Never offend a captive audience

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Never offend a captive audience

Phil Factor

SSC-Insane

Points: 20244
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November 5, 2011 at 12:21 am

#251184

Comments posted to this topic are about the item Never offend a captive audience
Best wishes,
Phil Factor

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Lon-860191 SSCrazy Points: 2449 More actions · Answer 1

Well said, and I hardly agree! Profane language has no place in technical writing. Talking about things of a factual nature does not need thisw usage.

Thanks for your article.

davoscollective SSCertifiable Points: 6405 More actions · Answer 2

I agree, swearing is unecessary in the workplace.

However, Shakespeare has his fair share of foul language, well far more than that given how many words he invented.

He had some quite creative ones, like "Strumpet"

Bolting-hutch of beastliness

etc

Phil Factor SSC-Insane Points: 20244 More actions · Answer 3

I prefer 'The devil d*mn thee black, thou cream-faced lune'. It is very satisfying.

Best wishes,
Phil Factor

ChrisP-374390 SSC-Addicted Points: 498 More actions · Answer 4

Better Shakespeare than Chaucer, I suppose...

Shakespeare seems particularly fond of a little cuckoldry to push the plot along, though crediting him with invention of the term "Strumpet" is perhaps taking things a little far.

Andre Guerreiro SSCertifiable Points: 7319 More actions · Answer 5

I agree as well.

In a romance we're dealing with fictional or real characters (and they can curse and do whatever they want) so we're able to take some literary freedom, depending on the style -- suspense, horror, sci-fi, etc.

In technical documents it's only you and your readers. If you start swearing for no reason you give your audience the right to swear back at you.

Best regards,

Andre Guerreiro Neto

Database Analyst
http://www.softplan.com.br
MCITPx1/MCTSx2/MCSE/MCSA

davoscollective SSCertifiable Points: 6405 More actions · Answer 6

Yes sorry, I've checked facts and Strumpet is a lot older than Shakespeare. It's still a great olde insult!

ChrisP-374390 SSC-Addicted Points: 498 More actions · Answer 7

david.howell (11/6/2011)
... It's still a great olde insult!

Great indeed.

One only has to hear its use by Billy Connolly to appreciate its nuances.

SQL_EXPAT SSCrazy Points: 2708 More actions · Answer 8

.. main reason why IT in the finance industry is dominated by males...

thanks

SQL_EXPAT

Manie Verster SSCertifiable Points: 7152 More actions · Answer 9

I honestly do not understand why people, in any sphere of life, has to spice their words with swearing and bad language. It is bad taste.

:-PManie Verster
Developer
Johannesburg
South Africa

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. - Holy Bible
I am a man of fixed and unbending principles, the first of which is to be flexible at all times. - Everett Mckinley Dirkson (Well, I am trying. - Manie Verster)

SQL_EXPAT SSCrazy Points: 2708 More actions · Answer 10

natural reaction to high stress/high impact working environments.... when trading systems are down there will be profanity... lots of it.

thanks

SQL_EXPAT

P Jones SSChampion Points: 12361 More actions · Answer 11

Heartily agree. I recall working in the steam-pressing room of a clothing factory during university holidays - a real sweat shop as it was the hot summer of '76 - with a woman who swore so constantly it became boring and just obfuscated the point she was trying to make. During one rant whilst stuck at the ironing board, I counted 52 bl***y in five minutes!

My other half is in the building trade and building sites are noted for profanity. Trying to get some of them to moderate their language in other company outside work is very difficult and we've sometimes avoided the pub for that reason.

The usual saying is "You can take the builder out of the building site but you can't take the building site out of the builder"

Gail Shaw SSC Guru Points: 1004504 More actions · Answer 12

SQL_EXPAT (11/7/2011)
natural reaction to high stress/high impact working environments.... when trading systems are down there will be profanity... lots of it.

Disagree. I used to work on a bank's trading system. When it was down, lots of stress, but little swearing. Some yes, but not lots.

Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

We walk in the dark places no others will enter
We stand on the bridge and no one may pass

Paul Mu SSCertifiable Points: 5547 More actions · Answer 13

Very well put Phil. This is what separates the 'wheat from the chaff'. Anyone who uses profanity (including blesphemy) is lowering themselves in my estimation; that is, my respect for them diminishes at a rate in proportion to the frequency and tone of the 'bad' language.

Paul

SQL-Expat SSC Enthusiast Points: 110 More actions · Answer 14

comes with the territory when working on a London trading floor or application support for a large exchange... in fact its mostly the senior alpha character people who talk like this especially during an outage... Part of the reason why finance looks for people with previous finance experience so they know they can take it... not an excuse, just the way it is... I have no lack of respect for someone who does - its just the way they are or have to be to be effective in some instances and it often gets rewarded....