Posted by Lou Pilder on October 31, 2004, at 7:29:17
Dr. Hsiung,
I am requesting that you clarify how language that could be deemed offensive is considered here to be acceptable if one of the letters in a word that could be deemed offensive is replaced with a star,(*).
The FAQ states,[...do not use language that {could} offend others...].
In the previous examples cited, I still see the language as offensive even though one of the letters in the word that could be deemed offensive has been replaced with a star.
There is a concept in common logic that if something replaces something else, then they both are the same if they mean the same thing. Sometimes this is referrred to as,[...if A is equal to B, and B is equal to C, then A is equal to C...]. or if a=b and b=c, then a=c.
Sometimes this is referred to as [...quantities equal to the same quantity are equal to each other...].
Now looking at your idea here of allowing a word that could be deemed as {language that (could) offend others...} as per your FAQ, to be allowed if one of the letters is replaced by a star, to me, is about whether the word is still offensive or not even if the letter is replaced. My seeing of the word is in its context, so the replacing of a letter, to me, could or could not change the context and meaning of the statement that it is in.
In the examples that I have cited here previously, I believe ve that we could use a test to determine if the word could offend others even though a letter has been replaced with a star. The test used for 100s of years in common law throught the world is [..would a reasonable person still think that the word could offend others....], even if one of the letter was replaced by a star.
In one of your situations here, a poster used a moniker thast could be seen as the word, {...jewkiller..] even though the letters had some rearrangement. You responded by asking the poster to change his name used in the subject line. Now in that case, people could see that quantities equal to the same quantity are equal to each other, and so can I see that the words in question that I have previously cited to you are to me [...language that could offend others...]as per your FAQ, even though a letter has been replaced by a star.
I am requesting that that you clarify the rational that you are using to allow words that according to your FAQ, [...that could offend others..] are being allowed to be used here by replacing a letter with a star, even though after doing so, this member of the forum, at least, can still see the word as [...language that could offend others...].
Lou Pilder
poster:Lou Pilder
thread:409477
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20041027/msgs/409477.html