'Language Level'

[Savior of Dawn]

I live in a fairly strange place (Or, it's strange to me.) I'm used to a lot of weird things that they do around here. 'No drugs because guys spit tobacco on brigham young's floor' 'No pre-marital sex or you go to hell' 'Liars go to hell' 'Swearing is bad because A) Brigham said so (Or something.) B) Little kiddies will ask what 'hell' means and they're too young to be told that unless they adhere to a bizarre religion they'll burn in it. (Not direct quote, but that's how I interpereted it.)

Now here's the thing:
In an english class, they were reading 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and I noticed that the teacher (and students) were fine with reading the 'n' word, out loud, yet they weren't willing to say so much as 'hell' or 'damn'.

Not meant as a discussion around racial slurs, but about controversy in language in general. Just to avoid a long bout about slavery and how caucasians are 'wiggers' or something. Discuss.

 

[snowdog]

^ Amazing book.

That's strange, when we read it, people were reluctant to say the 'n' word, yet said 'hell' or 'damn' without batting an eyelid.

 

[Deeman]

Savior of Dawn, where do you happen to come from?

 

[Savior of Dawn]

Well, actually, I come from California. Where I live [now] is Utah.

I'll tell you, 'effing weird place. Salt Lake City is fairly normal, though.

 

[JuttingRock]

Do you actually go to BYU? If so, then what do you expect from dirty mormons?

.......

Sorry about that, I go to Colorado State.

 

[Deeman]

If so, then what do you expect from dirty mormons?

That was rather offencive. I am a mormon, you see. I don't like what you've just said.

And Savior of Dawn, I do not swear either. It's part of our religion; not swearing.

 

[JuttingRock]

"Dirty Mormons" is only used at CSU as a generalization of BYU students, not all mormons. Brigham Young is in our conference, so if you want to blame someone, blame the essence of school rivalries.

 

[Savior of Dawn]

And Savior of Dawn, I do not swear either. It's part of our religion; not swearing.

...And 'nigger' isn't swearing?


Oh, and not BYU. I'm not in college. : P
Though, I would NEVER go to BYU, I don't even know why it's counted as a college. Most people who go there go for a year or two, go on their 'mission' thingy (Where the basically become door-to-door salesmen of religion.) come back, get married, make lots of babies.

 

[Deeman]

Haha, I love how people who know nothing about our church say all this random stuff >.<

BYU has actually been proven to be a very effective school.

And I would most definately consider the "n" word to be a swear; but hey, all people have their own perspectives on things as well as their own standards.

 

[Savior of Dawn]

BYU has actually been proven to be a very effective school.

Still doesn't deny the fact that it's a religious based school that is set up to pair mormons with other mormons. Academically speaking, it's nothing to its neighboring University of Utah.

And I would most definately consider the "n" word to be a swear; but hey, all people have their own perspectives on things as well as their own standards.

You seem to be missing the idea here about 'hell' and 'nigger' and what I'm talking about is why they'll say the historically horrible racial slur, but not something that is even in their own bible (and, supposedly as a loophole, acceptable.) The topic is supposed to be about why ideas like this are in the U.S. Not about how correctly mormon they are.

 

[Deeman]

Well, I have no clue, but I was just clearing the air with what I believe. I don't see why they'd say a racial slur and not a common swear... it really makes no sense. Unless they aren't mormon and have their own personal beliefs.

~I'm out

 

[Savior of Dawn]

Well, I have no clue, but I was just clearing the air with what I believe. I don't see why they'd say a racial slur and not a common swear... it really makes no sense. Unless they aren't mormon and have their own personal beliefs.

~I'm out

Well, at least we now know the religious base. : /

 

[kairigirl]

Well, it depends on the context.

For instance. I'm fine saying Hell when talking about the place that bad people go to, yet not fine saying it as in "go to ---." :/ If that makes sense. At the same time, people are fine saying the d-word when saying "If you're not a Christian, you're d---ed to Hell" but not when it's "d--- teacher" or something like that. As you can see, I'm not comfortable with the word at all and if I had had to read it out loud out of book, I'd either skip the word, mumble nonsense so one doesn't know what I said, or just say "darn". :/ I've never come across that problem though.

As for the n-word (sorry...I'm a little paranoid about my language), I don't say that either. Yet black people are often calling each other that. Or a community that doesn't have any other race than caucasion. My school district has, I believe, just two black kids in our school. My personal class of 2007 has never ever, in their entire school career (K-12) had a black kid in their class. Overall, our school's a little prejudice towards people and they've never known black people before, and so they're fine saying it because they don't worry about hurting someone's feelings, and they'll pry keep saying it as they grow up. It's overall the community's fault as to how a kid grows up.

As for TKM though, there's something you've got to understand. Back in that time period, those words were often said. They can't create a 21st century language for a 1940's book. :/ It doesn't work. That's why the n-word and other stuff is in there. That's why you've got a lot of controversy over it, along with other books with supposedly "bad things" in it. At that time, that language was allowed. I personally think that's the problem with our current society is that we're too paranoid about it. We're constantly wanting to save our children from what we believe is bad concepts and bad language, but in the sense, we're sheilding them from a needed history lesson. Cliche: "Those who do not know history are doomed to report it." That's why I think it's stupid how people take words out of books or ban books just because they have some "inappropriate language or theme."

I think I went on a minor tangent, but meh. Get my point though? x-x

 

[Johnny Stooge]

I swear. I'll be the first to admit I've got a dirty mouth.

When I'm lost for words, I'll say "effing, effing effing". I use the c-word (c**t) to refer to my friends. I'm worse than a sailor. And the terrible thing is that sometimes I don't realize I'm swearing and there are kids around. Now that, I'm ashamed of.

As for racial slurs-- I call my good black friends the n-word and c**n. They don't get offended by it. And I don't get offended when they call me 'cracker'.

I think as society progresses, we are desensitizing ourselves to these words.

 

[Katattack]

Gwah, when we read that in class, my teacher had no problem saying it. Of course, that could be just because he was used to it....

However, if we had been reading aloud, I don't think I'd mind saying it, because I would never call someone that myself. Reading the words of others does not bug me.

Plus, in the context of "Don't say Nigger, Scout" it's not bad at all. =\ Atticus is just telling her not to say it.

However, I try not to swear to express myself.

 

[soki]

I swear. I'll be the first to admit I've got a dirty mouth.

When I'm lost for words, I'll say "effing, effing effing". I use the c-word (c**t) to refer to my friends. I'm worse than a sailor. And the terrible thing is that sometimes I don't realize I'm swearing and there are kids around. Now that, I'm ashamed of.

As for racial slurs-- I call my good black friends the n-word and c**n. They don't get offended by it. And I don't get offended when they call me 'cracker'.

I think as society progresses, we are desensitizing ourselves to these words.

please dude if you met me in real life you would look like a saint in the present and i've actually toned down, 2 years ago i could make a marine's ears bleed

 

[Dogenzaka]

Nigger comes from Negro which means black.
It's used as a term to identify black people, whether between black people or others. For the most part, it's offensive.

It's not a curse word, however.

It's like saying "cracker" "wigger" and "chink" should be censored in TV movies :/

 

[Tsuki-chan]

Where I live cursing perfectly fine.
For adults and children alike. Personally I dont like swearing
that much nor do I do it that much.

Even at school,
teachers swear aloud.
Heck we watch movie with swearing all the time
like:
The Outsiders(by S.E. Hinton)
Sounder
Both have a lot of swearing but there aloud in the school.

You cant go 30 minutes without hearing someone
say "Damn you!" or "You're going to hell, hahaha!"
My friends swear all the time, and if it really bothers me
I'll just tell them to "keep their language down".

 

[Phoenix]

.... damn and hell are swears? When did this happen?

 

[Tsuki-chan]

.... damn and hell are swears? When did this happen?

Even though I'm from a place where
swearing perfectly fine.
They've always consider it "damn and Hell"
as swear words.

And if I remember they were banned
during the "Swear ban"