Today's post is going to be a bit different. It's what specialists would call "interactive" because I want to know what you think! Yay opinions!
There's this big issue on Wattpad that is really difficult to tackle, but I figure with this being a book on manners, it should at least be addressed. So without further ado; swearing.
See, the thing is that there are people of all ages on Wattpad, so how can we determine whether the use of swears in posts or threads is alright? Can there be times when the auto-report thing on Wattpad should not come into play?
It really bugs me when I'm having a conversation between other adults on Wattpad on my message board or a private thread and my comment gets reported because I swore at some point. Come on now. I mean, I can't even say "Agatha Christie is the shit" without being reported. And that's sad. Because she's awesome. But that's besides the point.
I think swearing is a natural way that humans expressed anger, frustration, excitement, and general pissed-offness. On one hand, though, there are people who really swear excessively. On the other, there are people out there who can't tolerate swears because of personal beliefs. So is it alright to swear? Well, I think it's alright as long as it isn't for the hell of swearing (Shit! Damn! God! Shit! *deep breaths* Okay, no more hell -- shit!).
Seriously though, most people don't swear for the sake of swearing. They do so with a purpose. And if it is aggressively targeting someone, then that person can report it. But to blanket all swears kills an entire section of vocabulary. And it sort of limits freedom of speech.
It's a bit like if someone blocked all adverbs. People use those now and again as they should. But is it fair to block and report words just because they should be used sparingly? Sounds like censorship to me.
That being said, if swearing really bugs someone, then they should say so and report the comments that they find rude or unnecessarily excessive. But everyone deserves the right to express themselves how they wish as long as they keep people's sensitivities in mind (aka don't start dropping the F-bomb in a hyper-religious thread) and everyone should be okay with that.
This site is about meeting people who write from all sorts of different perspectives, so we have to be okay with our world being rattled by different people just a little.
Most people only use swears when they have to. Not just for the sake of swearing. So I don't really think Wattpad should block swears. Because it's not swears themselves that can be offensive -- it's their use. Like "ass" (donkey) versus "ass" (unbecoming buttocks).
Please note that I totally am not including slurs in this because those are meant to be offensive.
That's my two-cents. So what do you think?
