A Conversation for A Short Guide to Short Words

Writing Workshop: A538689 - A Short Guide to Short Words

Post 1

a girl called Ben

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A538689 - this is a Short Guide to Short Words. But it included a link and has been hidden pending moderation. I wanted to take a light-hearted but accurate look at the usage and origin of the words we are no longer allowed to use here. I have posted it on Geocities, and put a link to it in my Personal space.

It shows all the signs of being written at 3.00am which it was, and I need to check all of the references, particularly the Henry Miller / Marlene Deitrich one.

Hey ho

A gagged and foolish girl called Ben


A538689 A Short Guide to Short Words

Post 2

Deidzoeb

Ben,

It's a great article, informative and intelligent, but probably won't see the light of day on h2g2. They keep telling me that these words have always been banned, even on pre-BBC h2g2, although I had the F word prominently displayed and emphasized in a link on my home space for at least a year on pre-BBC h2g2. Seems like this translates to a web community that is more tolerant of swearing than the hosts are, since apparently no one turned me in. (Either that or no one ever read my home space. smiley - sadface )


A538689 A Short Guide to Short Words

Post 3

a girl called Ben

Yup, I think it wont see the light of day, either, but I want to make it so damn good that they have to think twice before turning it down. Hence the literary references, the humour, and the history of the words. Besides which it amuses me to try.

Thanks for the kind words

agcB


A538689 A Short Guide to Short Words

Post 4

a girl called Ben

BTW - anything I missed - any good quotes or stories you know and I dont - any thing you'd change?

agcB


A538689 A Short Guide to Short Words

Post 5

Martin Harper

Seems to have been deleted... smiley - sadface


A538689 A Short Guide to Short Words

Post 6

Martin Harper

Ben told me that the squacks had deleted it: you can find the link to the same entry reposted to geocities on her home page. Just in case anyone wanted to know...


A538689 A Short Guide to Short Words

Post 7

Deidzoeb

Lucinda, did you read the article Short Guide To Short Words from agcB's geocities page? Would you say it has any "editorial merit"? Not only was the article itself deleted when she tried to post it as a guide entry, but another page was deleted apparently for giving a link to the geocities mirror of the same article, and for "misinformation" -- claiming that "all" of those words were forbidden on h2g2, when only some were forbidden. (Of course, there is no list of forbidden words that we can see, therefore no one can accurately know which words are forbidden, therefore any statement that we try to make about this censorship could be labelled "misinformation" and merit removing them.) I'm surprised the link is still there on A Girl Called Ben's personal space.

Anyway, I suppose the entry would have been equally problematic in pre-BBC h2g2. And I still think BBC and h2g2 should be embarassed when they have to turn away articles of this quality.


A538689 A Short Guide to Short Words

Post 8

Deidzoeb

Ben,

Even having been born in a Naval hospital on the 197th birthday of the formation of the U.S. Navy, given the duty and the birthright to swear like a sailor, I was able to *learn* from your article on swear words.

Not sure if this would be worth adding to the short guide, but on the topic of the C word (“Do you think I meant country matters?&#8221smiley - winkeye, I heard about a feminist festival at a Pennsylvania (?) university called C***Fest. They meant it as a celebration of feminism, trying to take back the word, empower themselves, etc, slung banners around campus, and generally got everybody in an uproar. Most people thought it was something to do with porn, but it was really organized by and for feminists.

Reminds me of the controversial evolving terms used for African-Americans. First "negro" became the politically correct term replacing "colored," then "Black," briefly "Afro-American," then "African-American" or "people of color" (which confused the old white people who just got yelled at a decade or two earlier for saying "colored"). Some whites see absurdity in the shifting trends for what this group prefers to be called. I say if you respect a person, you call her whatever she wants to be called.

Feminists have gone through similar stages of rejecting terms that were assigned to them by their oppressors, because "woman" is derived from "man," "person" derived from "son," "female" derived from "male," resulting in the intentional mis-spellings of "womyn" or "wimmin." These *beings* in Pennsylvania must have been thinking of those things when they tried to reclaim c*** as a positive word, and found the University and community freaking out, totally missing the point.

...Also, I notice you finally put the words of the Browning poem in there.


A538689 A Short Guide to Short Words

Post 9

a girl called Ben

Thanks for your kind words, both of you.

I was able to spend a lot of time online yesterday checking the sources. (It still amazes me that I can track down a specific line in Shakespear with just a few clicks of a mouse - saves me having to find my copy, and read the entire play!)

Its about as good as I can manage by myself, now. I'll be contacting Peta direct later in the week.

Wish me luck!

a bad-linguist called Ben


A538689 A Short Guide to Short Words

Post 10

a girl called Ben

PS - I'll add in the story of the c**t-fest, if I may.

agcB


A538689 A Short Guide to Short Words

Post 11

Deidzoeb

Yeah, look up the c***-fest, maybe keywords like "feminist" or "college" so you don't end up with a bunch of porn sites.


A538689 A Short Guide to Short Words

Post 12

a girl called Ben

Yes, it did strike me that it was not a search do to while I was on-line at work!

agcB


A538689 A Short Guide to Short Words

Post 13

Martin Harper

Good Luck! smiley - magic


A538689 A Short Guide to Short Words

Post 14

Pheroneous

I read and enjoyed, Ben. I don't think you are far off acceptance, certainly last year you would have been close, and, in a few months time perhaps things will have settled down a bit, and you will be again. I only wonder about your motives. If you are trying to inform, thats one thing (and you did that - 'kink or quim' was superb) but if you are just trying to tease and provoke the italics, well thats a different thing and I would suggest that it would be seen as that and that would count against acceptance. In the meantime, thanks for lightening my day!


A538689 A Short Guide to Short Words

Post 15

a girl called Ben

I am not trying to tease or provoke the italics. I have too much respect for them for that.

What I am trying to do is gain a clearer understanding of what is and is not allowed.

I also want the Powers behind the powers to think carefully about what is and is not acceptable. The Gerry Sadowitz quote again. Hopefully it will help them (re?)consider the validity of what they are doing. Though this is unlikely, I admit.

And finally, as I commented to Mr T off-line, I truly beleive it is better for children to know more about the words they are using than just to pick them up all dirty off the street.

Pleased you like it.

As always, anything to add, particularly in terms of references or anecdote, please let me know.

Kind Regards

agcB


A538689 A Short Guide to Short Words

Post 16

Monsignore Pizzafunghi Bosselese

It's a f***ing good entry smiley - winkeye, and claiming to be a family site, the BBC should think about which is worse: showing blood and violence or explaining vocabulary.


A538689 A Short Guide to Short Words

Post 17

a girl called Ben

Thanks, it is one of my favourites too.

(Where did you find the link? - the only one I can remember was on my home page, and my home page is currently in a .txt file on my hard drive).

Kind regards

***B


A538689 A Short Guide to Short Words

Post 18

Monsignore Pizzafunghi Bosselese

hee hee, there's a link collection on *my* hard drive too smiley - winkeye


A538689 - A Short Guide to Short Words

Post 19

drtysox

Hie Ben

This I don't get. People are telling me that 'The Origin Of Swear Words' and 'A Short Guide to Swear Words' are the same thing. They'r not. My entry for one, does not swear, and therfore is legal on the guide, or should be, and its on the invention of swearing, not a gude to it.

Me just saying.
Drtysox


A538689 - A Short Guide to Short Words

Post 20

a girl called Ben

Hi drtysox

You've done one too? Can you give me a link? (Email it to me at [email protected] if you can't post it).

Maybe we should collaborate on a definitive one.

All the best

Ben


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