bad language

Lilygran Didn't know about the expletives, although I'm not surprised but am fed up with gray and color.

hashtags explained by Twitter Although I think a lot of people just use them to take a bit on the end of a tweet. Sort of like an 'aside'.

tag not take

#getonwithyourjobswoman

Didnt know until reading this thread that Crimson has left?!
How sad, I always enjoyed reading her posts and usually agreed/related to them.
How sad! A loss to the GN site thats for sure.

She wasn't gone for long ....

Oh,thats good.

I'm just not sure that swearing works when you write it down. Either as a steam letter offer or anything else. Other than perhaps a deliberate insult.

I hate swearing although I do it under my breath quite often. However, like Baubles, if I ever do say the eff word, it doesn't half make people sit up and take notice

it works

never tried it as a deliberate insult. not sure how you would.

(unless you actually said F you + poster's name and I think that might get deleted)

would work well in a text . f off. I think there are lots of other forums around where there would be lots of florid examples.

What I personally find difficult is being told by others how I must or should express myself on Gransnet.

That would be the kind of text where you press the send button and then really wish you hadn't!!!

Ella Baubles that's a good point. On the rare occasion when I do let rip with a swear word, people are usually rooted to the spot in amazement.

Many women who are grandparents are quite old and have been brought up in the days when "obscene" language was very shocking.Because of my religious upbringing I actually flinch when people sayChrist or Jesus as an expletive. In the same way many people find the F word upsetting even though it is now so commonly used even by young children, who seem to be able to get off lightly with telling their teacher or meal time assistant to F off. Anyway what I 'm trying to say in a long winded way is that we should spare the feelings of people on this forum in this matter. Mumsnet is a differ kettle of Fs because most of the posters are younger and use that language with their peers (in my opinion).

My SIL swears a lot, D2 is always saying "D......., your language." One day I gave GS then around just four something to eat. When he said thank you, I said "you're welcome." GS said "Grandma, you said a bad word."

For goodness sake, hardly anyone swears on this forum and when they do, it is usually the odd damn or bloody – surely, not massively offensive. If some slightly stronger language creeps in from time to time, I'm sure we are all adult enough to cope with it – or ignore it – without getting into a prissy, hissy state about it. As has already been pointed out, some posts have been truly offensive, but without involving swear words at all, so surely if we can cope with those, we can turn a blind eye to a bit of effing and blinding, even if we consider it unnecessary.

agapanthus what does it mean that young children get off lightly with telling their teacher or meal time assistant to eff off? [incredulous emoticon].

My little grandsons tell me they know some bad words that I must not say. It's so tempting to ask them, but I hold back......then they assume permission, and begin:

'HE SAID Harry is stupid.....that's a naughty word, nana!' (Big grins on their faces

'Well HE SAID Amber is a idiot....that's very, very naughty and if he says it again, he'll get sent to Mr Southern (head teacher, arbiter of good manners)

'You shouldn't say that, should you, nana? Stupid poo idiot boy!'

You can say 'poo' but you can't day stoopid idiot, can you, nana?'

I attempt to deconstruct the argument, but I am no match for two four year olds

Wonderful, when. The innocence of youth, and the knowing of a Gran.

'Stupid' and 'idiot' are forbidden to both lots of my GC. They were shocked to the core when I said someone or something was stupid. Naughty granny!

The most offensive thing anyone has ever said to me is:

Huh. You're just a GIRL

He didn't get away with it.

I don't find swearing a problem on G.N. to be honest.

I think if and when it is used on G.N. it is because when you type your post you are actually having a 'conversation' with people so therefore to say you don't like to see it used in a written form is a little odd. Surely that's what we do, write down our thoughts. Sometimes we all get a little heated and it is a way of denoting our feelings. If we were speaking we would raise our voice maybe or show an expression on our face. That can't happen on GN so it is only a way of communicating really. That's why I don't find it upsetting.

I admit to being a bit of a swearer. That said I hope I am mature enough to know when and where to use it. I detest swearing infront of young children for example. I know who in my circle are accepting of it and who I am comfortable with using it in front of. I would never have used it infront of my mother or father or strangers etc.

Having said that I accept that is my personal feelings and I totally accept this will not be shared by everyone and understand it could be an issue for some.

Just caught up with this thread after a couple of days not looking at it. Very amusing . #wandersoffinsearchofmorechucklement

Right. Here goes. I went for some more chucklement elsewhere while I had a think. This is what I told a bunch of Cubs and young Scouts at a camp when I heard them effing at each other:

If you tell someone to eff off you are being rude.

If you drop a hammer on your toe and say f()ck you are not being rude.

Does everyone understand that?

Good.

Stop being silly then.

And I walked away.

They stopped being silly.

They were CHILDREN and they understood the difference. I assume everyone on gransnet is an adult.

By 'eck! Some mothers do 'ave 'em!