[Discuss] speech, cursing, vulgarity

[Aaron Bennett]

Tom wrote:
>
> I didn't say I'd use automatic filtering, did I?
>
> Can we talk about the concept first and the implementation later?
>
>
>
Sure.  The concept is bad too.  Realms are different.  One realm I play 
in would fine "you stupid idiot" totally acceptable.  Of course that 
realm has a high tolerance for anachronism.  Out right swears such as 
fuck might be different, I suppose that's a matter of what sort of game 
you want to run.  If you're worried that a child might see a bad word 
then it's probably necessary; but I doubt that's what you are after.  If 
you want to enforce more RP, then it's more then words.  If it's not 
acceptable to say "you are a stupid idiot" but it is acceptable to make 
up some pseudo middle-ages insult like "You base knave, thou art 
idiotic" then we all better bone up on our Middle English. 

SIÞEN þe sege and þe assaut watz sesed at Troye,
Þe bor3 brittened and brent to bronde3 and askez,
Þe tulk þat þe trammes of tresoun þer wro3t
Watz tried for his tricherie, þe trewest on erþe:
Hit watz Ennias þe athel, and his highe kynde,
Þat siþen depreced prouinces, and patrounes bicome
Welne3e of al þe wele in þe west iles.


That's actually a pretty obscure dialect.  Anyone care to guess the 
source?  (answer below, hint, it's not the canterbury tales).  It's 
something a lot of you probably read in translation in college in 
freshman english.  My point being, what's your problem with "you are an 
idiot."  Is it being not nice?  Because nobles weren't really that 
nice.  Is it avoiding anachronisms?  How many "Prime Ministers" did the 
Middle Ages have?  Just let realms police themselves and don't worry 
about it.

------

answer: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.  I used to be able to read it 
straight like that with just a footnote or two.  Sigh... where did my 
brain go?



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