I propose that we prohibit foul language from being used at the project reason forum.
Before I develop this idea. I acknowledge to all of you that I am no more knowledgeable than any of you. I do not want to play the role of the “dad” (I do that too much in real life). But no one else appears to be bringing up these points.
The definition of foul language for the sake of this discussion, is language in which words such as fuck, shit, mother fucker, asshole, cock (in this case context specific), etc., are being used.
The reasons for this proposal are as follows.
How we speak (or in this case write) is a reflection of our degree of rationality. I will annoyingly repeat that project reasons mission is to spread scientific knowledge and secular values in society…,... and encourage critical thinking and erode the influence of dogmatism, superstition, and bigotry…
We do not promote critical evaluation of ideas different from our own when our commentary toward our antagonists degrades into insulting rhetoric. Admittedly insulting rhetoric is not mutually exclusive of foul language, but excluding the latter would be a step in improving how we debate irrational beings.
I believe our comments will carry more weight if we utilize civil dialogue. If you didn’t know us, reading the threads without knowing our backgrounds makes us appear as raving lunatics, no better than the theists that invade our site and attempt to present their points of view.
This is a sample of what doesn’t belong in our forum:
“People of America, Christianity is full of shit and we, as Americans, should stop sticking our noses up Jebus’s ass and claiming it smells like roses. Christianity sucks, get it? You are all a bunch of fuckwitted sheeple….stupid, pathetic and vicious, You are a giant slimy stain upon our once green earth, which is now facing extinction because religious sluts like you vote Republican. You claim you love God and God loves you. BULLSHIT! There’s NOTHING, get it? Take off your diapers and stop sucking the Virgin Mary’s tits (which dion’t amount to much, anyway, heh heh heh) and think like I do! Atheists are far superior to God’s retarded dick-lickers and our doctrines will make the world a better place, despite the fuckwitted fuckwitted fuckwitted protests of those who claim to love that mentally unbalanced Jew, who was full of shit and had delusions of grandeur. You know what I say? Fuck Jebbus! Have the courage to stick that crucifix right up that bastard’s ass and say, NO!” . BUrn your Bible, join us and be FREE! “
At the thread that this post appeared, some members of our forum pointed out this is not how most of us would talk, some members however were more accepting and even praised it. I was surprised by who posted it. It didn’t expect that person to speak (post) that way. The comment is a bit dramatic by anybody’s standards, but there nothing in it that couldn’t be said free of the foul language. The reason why it was posted could be the topic of another thread (and if that person wants to discuss it, I hope that person would do it in a different thread and not hijack this one).
The ideas presented here in this thread were triggered by my sojourn into the Ann coulter forum. As per the administrators at that site “Ann does not tolerate foul language”... and Nor should we at our forum.
It is ironic that the Ann Coulter forum which posts all manner of noxious ideas is closed. In other words you have to join it to see what’s being said. In fact you have to join it with a traceable service provider… (i.e. not gmail but a comcast email address). It is ironic, and an interesting lesson, that by couching bigotry in banal language, the ideas that it promotes seem ( I can’t think of the right word so I’ll use this one), TRUER.
We, on the other hand, are an open forum. Anybody can see what we say in our posts without joining, or for that matter without leaving any evidence that they visited us. Although one must join to participate, that paragraph that I used as an example can be read by someone as morally challenged as the Pope to someone who we would like to positively influence, such as a 14 year old student. I suggest that our ideas, our thoughts, and our way of thinking will be better expressed without the use of profane language.
The best discourse on this site has been in posts that speak in jargon free, non judgmental, easily readable tone. The posters that speak that way are posters that I (and I’m sure other readers) want to emulate. The foul language, which often creeps in as discussions become more heated, takes away from the point that is being made. Not only that but it makes the one using that language look as crazy as the person that he’s arguing with.
Since we are promoting critical thinking, shouldn’t we recommend this site to our children and grandchildren of high school age or above. For those of you out their reading my thread could you seriously recommend our forum to the principal of our high school with the types of posts that I used as an example?
I realize that the idea to ban profane language from this site has been bought up before, with little success. But I thought I would give it another try.
Jeff
