North v. South Diatribe

[KatieKate1244]

Originally posted by cashmoney
West Virginia is kind of in that backwater, redneck, trashy part of the east coast.
My high school history teacher once told us he was glad he was in WV, because if the world came to end, WV still had another 10 years.
People there live in actual tracktor trailers instead of "mobile homes".
Funny, I've never seen one.
Ive even seen people there living in school buses.
This is actually true. I just want to know how they got out to the island in the middle of the Kanawha River.
Most of the people there are fat and listen to 90's Billy Ray Cirrus type of country music mixed in with a little Lynardskinner, Def Leopard, Motley Crue and Nelly.
That's only about half the state. The other half listens to NPR or Britney Spears
They think only gay people listen to Electronic Dance Music (house, trance, break-beats, drum-n-bass or progressive)
Actually, many people here like techno.
and they have only one university that only half the people out there can name.....WVU. Not to mention the school is only known for its cokewhores, binge-drinking and shitty football team.
I have mixed feelings on WVU. I do love the Mountaineers, however, my school is a satellite campus, and they don't like to give us the money the school needs for basic stuff, like building repairs, or decent equipment.

So, I'd say its northern.
My friend in Columbus, OH, just told me WV was southern. She also told me I had a "cute Southern accent."

All in all, thanks for the Great State bash.

[FAB*SpiceySpice]

Originally posted by honeychile
IMHO, her mother was right. Swearing is hardly a sign of maturity.

Uh...well champ in case you forgot, the original post said that her mother considered people who swore as having a poor vocab. Since when does being mature = having a good vocab?

[WCUgirl]

Originally posted by KatieKate1244
"Almost Heaven, West Virginia."

Whomever spoke these words has never visited the upper end of the Kanawha valley.

Would you all consider WV northern or southern?

(Kinda off topic)

The state is both. The northern part of WV is northern. The southern/western part of WV is southern.

ETA: As to the original purpose of this thread, I thought the website was quite humorous. Quite a bit of foul language, but I laughed and laughed and laughed. I didn't think it was anything that was to be taken too seriously.

[bekibug]

Originally posted by FAB*SpiceySpice
Uh...well champ in case you forgot, the original post said that her mother considered people who swore as having a poor vocab. Since when does being mature = having a good vocab?

One of my elementary school teachers said something to the same effect when we were about 10 and the boys in the class started swearing during breaks a lot. I think it was meant more along the lines of knowing what's appropriate for what situation and having a large enough vocabulary to convey the same meaning without the potentially offensive words.

[HotDamnImAPhiMu]

Originally posted by FAB*SpiceySpice
Uh...well champ in case you forgot, the original post said that her mother considered people who swore as having a poor vocab. Since when does being mature = having a good vocab?

Wow, that was nasty for no good reason.

I agree with what bekibug says -- part of being mature is knowing when swearing is appropriate and when it isn't, and having the vocab to fall back on when it's not.

[honeychile]

Originally posted by FAB*SpiceySpice
Uh...well champ in case you forgot, the original post said that her mother considered people who swore as having a poor vocab. Since when does being mature = having a good vocab?

First of all, KSig was quoting ADPi Conniebama, not me. I just happened to agree with her (and her mother) - and bekibug, and HotDamnI'mAPhiMu, and many others.

Being mature does not always equal having a good vocabulary. One who depends on excessive profanity negates any real chance of having others think that they are either mature OR have a decent vocabulary.

[KSig RC]

Originally posted by honeychile


First of all, KSig was quoting ADPi Conniebama, not me. I just happened to agree with her (and her mother) - and bekibug, and HotDamnI'mAPhiMu, and many others.

Being mature does not always equal having a good vocabulary. One who depends on excessive profanity negates any real chance of having others think that they are either mature OR have a decent vocabulary.

First of all . . . you did, in fact, make a fallacious connection when responding to my post. You said:

Originally posted by honeychile
IMHO, her mother was right. Swearing is hardly a sign of maturity.

The original post was extremely condescending, and implied that swearing was a substitute for poor vocabulary skills. This is patently incorrect - swearing is, in no way, a substitute for poor vocabulary. While there may be social decorum issues attached, and I'd like to thank all of you guys for beating that horse to death, there's absolutely no connection between swearing and intelligence/vocabulary. That's insane.

I would like to posit for you that it is excessively sensitive to deny someone's point simply because of swearing - especially considering the fact that we are not in 'polite company' or another such socially constricting situation. You are all adults - if you cannot see past a bit of colorful language and dissect the larger point therein, you are less taking the moral highroad and more copping out from rational, adult conversation.

Maturity must be manifested in the ability to deal with people and situations outside of your sphere of comfort without turning the nose up or putting another down. We are not children - you can examine a euphemism for sex or fecal matter without becoming rosy in the cheeks, and if you cannot, then you have little to no basis for cutting on another's maturity. In fact, especially in the case of honeychile, this sort of implication is par for the self-righteous course - how about you address the issues presented, rather than the presentation style? Wouldn't that be mature?

Bottom line: if you decide not to take someone seriously because of swearing, YOU are proving yourself just as limited as the one doing the swearing.

-RC
--fucking a guys, stop being ridiculous

[HotDamnImAPhiMu]

I think the point is less that dropping one f bomb is distracting, and more that if you're peppering your speech so throughly with swear words that they're taking the place of every noun, adjective, and verb, it becomes (a) hard to understand what you're saying and (b) hard to take you seriously.

I don't think anyone's that worked up about one or two words.

Except my mom. Who told me yesterday ladies don't say "shut up".

[kddani]

gotta give a bravo to KSig RC's post.

I'd rather see someone curse than see dozens of people look down their noses at someone b/c of the words they use. It's not like we're talking about cussing up a storm at a fancy dinner party with royalty here.

Ivory tower is crowded today

[bekibug]

Indeed, it is crowded, so I came out onto the nice breezy balcony for some fresh air

[KSig RC]

Originally posted by HotDamnImAPhiMu
(b) hard to take you seriously.

r->c->p?

This was exactly what I was talking about . . . le sigh, as cartoons used to say

[honeychile]

Originally posted by HotDamnImAPhiMu
I think the point is less that dropping one f bomb is distracting, and more that if you're peppering your speech so throughly with swear words that they're taking the place of every noun, adjective, and verb, it becomes (a) hard to understand what you're saying and (b) hard to take you seriously.

I don't think anyone's that worked up about one or two words.

Except my mom. Who told me yesterday ladies don't say "shut up".

Point well made.

I believe we were discussing the site first quoted by kddani, not anyone person or persons in particular on GreekChat. Certainly the person who so hates the South would have made a much more believable statement had the same essay contained less profanity.

In the appropriate time, in the appropriate place, swearing is normal and even funny. My favorite movie is laced with it - but since most of it takes place in a locker room, it's appropriate.

What people who habitually use profanity fail to realize is that they are limiting themselves to what career they can hold. I have a friend who seriously can't make a sentence without the f bomb - and he thinks he's going to get a public relations position. The people in the front office have already told more than one person that my friend's vocabulary is an embarrassment and that he won't be offered the position. He's even been told that - but he refuses to understand (his response was, "f- 'em, they'll come crawling to me yet."). This same scenario has been played out for at least three different jobs that I know of - and I'm using him as an example because he's not on GreekChat and he's the best example I know of.

I honestly don't think that GreekChat is an ivory tower, but it really shouldn't be a gutter, either. And frankly, with everything else going on lately, I'm somewhat surprised that this is an issue!

[honeychile]

The original post was extremely condescending, and implied that swearing was a substitute for poor vocabulary skills. This is patently incorrect - swearing is, in no way, a substitute for poor vocabulary. While there may be social decorum issues attached, and I'd like to thank all of you guys for beating that horse to death, there's absolutely no connection between swearing and intelligence/vocabulary. That's insane.

In your humble opinion, of course.

I would like to posit for you that it is excessively sensitive to deny someone's point simply because of swearing - especially considering the fact that we are not in 'polite company' or another such socially constricting situation. You are all adults - if you cannot see past a bit of colorful language and dissect the larger point therein, you are less taking the moral highroad and more copping out from rational, adult conversation.

You're making huge suppostions here. First, I do try to behave as if I'm in polite company - but if you want me to make an exception for you, I'll consider the matter. If you think that the more profanity you use, the more "colorful", "rational", and "adult" that makes you sound, then you're limiting yourself - which, of course, is your perogative.

Maturity must be manifested in the ability to deal with people and situations outside of your sphere of comfort without turning the nose up or putting another down. We are not children - you can examine a euphemism for sex or fecal matter without becoming rosy in the cheeks, and if you cannot, then you have little to no basis for cutting on another's maturity. In fact, especially in the case of honeychile, this sort of implication is par for the self-righteous course - how about you address the issues presented, rather than the presentation style? Wouldn't that be mature?

Oh, horrors, the self-righteous phrase! *faints* Look, I work with geriatrics every day. Do you think that I could possibly lose some clients if I swore like a sailor? You better believe it! Have you ever seen someone with severe dementia who can only say, "Oh shit!"? Sure, it's funny the first few times, but then you really start to feel sorry for the poor lady. I made the choice to cut back on my language when I realized that it's harder than most people think to shift gears several times a day, and that I don't want to embarrass any future children like that. Do you think that, when you or your friends start having children, that they'll want you talking like that around their kids? Of course not! It's simply easier to watch my mouth now, and hopefully set a good example, than otherwise.

Bottom line: if you decide not to take someone seriously because of swearing, YOU are proving yourself just as limited as the one doing the swearing.

Again, you missed the key idea: excessive. Few people can't handle some swearing. Excessive swearing or profanity does make more people wonder.

[HotDamnImAPhiMu]

But honey, you're missing out on such an EXCELLENT opportunity to claim everybody who disagrees with you is haughtily looking down their nose at you from an ivory tower!

[KSig RC]

Originally posted by honeychile

In your humble opinion, of course.

Of course.

Originally posted by honeychile
If you think that the more profanity you use, the more "colorful", "rational", and "adult" that makes you sound, then you're limiting yourself - which, of course, is your perogative.

This is not even close to any point that I made. If you'd like, I'll reiterate for you:

I think that an ability to deal with situations outside of your normal comfort zone, including "excessive" (in your humble opinion, of course) profanity and other such terse speech, makes you more adult - there is no prerogative involved.

read -> comprehend -> post . . . you weren't even close here!

Originally posted by honeychile
Oh, horrors, the self-righteous phrase! *faints* Look, I work with geriatrics every day. Do you think that I could possibly lose some clients if I swore like a sailor? You better believe it! Have you ever seen someone with severe dementia who can only say, "Oh shit!"? Sure, it's funny the first few times, but then you really start to feel sorry for the poor lady. I made the choice to cut back on my language when I realized that it's harder than most people think to shift gears several times a day, and that I don't want to embarrass any future children like that. Do you think that, when you or your friends start having children, that they'll want you talking like that around their kids? Of course not! It's simply easier to watch my mouth now, and hopefully set a good example, than otherwise.

This is completely irrelevant to the conversation - I can respect where you're coming from, but honestly it holds no bearing. I'm telling you that saying "People with something to say don't swear", or "People who swear excessively have poor vocab/communication skills", or the ever-popular "I can't take anyone seriously if they swear" violates the same principles you're attempting to prove. Seriously. You have not even started to address the point of my post!

You did, however, neatly make my 'decorum' point for me - situations dictate syntax and diction, the immutable law of verbal interaction. However, when situations are not dictated, an open mind and intelligent reaction is needed. I'm saying you're applying your own version of decorum to this situation, and it's incredibly ironic.

Originally posted by honeychile
Again, you missed the key idea: excessive. Few people can't handle some swearing. Excessive swearing or profanity does make more people wonder.

Wonder what, honeychile? Jesus, you have absolutely no clue what I'm talking about, obviously. I won't be a nit and push this any further, but honestly, what needs clarified? Don't you see how the converse of your feelings regarding swearing is just as plausible?