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Profanity is popular in the tech community because it conveys that we don't give a fuck about offending people as we challenge existing norms. People are going

Profanity is popular in the tech community because it conveys that we don't give a fuck about offending people as we challenge existing norms. People are going to object to that; if they're not offended, we're not doing a good enough job.

tensor 15y ago
My dislike of swearing in the tech community has little to do with challenging norms or offending people. Although it's certainly crass, if you want to have such a personality you are welcome to. The problem with it is that it dilutes meaning and hinders communication. Let's take the article being discussed. What exactly is shit work? Is it unnecessary work? Is it unpleasant work? Perhaps it's work for which you are poorly compensated? Who knows! Sure, you can read the article to find out. It turns out in this case it meant unnecessary work. The author decided it might have more impact to call it shit work, however. Why? Not because he doesn't care about offending people. Rather the opposite. He knows the word carries extra baggage with it. He knows it invokes ideas of "dirty" "bad" "offensive" among others. So he uses it for impact. He's not alone in doing this. Which brings me to the second problem with it. Not only is it not a very clear way of communicating, but when everybody does it, you end up with entire communities continually making hyperbolic statements. Everyone wants to stand out and be heard, so everybody is now yelling. A product is not just poorly implemented, or rough around the edges, it's either the best or it's complete shit. This is not effective communication as far as I am concerned.
- bborud 15y ago
  The points you raise on precision in communication are valid, but they are somewhat orthogonal to the question of whether it is acceptable to use colorful language or not. It smells a bit too much of the old accusation that the use of expletives indicates a small vocabulary or that the speaker has poor command of language. I would also like to add that I think proper swearing is a bit of an art. There has to be rythm and contrast to it. A well placed expletive in an articulate context is a thing of beauty. Not everyone can pull that off. Of course, for those incapable of elegance, there's always sheer volume. Which is a demanding discipline in its own right. For the past 20 years or so there has been a recording making the rounds in Norway of a bus driver taped while trying to fix a washing machine. In Norway it is, in all seriousness, considered somewhat of a national treasure. (Swearing is such a part of Northern Norwegian culture that calling a police officer a horse penis is legally acceptable north of the polar circle, but not to the south of it). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAeLhoWXcHI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAeLhoWXcHI (The recording circulated on tapes in the pre-internet era so the sound quality is pretty bad. But most people of the internet generation will know what you are talking about if you mention "saltdal.wav").

tensor 15y ago

My dislike of swearing in the tech community has little to do with challenging norms or offending people. Although it's certainly crass, if you want to have such a personality you are welcome to. The problem with it is that it dilutes meaning and hinders communication. Let's take the article being discussed. What exactly is shit work? Is it unnecessary work? Is it unpleasant work? Perhaps it's work for which you are poorly compensated? Who knows! Sure, you can read the article to find out. It turns out in this case it meant unnecessary work. The author decided it might have more impact to call it shit work, however. Why? Not because he doesn't care about offending people. Rather the opposite. He knows the word carries extra baggage with it. He knows it invokes ideas of "dirty" "bad" "offensive" among others. So he uses it for impact. He's not alone in doing this. Which brings me to the second problem with it. Not only is it not a very clear way of communicating, but when everybody does it, you end up with entire communities continually making hyperbolic statements. Everyone wants to stand out and be heard, so everybody is now yelling. A product is not just poorly implemented, or rough around the edges, it's either the best or it's complete shit. This is not effective communication as far as I am concerned.

bborud 15y ago
The points you raise on precision in communication are valid, but they are somewhat orthogonal to the question of whether it is acceptable to use colorful language or not. It smells a bit too much of the old accusation that the use of expletives indicates a small vocabulary or that the speaker has poor command of language. I would also like to add that I think proper swearing is a bit of an art. There has to be rythm and contrast to it. A well placed expletive in an articulate context is a thing of beauty. Not everyone can pull that off. Of course, for those incapable of elegance, there's always sheer volume. Which is a demanding discipline in its own right. For the past 20 years or so there has been a recording making the rounds in Norway of a bus driver taped while trying to fix a washing machine. In Norway it is, in all seriousness, considered somewhat of a national treasure. (Swearing is such a part of Northern Norwegian culture that calling a police officer a horse penis is legally acceptable north of the polar circle, but not to the south of it). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAeLhoWXcHI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAeLhoWXcHI (The recording circulated on tapes in the pre-internet era so the sound quality is pretty bad. But most people of the internet generation will know what you are talking about if you mention "saltdal.wav").