| Author | Message | ||
| D B
Valued Member Username: dddan Post Number: 163 Registered: 12-2005 |
I was wondering about posting work with bad language - do these poems need to go in the 'Theraputic Touch' secion? The poem's I'm thinking of posting aren't sexual in content. Cheers Dan What is the sound of one hand clapping? | ||
| Fred Longworth
Intermediate Member Username: sandiegopoet Post Number: 488 Registered: 05-2006 |
Dan, I have measured the sound of one hand clapping with a high-sensitivity Sennheiser microphone and a Sony digital recorder. It has a distinct "whoosh-whoosh" quality. * * * * * On the home page for the site, it indicates that the WPF community may include teenagers. So, I would follow the guideline that if I wouldn't mind my 14-year-old daughter seeing the poem then it's okay to post in a general forum. I've listened to performance poets who used swear words so intensively that it wasn't fun to sit in the audience and listen. I've also heard poems say, in the voice of two sailors in a bar in Subic Bay where the use of "bad language" was entirely in character and totally natural, where the absence of such words would have seemed strange, and where I had absolutely no problem with it. Fred | ||
| ~M~
Board Administrator Username: mjm Post Number: 8725 Registered: 11-1998 |
Dear Dan -- As Fred noted, context is everything (thanks, Fred!). While we do have PG-13 guidelines, we don't want everyone being so confused about this issue as it applies to the use of "strong language," that they hesitate to use the word "breast," for instance. If the word fits in context and the context isn't sexual, even if it's the word "fuck," we're OK with it in the public forums. As Fred pointed out, some poems require that language and in some it only sounds gratuitous. We depend on the authors (and the readers) to know the difference. I don't need the job of language police on top of everything else I need to do 'round here. So, if you're over the age of consent (i.e., mature), I depend on you to know how you've used the word, how adult-oriented the rest of the content of the poem is, and to make the appropriate choice about where to post it. If you feel people might be offended by it, post a simple "Strong Language Warning:" before the title of the post. Finally, if you just can't come to a decision by yourself, send the poem in advance to moderators@wildpoetryforum.com and we'll tell you how to handle it. Hope this clears things up a bit. If not, post your questions here. I'm sure others will benefit from both the questions and our answers. Best, M (Administrator) | ||
| D B
Valued Member Username: dddan Post Number: 164 Registered: 12-2005 |
Right... cool, that seems pretty clear. Thanks  What is the sound of one hand clapping? |
