Fuck This Shit

Yes, this is about swearing.

If you didn't know, my recent Dear World article is about insults. In the article, I talk about how insults have become lazy and short like "motherfucker" and "penishead". I also urge the youth of Wales (well, RCT) to marvel at wonderful insults that are thoughtful and bamboozling at the same time. Well, I think I did anyway.

In this article, I do swear, though I don't write a fucking fuck after every fucking word. At first, the article went up fine. Then, I had a call, saying that the council wanted to edit it so the swearing won't be obvious (so, instead of twat, it would be tw*t). For some reason, they are still unhappy.

They now want to blank out all the swearing in the article, meaning that a rather light swearword like shag (for example) could be misunderstood for a fuck or a cunt.

Because of this reason, I asked if they can just have the first letter of it (so it would be t--- instead of twat), but apparently they are still unhappy with this.

So, for a website that is supposed to be giving the young people a voice, it has pretty much failed due to some rather stupid council people being unhappy that I've said the word "twat" and "wanker".

I'm sorry, but I've sworn in an article a few times before (and the majority of them in a Dear World article). So, why are they censoring it now?

Also, I don't understand why they are censoring it. If their train of thought is that the younger end of the Clic age group (say, eleven to fourteen) are going to go on a swearing frenzy just because I used the word wanker in an article. I write how I talk, and I usually talk to an eleven year old the same as I would a twenty five year old. I don't see how I should shelter, if you will, the younger generation by censoring my writing (well, anyone's writing on Wicid and all the Clic sites).

It's not like they don't know about swearing, right? I mean, people in the same year as me were swearing during the late years of primary school. What age is that? About nine, ten, eleven? They know all about these words these days. I don't think that, on a website that gives a voice for young people in Wales, that anyone should cover their arse by not saying arse. Yet, ass would probably be acceptable. Fucking Americanisms...

I apologise to you, my possible and improbable readers, as I'm ranting to you about the council's doing. I really don't care if they know that I've written this. Fuck, I won't even deny doing so. It makes no sense.

For my last part of annoyance, I'll wish you would click on this link. It is the swearing section of the Wicid (and Clic) style guide. If you cannot be arsed to click on a like, here is what it says.

Gratuitous swearing cannot be allowed on the websites due to the age range of our readers (11-25). If you feel you absolutely have to swear, please keep it light and ensure it is in context with your article, although we can’t guarantee its inclusion.

I understand completely why this is in the style guide. As the age group is eleven to twenty five, we must make aware that our content is between these ages. But, to my defense, I do believe in all of my being that my swearing is well within the context of the article. I'll stick it up on my Dear World blog for you to read. I was going to write one on swearing, though I guess that's out of the question.

Anyway, I honestly believe that I needed to swear in the article. For one, it was a form of quoting. Second of all, it was a reference to the quote and lastly it was an example of other swear words.

I only used three swearwords - twat, wanker and prick. I didn't type something racist, nor did I use something that is derogatory of women. It's three swearwords, and all in context.

Why? RCTCBC, why?

- Fuck the motherfucker. Fuck the motherfucker. Fuck the motherfucker. He's a fucking motherfucker. Fuck the motherfucker. Fuck the motherfucker. Fuck the motherfucking FIN.