Etymology; the vulgar and obscene

(That would have been the title of my post... I found that I couldn't really post anything new, so I'm sticking it here and hoping that one of the Liasons might see if and reply or just delete):

Go away bugs.

I'm a moody person.

That's a joke. Most of us here are, or have been, moody. Not just in a casual unpredictable manner but in a way that would make the little baby Jesus cry (as in the very worst, most foul and meant to put you in fear of Hell, slathered with guilt and shame that Sister Agnes could accuse anyone of).

So there is that kind of moodiness and there are actions and words that are profane and vulgar. I wish to discuss the etymological. I'll keep it it short. The Community Guidelines don't specifically cite words which might be considered as verboten, only that...

"You agree not to post any abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, sexually-oriented or any other material that may violate any applicable laws."

... if you are going to use these forums. And in the famous 1964 "I know it when I see it" pornography trial, Justice Stewart offered one of the most common sense, if wholly subjective, ruling that will probably be the most quotable meme in SCOTUS history. The word "meme" will lose meaning long before the quote.

In order to catch potty-messages before they are posted, the messages are usually filtered and cleansed before being posted. Some of the words that may be abusive, hateful, threatening... "or any other material that may violate violate any applicable laws" may go beyond "I know it when I see it" to the objective.

The moderators wisely do a fantastic job in acknowledging that some mentally ill folks have illnesses of a sexual nature and that what is sexually-oriented may be judged on a case by case basis. When mental illness crosses the line from the illness and the suffering to the criminal it becomes out of these forums capacity for usefulness.

So we're left with that which may be obscene and the vulgar. And who decides which is which.

Damn. That's a good place to start if only because it has a definition that is usually associated with common curse word – an exclamation expressing surprise, anger or frustration. It seems that's a definition for most "four letter words."Even the "F" word has a similar definition. But it sets off the obscene and vulgar bots. I sometimes try to get around the bots but, as everyone else is trying to do the same, I am unable to apologize for being an "a" followed by two dollar signs but I may be able to apologize for having been a moody bugger.

Like I said, I'm a moody person. I seldom use any curse words in real life. But I feel like I can come here and express the degree of my anger. Just not using the words that really expresses that degree which makes me even more frustrated and angry.

Is this an already opened and closed discussion? Anyone knowing, or having known, me would find it hilarious that I was advocating more lenient cursing.

If this isn't appropriate for discussion, please delete.

I think swearing is great as long as you don't swear against another person.

That is just my 2 cents.

[Lexi232]

I think that it would be best to bring that up with one of the mods or admins. as CL's we are here to be supportive, and be helpful, but not to enforce or create any of the rules or guidelines here on PC.

Here's a link to the page that lists all the admins, mods, etc. :
http://forums.psychcentral.com/showgroups.php

[DocJohn]

We're a self-help support community visited by all age groups from a variety of cultures around the world. Hence the reason we have a limit on profanity here, both through our Terms of Use and our profanity filter.

You should not try and circumvent these. An occasional slip is usually fine. But constant, regular use (in *any* part of our community, including the social groups, PMs, or the chat rooms) is not okay by us. If you do it too often or it catches someone's attention, your post will be reported and we'll look into it (and give you a warning).

Yes, this has been a rule in our community for nearly 15 years, and so it's pretty set in stone. Most people seem to remember how to communicate without it just fine...

Thanks,
DocJohn