Charlie StrossFeb 5
I'd like to be able to call Kier Starmer the C-word in public but understandably this might offend a lot of people, so instead I'm going to call him an Unrinsed Fleshlight.
Show threadTane Piper ⁂Feb 5

@cstross Why?

A spade is a spade.

I once called Cameron a cunt to his face while he was filming with a BBC news crew on Princes St. I wonder if it's in the archives?

Show threadCharlie Stross
@tanepiper Yeah, but we're in Scotland, where "cunt" is an affectionate term of endearment between friends: a lot of my readers are in the Excited Snakes of America where you can be mistaken for an incel if you use it as an expletive. Regional usage varies!
Feb 5 at 11:58amWeb
Show threadColman ReillyFeb 5
@cstross @tanepiper basically, more cultural imperialism. Everywhere is America.
Show threadCharlie StrossFeb 5
@Colman @tanepiper It's my biggest market: don't want to piss off my fans so they stop buying my books. The cunts.
Show threadPaul_IPv6Feb 5

@cstross @Colman @tanepiper

ah, the puritanical roots don't ever seem to get removed... no sense of humor...

Show threadHighlandLawyerFeb 5
@tanepiper @cstross
Someone of warmth, depth, and that a lot of people get excited to see.
Show threadPeter BrownFeb 5
@HighlandLawyer @tanepiper @cstross 😂😂🤭
Show threadJaime RobertsonFeb 5

@cstross @tanepiper I learned that usage several years ago while having dinner with you and @feorag in Colorado*. She received a one word text from a friend back home. I figure it had to be around 4am back there.

*There was a 4th person who had given you a ride. Afterwards I was stopped by a cop because I had forgotten my headlights. Fortunately was not ticketed

Show threadDaveFeb 5

@cstross @tanepiper the NZ broadcasting standards people do an annual survey of which words are least acceptable in any company (let alone polite company). This year the N-word far outstrips the C-word, with the F-word a distant third, closely followed by the Female Dog-word.

... this news generally sends me off on a tangent about how it's a sign of a sick society that the word "fuck" is considered offensive but the word "murder" is not...

Show threadMark HarrisFeb 6
@Daveosaurus @cstross @tanepiper Also, down here in Australasia (excluding Asia) it's pretty much regarded as punctuation.