Board Thread:Wiki Running/@comment-4189499-20140326112928

Swearing has been a hot topic on this wiki lately, with many people having many different views as to how to proceed. I would ask that all users please follow this thread by hitting the big "follow" button on the top right so we can have an ordered and practical discussion on the nature of swearing on this wiki and what is and isn't allowed. These discussions have started in the blog namespace, and the following are probably the most relevant blogs relating to this topic. It would be best to try to read all of these and all the opinions in the comments so as to understand the points of view already expressed. And more recently:
 * User blog:Lefty7788/Swearing is NOT allowed!
 * User blog:Lefty7788/A reminder about swearing...
 * User blog:Jianhui67/Vulgarities and Swearing
 * User blog:Lefty7788/What to do in this situation?
 * User blog:SliceTHEcake/This wiki's censorship is ridiculous
 * And finally my own User blog:Imamadmad/My Stance on Swearing, the comments section of which I particularly recommend reading.

As you can see, people's stances on this issue range from no swearing to any degree ever to don't stop people from swearing or censor swear words of any degree anywhere ever. I personally believe the best way to handle this situation is to look at the real thing we want to stop. The reason people don't want these words written, when you get down to the basis of it, is that people find they cause offence. If people throw insults at you, of course you are going to feel offended! However, I believe that as long as the word aren't aimed at anyone in particular, there is no harm in them.

Certainly, swearing on any level doesn't belong in the mainspace (the article part of the wiki), but that's just like saying that emoticons, opinion, and atrocious grammar doesn't belong in the mainspace; it brings down the style and quality of the writing. However, in the comments and blog sections things become more blurry. There isn't nearly such a strong drive to maintain a high quality one of voice in these "discussion" namespaces, however it is still preferable to not have these areas littered with profanities. While I do believe that there isn't any need to delete swearing that isn't directed at any sentient being (and no, Candy Crush and its levels don't belong in that category. Yet. [AI jokes anyone?]), I do think that swearing should be discouraged, because it really isn't necessary to make a point and can offend some people by its very nature. Also, it makes you look bad. If anything, I think the best way to deal with swears that people find in the comments is to contact the user that made the comment via their message wall, explain to them that this wiki is about a family game and that we prefer users to not use that sort of language here, and could they please reword their comment to remove the offending word. Most people will probably be good natured enough to edit their comment, those who ignore the message aren't doing any harm, and those who get angry and start attacking the person who left the message can be blocked on other grounds because of their insults, which count as personal attacks.

Do note though that any swear that is aimed at a person will leave the swearer with first a warning, and if repeated a block, as that would count as a personal attack against another user,which I think we can all agree is not OK. Whether the attack is written with or without the use of swear words, it's still an attack and should get the speaker a warning and then a wiki-free holiday.

However, all slurs are forbidden, no questions asked. They are always offensive by their very nature, and if I see anyone using slurs in any context other than to explain what they are and why they're not allowed, they will be taking an unwilling vacation from this wiki. A slur is any term used to degrade a certain set of people such as "N*gger", "Fa*", and I even include "Ret*rd" on this list despite it often not being considered a bad word, because it is offensive to people with mental disabilities. Also, using "gay" as an insult rather than a neutral adjective to describe one's sexuality will also be banned as one would be if they use any other offensive and discriminatory words (that is to say, the phrase "John Barrowman is gay" would be allowed as it is a statement of fact that he is homosexual, whereas the phrase "this level is gay" would get you blocked as you are using the term in an insulting fashion, therefore degrading the people who fall into that category for its normal definition).

Please discuss the positives and negatives of this proposal below, and feel free to propose your own ideas about what to do. But I will ask that you leave comments in order, do not delete any comments regardless of what they say, and if you need to refer to a point somebody made further up the page, I recommend the use of the "quote" button found at the bottom of every comment. But most importantly, if you have any comment to add on this issue, please do it in this thread so as to maintain a structured, linear conversation all in one place, which gives us the maximum likelihood of coming to a workable policy on the subject of swearing. Also, remember to follow this thread so you receive a notification when new comments are made. And finally, even if you have already expressed your ideas elsewhere, please repeat them here so as to hold all comments in one spot. 