3 ms·

Why on Earth am I being downvoted?

jrockway 13y ago
I'm guessing that in a thread about being supportive to your female coworkers, your use of the word "cunt" was not appreciated.
- bradleyjg 13y ago
  It's worth nothing that the connotation of that word is very different in the UK than it is in the US. So for UK people you should realize that it is completely beyond the pale in polite US conversation and for US people you should not assume someone from the UK using it meant it the same way someone from the US would. I don't know about the other Anglophone countries, and of course I have no idea where coherentpony is from.
  - tlarkworthy 13y ago
    I am from the UK and the C word is not allowed in a professional setting. Scottish people sometimes use it as a term of endearment, but still, never when at work. Women in the UK rightly hate it as a figure of speech. I hope coherentpony gets the message clear, it's not an appropriate thing to say here.
    - coherentpony 13y ago
      I am from the UK too and, indeed, "the c word" isn't used in a professional setting. Luckily, HN isn't a professional setting. The word is reserved for friends and vermin. You can probably guess which of these I classify our troll as. Well, I didn't mean to cause offence to anyone it wasn't directed to, irrespective of gender.
      - jrockway 13y ago
        Some things to think about: 1) Idiomatic speech is difficult to deviate from. So to be careful, you have to be constantly on guard for how you might be perceived. ("He" as the generic pronoun is also in this category.) 2) HN has a wide audience, including people from the US, UK, and many countries that don't speak English primarily. So understanding how others might perceive you is more important here than among a group of close friends.
smoyer 13y ago
I didn't down-vote you but I would agree that here in the US, the "C-word" is more offensive than the "F-word". And as for my well-being, I certainly wouldn't call that a rant (I can rant much more effectively than that). I simply believe it's a good idea to let people know how you feel and then move on ... No increase in heart-rate was required to write that paragraph. My wife and family are indeed happy and blessed. And my son is sitting here in the dining room with me as I type (playing angry birds on his tablet).

I'm guessing that in a thread about being supportive to your female coworkers, your use of the word "cunt" was not appreciated.

bradleyjg 13y ago
It's worth nothing that the connotation of that word is very different in the UK than it is in the US. So for UK people you should realize that it is completely beyond the pale in polite US conversation and for US people you should not assume someone from the UK using it meant it the same way someone from the US would. I don't know about the other Anglophone countries, and of course I have no idea where coherentpony is from.
- tlarkworthy 13y ago
  I am from the UK and the C word is not allowed in a professional setting. Scottish people sometimes use it as a term of endearment, but still, never when at work. Women in the UK rightly hate it as a figure of speech. I hope coherentpony gets the message clear, it's not an appropriate thing to say here.
  - coherentpony 13y ago
    I am from the UK too and, indeed, "the c word" isn't used in a professional setting. Luckily, HN isn't a professional setting. The word is reserved for friends and vermin. You can probably guess which of these I classify our troll as. Well, I didn't mean to cause offence to anyone it wasn't directed to, irrespective of gender.
    - jrockway 13y ago
      Some things to think about: 1) Idiomatic speech is difficult to deviate from. So to be careful, you have to be constantly on guard for how you might be perceived. ("He" as the generic pronoun is also in this category.) 2) HN has a wide audience, including people from the US, UK, and many countries that don't speak English primarily. So understanding how others might perceive you is more important here than among a group of close friends.

smoyer 13y ago

I didn't down-vote you but I would agree that here in the US, the "C-word" is more offensive than the "F-word". And as for my well-being, I certainly wouldn't call that a rant (I can rant much more effectively than that). I simply believe it's a good idea to let people know how you feel and then move on ... No increase in heart-rate was required to write that paragraph. My wife and family are indeed happy and blessed. And my son is sitting here in the dining room with me as I type (playing angry birds on his tablet).