What Birds Know reviewed by Digital Strips, omg!

[Legendary]

No, by shoujo, I meant a sappy, magical g1rl-y type of thing. Packed full of "You are okay just the way you are!" Drivel. Saturday morning crap.

I... I'm not OK just the way I am? D:

[Hallonpress]

I suppose that the words "friendship" and "f..." (I'm not sure I'm even allowed to say it ) sends out very different signals.

I have to say, though, swearing shouldn't be such a big deal. I'm always surprised by the kind of reaction it gets in the USA. I mean, everybody swears, all the time. At least as far as I've heard. And yet, if somebody does it on TV, someone edits it out with a big BLEEEP. And if, like now, there's swearing in a comic that seems to be intended for children, people react (though not everyone). What's up with that? It's puzzling.

We don't really have that in Sweden - the censoring, that is. Perhaps that's why we didn't think so much about putting it in there in the first place...

I don't mean to offend anyone... What's the rules on swearing on this forum?

Oh, and... "Shoujo" means girl in japanese, and is just the term used for manga intended primarily for female readers. "Shoujo-ai" means girl love. That is, lesbian stories.

There are definitely good shoujo manga. My favorite is "Mars" by Fuyumi Souryu.

[Dutch!]

I'm not too worried about swearing in comics, but at the same time appropriate places to use the magic word (what most of you think is cool to call the f-bomb...that title just sounds bloody ridiculous to me) and it's other powerful friends are few and far between.

If people use that sort of language in real life, then, really, they need a few lessons in how to behave around civilised society.

Used properly though, and I take the Twelfth Man series of cricket commentary parodies as exhibit A, the magic word is humour 101.

Very few comics I've seen come anywhere near pulling this off though.

I'll stick with bugger and the very occasional bloody, myself.

Cheers.

[Swikan]

I have to say, though, swearing shouldn't be such a big deal. I'm always surprised by the kind of reaction it gets in the USA. I mean, everybody swears, all the time. At least as far as I've heard. And yet, if somebody does it on TV, someone edits it out with a big BLEEEP. And if, like now, there's swearing in a comic that seems to be intended for children, people react (though not everyone). What's up with that? It's puzzling.

I can't speak for everyone, but in my family and most of the families I know in the USA, swearing is considered impolite. In general, someone swearing is considered rude and offensive. TV programs, etc. that are directed at families or have a wish to appear professional or show respect for their audience do not allow swearing. As a parent, I am fully aware that that the children are exposed to swearing in school, but I never, ever want them to think ANYTHING is okay because 'everyone does it" anyway.. and by everyone, I don't mean just school friends. I also mean in comics, on TV, in movies, etc.

It would be disrespectful of the children to swear in front of me, their grandparents, teachers, etc., even if they were speaking to their friends and not directly to me. And it is a mark of respect toward them that I don't watch TV or movies with inappropriate material in front of them.

Now, they may swear with their friends. And I certainly watch (and read) more adult oriented things. But things we do together should be appropriate for all, and that is the supposed philosophy of the TV shows that bleep bad words.. it would be inappropriate for all their viewers if they were left in.

About the rating for the comic.. if you are going to have a MA or TV-14 rating and you know that all along, then the rating should be put on the comic anyway, even tho that kind of material hasn't shown up yet in the strip. Not doing so would be like going to a movie with your kids and finding out half-way through it that it was actually a porno. Conversely, if your comic is G or PG-rated, that should be stated from the beginning also. I like knowing what I'm in for as far as content when I first go to a comic site, just like I like knowing the rating of a movie before I see it.

[Yeahduff]

(what most of you think is cool to call the f-bomb...that title just sounds bloody ridiculous to me)

I'm packing up after a literature class and some guy next to me asks, "So how about when they dropped that F-bomb in that story?" I very nearly asked him, "What the fuck is an F-bomb?"

[Hallonpress]

Well, about swearing... I should be the one to talk, since I'm probably like the only one my age who doesn't swear. And, that is for the same reason - manners. People around me sometimes get annoyed at me for not swearing even if I get mad or hurt myself. It's true!

And I've never been the the US, so I wouldn't know how much people swear over there in real life. I just know adolcents seem to swear a lot in movies, but maybe that's no good to go on...

Maybe it was just the part of me that dislikes censoring who talked... But that's another story.

Anyway - we're working on an update to the WBK website, and it will include a rating of sorts. I hope that we haven't made anyone like WBK any less by this...

[TRI]

Well... on my way home from class I passed three teenage girls having a conversation where about every fifth word was the F-word.

(Was all I could do to keep from laughing.)

Oh and congrats on the review, if I'm not too late to say that.

[Swikan]

Hallonpress: Teens do swear a lot over here, probably same as over there. But it is offensive to do it in front of someone you respect, so it is good manners not to.

(BTW, My husband says that I"m the only person he knows who is less likely to swear the angrier I get. I told him that must be because I learned how to get REALLY mad before I learned how to swear. )

You certainly have not lost me as a reader, btw. My pet peeve is people not putting an accurate content-rating on their comics, not comics of a certain rating.

[McDuffies]

Oh, heck that.

[Warren]

Oh, heck that.

Flunk that noise.