Re: Community standards (was Re: [PLUG] What next? and small, > rant [VMware on Ubuntu])

[Greg Helledy <gregsonh@gra-inc.com>]

> Sadly, I must add a small bit to this thread before it dies the good  and
> natural death...
>
> Bingo.  Matt is correct... context.  The remark had an offensive connotation in
> a work or mixed group setting and should not be posted here.  The poster has
> apologized [profusely, I might add] and suggested we move on.  I agree.
>
> By the way... I offer to the guys that keep saying "it means to marry a stripper
> and make her a wife - what's wrong with that?" that you spend a short amount of
> time with an English dictionary:
>
>     http://www.thefreedictionary.com/mount
>        [See: definition 3 for the verb mount]
>
> and/or
>
>     http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary
>        then click mount[2,verb] in the listbox and [See: 1(b)2]
>
> ... as if you did not already know.
>
>
> Eric

If *context* is what's relevant here, then it's hard to see how "mount" 
is offensive.  http://www.thefreedictionary.com/mount gives eleven 
definitions (plus subdefinitions) for the transitive verb mount.  Only 
one of them has anything to do with sex.  I doubt that when the mount 
command was written, it was intended to analogize copulation, and I 
don't think that's what the joke writer had in mind, either.

Similarly, http://www.thefreedictionary.com/stripper contains four 
definitions, only one of which refers to a dancer and none of which 
refer to women.

Just about anything can be turned into potentially-offensive sexual 
innuendo if you work at it.  Eliminating all potentially-offensive 
speech comes pretty close to eliminating speech.

Greg Helledy

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