Sorry, It Just Slipped Out

Sorry it just slipped out.

/sigh - points to self
/guilty

The guild I belong to is a G-rated guild. There are underage people that are part of us. Use of foul language is a no-no and we actually have a chat channel set aside for adults. (no holds barred in there, though it runs to the mild side and is usually used to express one’s self in innuendo filled speech. LOL.)

I’m old enough to have heard all the swearwords. I believe in freedom of speech be it typed or spoken, scrawled in sand or carved in a tree, yelled or whispered. I also believe there are certain arenas in which a person must curb their desire for the attention they believe foul language affords them. Believe me, when I TYPE certain words I totally mean it, it is not a slip. But I do not do it in guild chat nor do I speak in an unseemly manner in a family restaurant where youngsters can hear me.

For example, in a G-rated guild. There are youngsters in there. I know, I know, we all believe the youngsters have already heard and said every swear word ever invented – we might even be correct. You know who else is in there? Me. And sometimes, the parents of children are watching.

I am somewhat uncomfortable if there is foul language around children. Other peoples’ kids. There is a sense of responsibility that rears up in me – A desire to project a modicum of gentility – to the underage people who belong to our group. (Oh the trouble, if the youngsters parent happened to stop by and read the g-chat – I don’t want our nice guild to be a source of contention in a family.)

But what should be done if the offending party is in fact a minor? Well, simply enforce the rules of conduct set up for G-chat and remind him/her that we don’t use that kind of language out of courtesy for others.

A few weeks ago, someone typed a word that means the act of intercourse -- I believe they were expressing frustration about a pug – and when reminded about the rules of G-chat, they responded by typing, “I can’t help it, it just slips out.” The person went on to say that perhaps they need to quit the guild as they are tired of being told to “watch” their language in g-chat. I responded in whispers that they should do what they feel is best for themselves if they feel unwelcome because of the cursing rule.

Perhaps processing the word in the mind and moving it down the arms into the fingers and onto a keyboard can be a slip - /Shrug. Maybe. I contend though that the person that is cursing is a person who has learned to control himself in other arenas e.g. public defecation. The urge to defecate is usually a bit more urgent than the urge to curse, yet we pretty much all have learned to “help it.”

stinking mess – “Please don’t do that here. Okay?”
“Sorry, it just slipped out.”