Offensive words poll!

[emmelinemay]

I still can't read my friends list properly, and i'm still thinking about this whole censorship issue of perfectly ordinary words. So.

[Poll #455601]

The lyrics to the GLC song in question

Have not found the video online though.

Comments

[stompyboots.livejournal.com]

Oops, looks like I completely forgot about non-sexual offensive words. Sign me up for being offended by: spic (makes my blood boil beyond belief), nigger, slant/slit-eyes, and all of the other racist terminology I've not heard in so long I've forgotten.

[emmelinemay.livejournal.com]

the milk float one made me laugh!! In agreement with you on cumbucket - that's just *nasty*.

[stompyboots.livejournal.com]

It's awful, isn't it? I blame the Viz Profanosaurus.

[beklet.livejournal.com]

Cumbucket? Eurgh!

And I though pink velvet sausage wallet was grim!

[stompyboots.livejournal.com]

That's ghastly!

[halocaustic.livejournal.com]

Me too! I forgot about those as I thought the subject was just dirty words. Even though I picked 'minge' as the most offensive, I'd have to pick 'spic' over and above that.

[mike1thinks.livejournal.com]

I suppose I might not use certain words but am not easily offended but again i suppose it's not so much the words as the way they are said...

[failing-angel.livejournal.com]

Ditto - for example is it wrong to use certain words with a certain irony/stress on them?

For the best example of someone turning language on its head I would recommend Lenny Bruce

change answer

[andyknifton.livejournal.com]

A perfectly normal word can become offensive in certain contexts:

true.

words arent offensive some concepts are...

[analogueheart.livejournal.com]

The most excellent George Carlin speaks!

[misc-k.livejournal.com]

i dont really find any words offensive - i think its the way that they are said or whos saying them that makes them offensive, as i my self use the F & C word alittle too much! but i hope the context and way i use them arent found as offensive.
words/phrases i dont like are thinks like kebab, beef curtains - any ridiculous name for the female genetalia, and i'm not a fan of racist slang.
Some things i HATE being referred to is - SheMale or 'chick with a dick' i just find those terms - Dirty! just makes me think of dirty crap internet porn!

[kathbad]

I had a conversation with some friends about a week ago about how offensive Prince was seen to be in his day and how tame he looks now. So we are obviously more de-sensitised than we were (no shit), but also there are always going to be complaints about what is in good/bad taste.

To be fair I almost never see music videos and so do not know how bad they may have got.

In terms of language there are very few single words that I think are offensive - again much of this is down to a dictat of what is acceptable by society. "Cunt" is a word that many people find deeply offensive in modern day but (I believe) that is a relatively recent thing and it was not seen as being particularly rude.

Words designed to hurt are a different matter )whether they are to refer to people's race, creed, sexuality or physical ability/attributes) and I find these deeply offensive.

[failing-angel.livejournal.com]

One aspect is how these words are used - would you be more offended to be called a cock or a cunt? And why?

[gaius-octavian.livejournal.com]

Marmite!

[nairoz.livejournal.com]

Generally, things are only offensive if the other person saying them is trying to be offensive. For example, the use of the word "fuck" - if someone tells you to fuck off, odds on you'll be more offended than if someone uses the word in casual conversation. For me, it's the personal stuff that really piss me off - such as racial abuse or disabled abuse. Again, it ties in with if the person is trying to be offensive or not, I feel.

[ninja-grungi.livejournal.com]

I can honestly say there's not much that offends me apart from lying (and I work in sales...), a good one to offend people is to say that they smell like 3 day old piss flaps.