WILL.I.AM's comment on Einstein

[dodar]

Originally Posted by ayeckley

I had a related thought: the use of profanity is prohibited on Chief Delphi (and yes, I verified that statement before I made it). So logically then doesn't the "profanity is no big deal; it's just passion" crowd want to see that policy changed on this forum? If not, then why not?

Because this is the internet. How you act on the internet, is entirely different then how you act in person.

[ayeckley]

Originally Posted by dodar

Because this is the internet. How you act on the internet, is entirely different then how you act in person.

Agreed that people do that, but it sounds like you are saying that swearing on the internet (i.e. on Chief Delphi) is taboo, but swearing IRL (i.e. on stage at CMP) is not? My experience has been the opposite.

[Mastonevich]

Is it OK when one of "your" students says those words in a public setting? What if Dean or Woody said those words?

[mrnoble]

Originally Posted by Mastonevich

Is it OK when one of "your" students says those words in a public setting? What if Dean or Woody said those words?

Depends on the context.

[dirtbikerxz]

Originally Posted by ayeckley

Agreed that people do that, but it sounds like you are saying that swearing on the internet (i.e. on Chief Delphi) is taboo, but swearing IRL (i.e. on stage at CMP) is not? My experience has been the opposite.

By will swearing in real life you could see that his expressions and other cues, and easily tell that he meant no offense.... you can't do that on the internet

[dodar]

Originally Posted by ayeckley

Agreed that people do that, but it sounds like you are saying that swearing on the internet (i.e. on Chief Delphi) is taboo, but swearing IRL (i.e. on stage at CMP) is not? My experience has been the opposite.

No, the rule is on CD because this is the internet. You act with reckless abandon in front of a computer screen, whereas, people have reserve in real life.

[marshall]

Originally Posted by dodar

No, the rule is on CD because this is the internet. You act with reckless abandon in front of a computer screen, whereas, people have reserve in real life.

It's true. Penny Arcade coined a term for it that is definitely not safe for this thread but those interested can use Google to look up "Penny Arcade Greater Internet Theory".

[Anthony Galea]

Just so everyone knows, Will.i.am has apologized today in a tweet.

https://twitter.com/iamwill/status/727794531219951617

[dirtbikerxz]

Originally Posted by 3175student17

Just so everyone knows, Will.i.am has apologized today in a tweet.

https://twitter.com/iamwill/status/727794531219951617

I honestly wish he hadn't, but he does handle it gracefully.

[rick.oliver]

Originally Posted by 3175student17

Just so everyone knows, Will.i.am has apologized today in a tweet.

https://twitter.com/iamwill/status/727794531219951617

Thanks for sharing. The very gracious, professional and courageous thing to do. Personally, very much appreciated. Well done, Will.i.am!

[pfreivald]

Nobody's going to be scarred for life having heard Sir Will.i.am Blackeye of Pease's coarse language during the robojoust. He shouldn't have said it, the language was inappropriate for the venue, the passion was genuine, and it probably won't happen again.

This is known as a "mistake," and we all make them. Usually quite a few of them a day, well more than we'd like to admit in public.

This particular mistake can be used as a teaching tool--I often tell my students that I don't care whether or not they swear, but I care whether or not they have the ability to turn it off when they need to [One of the larger employers hereabouts will fire you for cursing on the first offense, no matter how long you've worked there. And they're not even a customer service-heavy company]. Because it is my role as a teacher to help them learn the lessons that they need to learn in life, it is therefore inappropriate to swear _in my presence_ and will be treated as a violation of the rules. Not because I personally care--I really, really don't***--but because the skill (both in terms of knowing when not to swear, and being able to turn on the swear filter between brain and mouth) is a good one to learn.

When Sir Will.i.am exhibited a poor mastery level of this particular skill it became a teaching moment as well as an expression of passion, rather than just an expression of passion. It shouldn't have happened and steps should be taken to keep it from happening again, but when it comes to the seething reactions I've seen here and elsewhere, I'll just say the same thing I tell my team members and/or students when something unfortunate happens:

We're all going to die. But probably not today, and probably not from this. There are bigger things to worry about.



***[Keep in mind that the above is coming from a person who learned the "c" word from his mother at a very young age, dropped an "f" bomb at his kindergarten teacher during the first week of school, uses what some people consider swear words ("hell" and "d**m" and sometimes "pissed off") in his classroom without a second thought and has done so for many years because he doesn't consider them swear words, and on some very late nights due to minor injury or incredible frustration has sworn in front of his team--usually at a computer or robot, never at or about a person.]

[techhelpbb]

Originally Posted by pfreivald

We're all going to die. But probably not today, and probably not from this. There are bigger things to worry about.

I plan on transplanting my consciousness into a bending unit.
So speak for yourselves.

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by frasnow

Give me a break. Swearing is not culture. Anybody can swear. To attribute everything to culture is to allow far worse atrocities. We should hold ourselves to a higher standard.

The phrase under scrutiny is not swearing. It is not cursing. It is definitely vulgar, and could legitimately be considered obscene, but in the vernacular of linguistics it is emphatic rather than invective. The "f-bomb" label is not applicable to every use of the "f-word", and I do not believe it applies here.

The use of those words in their emphatic sense is certainly a cultural thing.

[frasnow]

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

The phrase under scrutiny is not swearing. It is not cursing. It is definitely vulgar, and could legitimately be considered obscene, but in the vernacular of linguistics it is emphatic rather than invective. The "f-bomb" label is not applicable to every use of the "f-word", and I do not believe it applies here.

The use of those words in their emphatic sense is certainly a cultural thing.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=swearing
Swearing - the use of offensive language.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profanity
Types of Swearing:
Abusive swearing
Cathartic swearing
Dysphemistic swearing
Emphatic swearing
Idiomatic swearing

Many people clearly find his language offensive. I doubt most parents or teachers would agree 'The "f-bomb" label is not applicable to every use of the "f-word".'

[Pretzel]

Originally Posted by frasnow

Many people clearly find his language offensive. I doubt most parents or teachers would agree 'The "f-bomb" label is not applicable to every use of the "f-word".'

I think the argument that was made is that applying this label in all situations is incorrect, not that it is common for people to use critical thinking skills to judge whether or not it is an "f-bomb" versus just a use of the "f-word".

As an example of using this critical thinking, in my AP Language class in high school I was asked to read and analyze George S. Patton's speech to the Third Army. If you haven't read it, it include many words that would be considered obscene in a majority of contexts. If you take it for what it is though, which is a speech to soldiers on the day before D-Day, the swearing becomes less of an affront and more of a tool for emphasis. It's hard to communicate the same passion through a toned-down phrase when you consider the original version of "We're going to murder those lousy Hun *censored* by the bushel-*censored*-basket." (that sentence actually takes the cake for the most colorful sentence I've ever included in an academic paper)

Likewise it becomes difficult for someone in the position of will-i-am to make a statement that carries the same weight if he toned it down to, "This stuff is dope" or, "I find this very interesting". His passion for what the teams are doing carries over into the phrasing that he chose, and that he very likely chose very carefully beforehand for maximum effect.

Some people may view it as inappropriate in an event that is billed as family friendly, but the honest truth is that I can guarantee every high school student in that building has heard far worse than that every day of their high school career. They've heard those same words, directed at others with intent to hurt and wound. They've heard every racial slur in the book, along with euphemisms for every possible sexual orientation, used to attack and demean their classmates. This is not one of those cases. will-i-am is not using these words in a negative connotation. Quite the opposite is true, because he is actually using them to provide emphasis for the high regard in which he hold the program.

Perhaps it wasn't the best venue for his statement (because there are many younger children I'm sure who attend these matches), but it isn't anything hateful or aggressive that should be reacted to in a negative manner. Those young children will grow up and hear those words used every day as soon as they reach middle school, and they'll learn that there are appropriate uses of swearing (to provide emphasis to a passionate positive statement) and inappropriate uses of swearing (to provide emphasis to a negative statement or to attack/demean/belittle others). I'm confident that when they reach an age of maturity they will be able to look back upon will-i-am's statement and realize that it is an example of an appropriate use of swearing that came at a possibly less-than-ideal time.

To me the bottom line is this: If you compare will-i-am's use of "This *censored* is mother*censored* dope" to the daily usage of and exposure to those same words that a vast majority of high school students experience on a daily basis, it's downright tame. He's not attacking anyone. He's not belittling or demeaning others. He's complimenting something he is passionate for in a sincere manner, in that he isn't trying to carefully phrase it to avoid offending people who cannot look beyond the words to find the meaning.