The Swearing Filter on DDO Should be Removed.

There are 2 types ideologies of Communitarianism. 1- Political Communitarianism and 2- Philosophical Cmmunitarianism. I will be arguing on the Philosophical view point of Communitariansim that each individual has the free will to act in a way in which they choose, and in a way the benefits them. Framework: Communitarianism: [1] Communitarianism is often contrasted with liberalism, a theory which holds that each individual shouldformulate the good on his or her own. Communitarians examine the ways shared conceptions of the good are formed, transmitted, justified, and enforced. Communitarianism is a learning experience. In order to learn what is good and bad, right or wrong, they must first act on it to learn for themselves. By taking away a individuals rights of free speech, we act as a Capitalist government. We can gather, by taking away an individual's rights, we rob their free will. Thus, they are not able to exercise their free will and individuals are unable to determine what is right, and what is wrong. [2] This leads to a second premise that emphasizes the common good as an ideal. Such a premise downplays the values of individuality, autonomy, and personal rights, so prevalent in other ethical theories, in favor of a focus on the virtues and actions that support the interests of society as a whole. While this does include respect for human life and dignity, allowing for all persons to achieve a meaningful potential, the common good also calls for concern for long-term sustainability, intergenerational justice, an emphasis on active and informed citizenship, and a balance between individual and communal interests. At times, the common good may require all citizens to consider the needs of the broader community above the needs of any one individual, group, or organization. As provided by the "Swearing Filter" definition, profanity can mean several different things to people. What is profane and not, depends on one's background, how they were raised their moral beliefs. But, if we take a look further into the word "Profane" we will see that what is Profane, comes from a religious ground. "Profane" can be defined as [3] " (of a person or their behavior) not respectful of orthodox religious practice; irreverent.) There are estimated to be around 4,200 types of religions. This includes Atheism, Agnostic and Secularism. These religions don't believe there is a god, or there is no valid proof of God or they believe in science reasoning. Thus, what is profane and not is based on religious ethics, it's safe to say that: A) What is Profane or not can vary to multiple people. B) Not everyone is religious, so determining on what is Profane can be derived from a moral stand point not a religious one. By providing the swearing filter, we limit people to the extent on which they can express themselves. Surprisingly, swearing has many benefits. Benefits [4] Some pain theorists regard our tendency to swear after hurting ourselves to be a form of “pain-related catastrophising” – an exaggerated negative mind set which is brought to bear during a painful experience. As such, swearing is thought of as a maladaptive response, which contributes to the intensity of the pain and emotional distress. Given that it is such a common response, Richard Stephens and his colleagues at the Keele University School of Psychology set out test the hypothesis that swearing would decrease pain tolerance and increase pain perception. They recruited 67 undergraduates, and asked to make two short lists of words – one containing five words they might use after hitting themselves on the thumb with a hammer, the other containing five words they might use to describe a table. The participants submerged one of their hands into room temperature water for three minutes, to provide a standardized starting point, then transferred it to a container of cold water and instructed to keep it submerged for as long as they could. In one condition, they were told to repeat the first swear word they had included in their list; in another, they repeated one of the words describing a table. The researchers measured how long the participants kept their hands submerged in cold water, and asked them to rate the amount of pain they felt. Their heart rates were also recorded after they had submerged their hands in room temperature water as well as after the submersion in cold water. Contrary to their hypothesis, they found that swearing actually reduced the amount of pain felt. The participants kept their hands submerged in the cold water longer for longer, and also reported experiencing less pain, when they repeated a swear word than when they repeated a word describing a table. Swearing was also associated with increased heart rate. Here, we can see that cussing is a benefit, and helps people control and maintain their emotions in the spur of the moment, it also increases pain. More benefits include.. [5] 1. Pain relief. Swearing activates the so-called 'fight or flight' response, leading to a surge of adrenaline and a corresponding analgesic effect. Richard Stephens of Keele University in England found that people who swear are able to hold their hands in ice-water for twice as long. However, this only holds for people who swear a few times a day, not for so-called 'chain-swearers'. Presumably chain-swearers are densensitized to their swearing, and so not particularly aroused by it. It remains unclear whether some swear words are more effective than others. But it seems very likely. 2. Power and control. Swearing can give us a greater sense of power and control over a bad situation. By swearing we show, if only to ourselves, that we are not passive victims but empowered to react and fight back. This can boost our confidence and self-esteem, and also provide the impetus for further corrective action to be taken. As Mark Twain put it, 'When angry, count to four; when very angry, swear.' 3. Non-violent retribution. Swearing enables us to get back at bad people or situations without having to resort to violence. Instead of punching someone in the face or worse, we channel and disarm our anger by swearing instead. True, swearing can also have hurtful consequences, but better a few sharp words than a sharp dagger. Swearing can also serve as a warning signal or as a marker of rank and authority, a bit like an animal's growl: "Watch out. Stop it. Or you're damn well going to pay the price." 4. Psychological and physical health. The health benefits of swearing include increased circulation, elevated endorphins, and an overall sense of calm, control, and well-being. The key is to do it sparingly and not to get angry at the same time, which would be very bad for you—as well as terribly vulgar. By providing the filter do we not only take away freedom of speech, but we take away an option to manage stress and other emotional issues. Counter-Plan. Let's note that only swear words are banned. But, words that categorize a group people such as "Faggot-Nigger-Honky" are not filtered. On a philosophical standpoint, these are referred to as slurs. Thus, they are more hurtful because you are referring to someone as a faggot, a nigger or a honky. Thus, you refer to a group of people. This is called Hate Speech [7] Hate speech is a term for speech intended to degrade person or group of people based on their race, gender, age, ethnicity, nationality.." This leads to my Counter argument. When you use a cuss word, you are referring to the word, not using the words to refer to something else. C.1 Filter words that refer to an individual specifically. As stated above words that refer to a group of people (i.e nigger, faggot) are not filtered whatsoever. These words are much more offensive as they refer to not only the person it is directed at, but that community as a whole. Example- [6] Consider another example, from native English to native English. The word “retarded” comes from an Anglo-French or Latin word “retarder” or “retardere” which means “to slow” or “to delay”. It has found its way into many languages, including Italian, where it is commonly used in music. If you see “ritardano” on an orchestral score, it means gradually reducing the tempo; retarding. Likewise, in music theory, a retardation is a type of non-chord tone. In English, the word has been around for 225 years, first appearing in 1788. The term “retard” has its root in latin and appears, in various languages, related to the concept of “slow” or “holding back”. Music theory frequently uses the concept for tempo markings and chord resolutions. It was for that reason that in 1895, the word “retarded” began to be used to describe those who were “slow” due to mental handicaps. It was a perfectly innocuous word that was used as a euphemism; “Timmy is … retarded” meant the same as us, today, saying, “Timmy is … slow”. The word “retarded” was used as a replacement for offensive words such as “idiot”. It was the polite euphemism. A lot of well meaning people convinced others to use it instead of the more hurtful terms. This is why we no longer use the word "retarded" but now its classified as "Mentally challenged" all because society turned the word into something it wasn't. Same goes for the word "Hoe". A Hoe is a gardening tool that has now been used again men and women who take part in many sexual behaviors. Same goes for the word "Bitch" which actually means female dog. C.2 Filter as an Option. This is pretty simple. Any member ought to have the option to "Turn on the swearing filter, or to turn off". That way people who are offended by swearing can avoid it, while others are able to express themselves and exercise their free will. Now, to Con! Sources: 1- http://tinyurl.com... 2- http://tinyurl.com... 3-http://tinyurl.com... 4-http://tinyurl.com... 5-http://tinyurl.com... 6-http://tinyurl.com... 7- http://tinyurl.com...