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Topic: Question for a TG....

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tigger5677 avatar
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Subject: Question for a TG....
Date Posted: 10/28/2007 5:04 PM ET
Member Since: 7/29/2005
Posts: 641
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Purely out of curiosity, do any of you all know what PBS policy is regarding profanity in reviews? 

thebookpimp avatar
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Date Posted: 10/28/2007 5:10 PM ET
Member Since: 5/27/2006
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I don't know if there is an actual "policy" but I think the guidelines at the top of the forum page would apply here as well

While we do not permit what is (in our judgment) vulgarity, overt rudeness or anything obscene, we do realize that our membership is adult and will sometimes use the vocabulary of adults

Susanaque avatar
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Date Posted: 10/28/2007 5:11 PM ET
Member Since: 11/18/2005
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There isn't suppose to be any-just like in the discussion forums or any place else on PBS.

ginger avatar
Date Posted: 10/28/2007 5:13 PM ET
Member Since: 8/7/2005
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Dang, it took me forever to figure out what TG stood for.

So, are you wanting to use profanity in a review and just thought you'd check to see if it's okay first? ;-)

pinkcypress avatar
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Date Posted: 10/28/2007 5:48 PM ET
Member Since: 7/23/2006
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ROFL Ginger!!

 



Last Edited on: 10/28/07 5:49 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
tigger5677 avatar
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Date Posted: 10/28/2007 6:44 PM ET
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Well,  while there are a few books that I could use profanity to describe, I tend to refrain from it in the aspects of book reviews and such. I had a college prof who said that profanity was the mark an uncreative mind. .... however I have noticed several reviews as of late that include some profanity and was just wondering if that was grounds for a thumbs down, or if I was just being "prudish".   ;)

ETA:This is the most recent one I've seen: 

http://www.paperbackswap.com/book/details/9780976555919-Madmens+Dreams

 



Last Edited on: 10/28/07 6:48 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
ducky28 avatar
Date Posted: 10/28/2007 6:47 PM ET
Member Since: 10/29/2005
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I would definately give it a thumbs down.  Poor form  :(

Generic Profile avatar
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Date Posted: 10/28/2007 7:26 PM ET
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Some people have a very limited vocabulary.  But they can spell.

thebookpimp avatar
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Date Posted: 10/28/2007 7:36 PM ET
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FYI - I just copied the link over in the "reviews to clean up post". 

Generic Profile avatar
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Date Posted: 10/28/2007 7:46 PM ET
Member Since: 10/6/2005
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Um...yeah...that's just plain rude.

Sarah13Rose avatar
Date Posted: 10/31/2007 3:43 PM ET
Member Since: 4/9/2007
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I didn't personally find anything wrong with it...I mean are you saying it's bad because of the word "damn" in it.  I thought that it was a good and somewhat humorous review.    I marked it helpful (sorry). 

 

I mean ...granted it's not a nice word, but it's not an R-rated word either.

 

Here's the information I found on the word damn

 

"Damn" is a mildly profane word used in North America while cursing or swearing. The use of "damn" in Rhett Butler's parting line to Scarlett O'Hara in the film Gone with the Wind in 1939 captivated moviegoers with "Quite frankly my dear, I don't give a damn."

"God damn" is usually seen as more profane than simply "damn", and in present-day radio or television broadcasts, the word "God" is usually censored or blurred, leaving "damn" uncensored. An example of this is with the 2007 Fall Out Boy single, "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race".

In the USA, "damn" is also commonly used as an exclamation when an extremely attractive person or object of approval is located; e.g. "Damn, he/she is fine" or perhaps "Damn, he has a nice car!". "Hot damn" may be used similarly, but it is somewhat distinct; for example, if one says, "Joe just won the lottery," a response of "Damn!" on its own indicates disapproval, but "Hot damn!" indicates approval or surprise.

"Damned" is also used as an adjective synonymous with "annoying" or "uncooperative," or as a means of giving emphasis. For example, "The damned furnace is not working again!" or, "I did wash the damned car!" or, "The damned dog won't stop barking!"

tigger5677 avatar
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Date Posted: 10/31/2007 4:17 PM ET
Member Since: 7/29/2005
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The original review has been edited..... the review originally contained the F word.... yes the review was humorous but do we really need to see "F---ing great" and "I love the weird A$$  F---ing zombies" when I browse member reviews?

 

 



Last Edited on: 10/31/07 4:19 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
Sarah13Rose avatar
Date Posted: 10/31/2007 11:28 PM ET
Member Since: 4/9/2007
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gotcha   (sorry, when I saw it it didn't have those words in it) 

If I had seen the F words I would have agreed.

 

Again, sorry.

tigger5677 avatar
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Date Posted: 11/1/2007 7:31 AM ET
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No problem, it was edited within maybe 45 minutes of my posting the question so someone out there was checking in on us. And I agree it is a good review without the creative adjectives ; )

mahbaar avatar
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Date Posted: 11/1/2007 10:02 AM ET
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Well, I figure that if Roger Ebert can win a Pulitzer and have a review that closes with:

"This movie," said the lady in front of me at the drinking fountain, "is the worst piece of shit I have ever seen."

I figure that people can put some vulgar language in their reviews. (That's from his review of Caligula, probably one of Ebert's best bad-film reviews.)

But you're also right, just throwing in vulgarity for the heck of it really isn't helpful. I suppose it would depend upon how it's used. A big string of nothing but expletives is not helpful. But a well-placed expletive for emphasis can pack a punch. But hey, if we were all as good as Ebert, we'd all be famous, right? :)