY! UP WITH MIDDLE-FINGERS!

I feel like this is something 100% decidable by the userbase, assuming there's not internet law on thematter. Most of our users are over 21 for god's sake. If majority finds the swear filter to have charm, it should stay, if majority wants it gone, it should go.

I FIGHT FOR THE USERS!

I find the filter for tit absolutely retarded. "Tit" is every bit as "dirty" as what it's replacing. Furthermore, it's inconsistent. We're blocked from using a common slang term for excrement (which, by the way, I routinely say in front of my grandmother, who I do not use the F-bomb in front of), but apparently "goddamned ass-blasting cocksucker" is perfectly acceptable.

I'll quite casually drop the F-bomb and the synonym for excrement in ordinary conversation amongst friends without ever thinking about it, but there can be no question that "goddamned ass-blasting cocksucker" is said with a bit of heat behind it.

EDIT: P.S.

http://www.bastardly.org/bleys/eoff/swearfilter.jpg

I may have to make that into my .sig once this competition is over.

I'm of the opinion that having to read your ugly cussing would make EoFF a less appealing place for me to go. Apart from the occasional Steve, "goddamned ass-blasting cocksucker" is not much of a problem phrase.

In fact, I think EoFF needs to go back to the way it was. Back in them there good old days, you'd get a right bollocking for pointless swearing, whereas nowadays it's a fairly common occurrence. I think the same about the general rudeness of the forum as well. All this staff leniency has lead to a drop in morality. We need Leeza back.

I am in agreement that the swear filter has a certain charm. I'm also in agreement that "tit" is every bit as dirty as the word it is replacing - we need to bring back :bou:!

This place has always maintained a somewhat family friendly feel. And while it's true that certain vulgar words aren't censored, this isn't an all or nothing deal. The leniency with the language allowance isn't unreasonable. There's plenty of "f this" and this "piece of s" etc on facebook, as well as everywhere else on the internet. It's true that this is 2012 and that censorship has greatly changed over the years. I don't think that a repeal of the filter would be the downfall of the forums but I certainly don't see a reason to change what the rules have been here in regard to the filter. There's nothing wrong with a little decency. If anything, it would be funny to see even more words filtered and changed like there were in #eoff a few years ago. (constable, anyone?)

And what would EoFF be without "smurf"? It's tradition, Bleys. I'm appalled at you.

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Originally Posted by Shorty

And what would EoFF be without "smurf"? It's tradition, Bleys. I'm appalled at you.

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The same as it is without "trout" being filtered. Tradition means nothing here.

I suppose you want to just pull RSL out of the Ciddie nominations, too!

Can somebody (staff) put a filter on "trout," please?

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The idea here is less filtering. NOT MORE. Bad!

I'll be honest; I swear a lot. Far more in my everyday life in the real world than I ever do here. Friends have witnessed some of the most vile, filthy, disgusting, hate filled trout come out of my mouth that you will never hear on HBO. I've left jaws agape among people who are normally amongst the most vile human beings you'll meet.

But all that said, I like the swear filter. Honestly, there's just something about seeing the word smurf instead of smurf which just immediately diffuses the language a bit. It's a bit harder to take something someone says as overtly hostile when it's being replaced with silly nonsense, and I think that helps set this place apart a bit. We're not like every other forum out there where disagreeing with someone gets you labeled a smurfing piece of trout cock knob and before we watch things spiral out of control from there. I like swearing a lot, but in the wrong hands, particularly on the internet which is filled with morons and a complete inability to convey one's tone and body language to provide proper context for it, it's too easy for it to drag a conversation down.

Now that said, I do think we need to adjust things for the times a bit. Even compared to ten or fifteen years ago, swearing is far more acceptable than it used to be, and many words aren't half as bad as they once were in everyday life. I blame Stone Cold Steve Austin for this mainly. So stuff like middle fingers? Let it slide. Hell, damn, piss and trout? Sure, why not. Actually, let's just let everything slide for a bit and see if everything degenerates entirely, then let the community decide on what swear filters, if any, we want reinstated. I'm fine with occasional swearing around here, but if it was abused it would lose it's luster. Swearing is an art mothersmurfers. And not art like some five year old dipping his hand in paint and rubbing it all over the walls is painting.

Except for smurf. It's always got to be smurf.

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Originally Posted by Shorty

I am in agreement that the swear filter has a certain charm. I'm also in agreement that "tit" is every bit as dirty as the word it is replacing - we need to bring back :bou:!

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We should repeal the swear filter on trout forever so I can finally write Yoshitaka Amano's name without the forum making a mockery of it. Dude deserves some respect.

There's a certain uniqueness to our filters that personally I love. Seeing Vivi's signature anywhere else wouldn't make sense, but at eyeson it does.

In the words of professor oak; There's a time and a place for everything, just not now. That's how I feel about eyeson and swearing.

I am in agreement that the swear filter is part of EoFFs charm. I used to think it was pretty lame, but now I can't imagine what this place would be like without it.

I actually do like "smurf," but that's beside the point; there's no reason it has to be forced, it could very easily become an EoFF meme like "ace" used to be before everyone but pr00t stopped using it.

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Originally Posted by Citizen Bleys

I actually do like "smurf," but that's beside the point; there's no reason it has to be forced, it could very easily become an EoFF meme like "ace" used to be before everyone but pr00t stopped using it.

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Oh man, that brought me back.

Unlike Bleys, I really have no problem with "smurf" being filtered as an EoFF tradition, even if it is forced, because it really is a tradition at this point. But I don't agree with censoring pretty much every other word that is censored, because the tradition argument doesn't work there. Those words are censored because they are "bad." And that's just silly.

Continual, obnoxious swearing can still be proscribed conduct, but that has more to do with the general rule to not be an ass then about the swearing by itself.

I think the smurf thing is adorable; when you're posting there shouldn't be a need to swear in it. Not unless you're really exaggerating a point. I'm just against swearing in general, since I don't see why you'd have to swear all the time. Also, don't you think removing the swear filter will degrade some members' posts and be inappropriate for younger users?

Sure, it's the 21st century and everything but it's still not nice to hear.

Does "shit" really degrade a post anymore than"tit"? I think the idea that one particular word is by itself bad or wrong is definitely outdated, and one of the few remnants of the time when EoFF was run by 14-year-olds.

Even without the filter, excessive profanity and swears hurled at other members can be prohibited. Which is really what the current staff seems to care about... At least since Leeza left. :p

Speaking of Leeza, who I do love and miss dearly, I remember when she would edit and warn a post for self-filtering, like saying "f**k," as "going around the filter." xD

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Originally Posted by Raistlin

Does "shit" really degrade a post anymore than"tit"? I think the idea that one particular word is by itself bad or wrong is definitely outdated, and one of the few remnants of the time when EoFF was run by 14-year-olds.

Even without the filter, excessive profanity and swears hurled at other members can be prohibited. Which is really what the current staff seems to care about... At least since Leeza left. :p

Speaking of Leeza, who I do love and miss dearly, I remember when she would edit and warn a post for self-filtering, like saying "f**k," as "going around the filter." xD

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I don't remember that actually, but maybe I never got caught by it. I don't know, I wasn't as active in my earlier days so it's tough to remember the little things like that.

Anyway, the more I think about this the more I agree with you Raistlin. While I like the filter because I find it humorous and charming, I'm not really against getting rid of it because I think most of us are mature enough to avoid abusing the swearing too much. I really doubt most users would abuse the ability to swear too much, and like I've said before, I swear so much in everyday life that I don't even find it offensive anymore. Hostile at times perhaps, but that's what swearing is for sometimes.

It definitely seems like a rule which is more of a legacy rule now. Something that was needed when the majority of us were young teenagers, but which probably isn't doing as much now when a general don't be a dick rule might suffice.

At the very least, can we all agree that the filter for "trout" is retarded and needs to be if not removed, then changed to something non-retarded? I'd settle for "excrement."

I didn't really expect to win this fight anyways. I never have before.

I would prefer to see "trout" itself as opposed to seeing "excrement." trout doesn't make me think of anything, excrement makes me think of actual excrement.

I'm going to miss tit I think personally, but I guess trout is a suitable replacement if only because it took me completely by surprise when I saw it. It was quite awesome. Although unless you know it's filtering to trout at first it's a bit confusing. At first I thought I had posted from my phone and auto correct screwed me.

Oh for smurf's sake.

Well, at least it's better than "tit."

Nothing is better than tits.

Tit is gone. Embrace the trout.

Well trout, guys, we've successfully pushed EoFF to change! I guess our job is over now.

Embrace it, kiss it, woo it.

I took a rather large trout today. I keep imagining the enemy from Mario 2 as a piece of trout now.

This also reminds me of the joke thread I started in the Staff reply only Feedback forum where I was "offended" by people using the word "Fippin" too much.

Someone changed it to something like ShlupAaronluvluv. I lost it laughing back then.