Author Topic: Civil Words  (Read 1582 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline EC

  • Shanghaied Editor
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 23,804
  • Gender: Male
  • Cats rule. Dogs drool.
Civil Words
« on: July 27, 2014, 11:28:13 am »
Ever noticed how important the idea of good behavior is? It's at the core of life - civilization itself depends on people being civil. Same root word, even. Yet it's a really odd concept if you think about it.

Where did it come from? People tend to be nasty and self centered as a survival mechanism, owing loyalty only to a small group. That is usually family, but can be any grouping really - football team, squad, street gang. Each has their codes of behavior internally, and far more elaborate codes to deal with other groups.

For example - I and many other people on this forum are perfectly capable of stripping paint at 30 feet just with the power of cussing. Our Navy members can probably do it from 50 feet, since they seem to have a hidden secret not given to mere mortals (Chieftain can probably melt steel with just a look). Yet we mostly refrain from it here. The odd time we let rip, it is bleeped out. And that is right and just. It's a community and it has it's rules. One of the rules is no cussing. It's just something to accept. You post here, it is with either nothing at all or highly inventive profanity.

And it is wrong.

How many times in the last month have you heard or read the phrase "the left controls the narrative?" Betting it is a mort of times. They don't. They shift the language itself. Think of how many words are censored now. Can you use the N word if you aren't a rich black rapper? There is a 99% chance you never would anyway, but the chance would be a nice thing. That word I used up there? Black? The cops are not allowed to use it now. Gay? Hey it used to mean happy times. Guess it still does for some, but for the rest of us, it's verboten.

The first amendment doesn't prevent you from using words. It just assumes you are not going to be a dick while doing so. Sadly, that assumption seems to fail now-a-days.
The universe doesn't hate you. Unless your name is Tsutomu Yamaguchi

Avatar courtesy of Oceander

I've got a website now: Smoke and Ink