This would ask for all participants to accept the single context provided by the source material as the defining medium, rather than the alternative of requiring every individual to learn and adhere to every other individuals personal and regional definitions of 'offensive', which while filled with the spirit of universal love, tollerance and wholesome goodness, is also probably hugely unmanagable and allows for newbies (and oldbies alike) to suffer extreme uncertainty of rules, acceptability and self-censorship.

Good thing this isn't a board about Mark Twain....

Good thing this isn't a board about Mark Twain....

I love Steph. That is all.

But this isn't traveling. A better example is the mythical Buffista Island, where a home is made from many disparate cultural elements. Language is demonstrably a large part of that. When different cultures come together, this:

This would ask for all participants to accept the single context provided by the source material as the defining medium, rather than the alternative of requiring every individual to learn and adhere to every other individuals personal and regional definitions of 'offensive', which while filled with the spirit of universal love, tollerance and wholesome goodness, is also probably hugely unmanagable and allows for newbies (and oldbies alike) to suffer extreme uncertainty of rules, acceptability and self-censorship.

strikes me as frankly a bit lazy.

I was new here not so long ago, and I've been involved in several different internet communities over the years. One of the strengths of this one is how the discussions are ongoing, complex, and even prickly. But they keep going, generally, until the parties involved have some understanding of each other.

I hope you enjoy your stay here. Don't feel constrained to join in because you don't know all the "rules" or might step on someones toes. Just be ready to receive and understand as well.

When travelling, I tend to go with the flow of whatever culture I'm in, rather than expecting them to adjust to me.

The culture here has always been to err on the side of not offending anyone. No one (to my knowledge) ever said they were offended by "bitches", while several have said they are offended by "spazzed". It's just a thread title -- it's not worth offending someone over it -- let's just substitute "pants".

Just might not be God, but his body of work is the closest thing a board like this has to universal texts.

Whoa there. The board shares a common interest in some of JW's works, not a dogmatic approach to everything Jossian. The people on this board are way more than just Joss fans.

I'm simply suggesting adopting a convenient, simple tome as guide and alternative to the absolute logistical nightmare of actively purging all possible words/phrases that may have an offensive connotation in certain countries/regions of the English speaking world.

There's nothing convenient or simple about using television shows with characters spanning the moral spectrum as a guide for acceptable behavior in a social context. And in 1+ years of being on this board, this is the first time I've seen any significant debate about the appropriateness of a word used in a show. Hardly an absolutely logistical nightmare.

Again, I could be just naive. It would be asking for some readers to see things that in other contexts they're not particularly comfortable with. Some might even be uncomfortable with things in the context of the Buffyverse. But there is no end to that road. What happens when we greet our first members offended by references to witchcraft or the occult? All discussion about Willows spells go off the table?

The same thing that happens when we greet our first members offended by references to HoYay and other popular Buffista topics - they pack up their little browsers and surf elsewhere.

I dunno - when travelling, I tend to go with the flow of whatever culture I'm in, rather than expecting them to adjust to me.

Exactly. We're a sensitive community and a word that is offensive to a fairly large grouping of people is something the Buffista culture is prepared to consider discarding.

By the way, welcome. I really like the way you've expressed your opinions and laid out your arguments. Even the ones that are wrong. ;)

his body of work is the closest thing a board like this has to universal texts

Our posts are universal texts. Joss is the reason we started to have them.

I reserve the right to be offended by elements of his work, and appreciate a community that understands I'm not just making it up. Because I'm not. There are enough UnAmericans here that find it rude, and I'd extend the same grace to anyone offended by something acceptedly rude, but that didn't ping my radar.

I heartily agree with msbelle that a group of such literate, witty, and intelligent folks ought to be able to come up with an alternate title that will be palatable to all. And since msbelle is among the literate-est, wittiest, and intelligent-est, not to mention the nicest, I nominate her. Get cracking!

And I'm crushed to learn that Joss is not, in fact, God.

Just might not be God, but his body of work is the closest thing a board like this has to universal texts.

Whoa there. The board shares a common interest in some of JW's works, not a dogmatic approach to everything Jossian. The people on this board are way more than just Joss fans.

Even if we considered the shows to be our "universal texts," that doesn't mean that everything in them is good and right.

If you read the bible with any scrutiny, you'll see it seems to support slavery.

And since msbelle is among the literate-est, wittiest, and intelligent-est, not to mention the nicest, I nominate her. Get cracking!

Hee.

And I'm crushed to learn that Joss is not, in fact, God.

Yeah. Cause it would actually explain a lot about my life over the last year.

BTW, are we going to be debating this until Elena gets back and the thread actually needs a title? I do hope not.