It has been said that kids are going to hear it anyway, so what's the point of censoring vulgarity.

Such an argument would seem to make sense if one assumed the issue, at its heart, had anything to do with trying to keep kids from learning the secret mix of phonetics that makes their parents cringe.

Rather by filtering out profanity The Shtick hopes to keep the site's image and content respectable. "Vulgar" means "common." By avoiding vulgarity we hope to be a little less common ourselves.

Also, by allowing the use of profanity, children would learn that such language is acceptable. That message, we believe, is to be avoided and is of greater danger than the "how to make parents cringe with phonic chemistry" lesson. Parents who are not naive still disapprove of the use of profanity in the presence of their child if they have a decent concern for their child's well-being.

Another point which has been made which we feel is of great value, is simply that words have power, some more than others. Many formerly powerful words have been rendered nearly meaningless by their overuse. On the other hand other words of great power have disappeared and been lost to time due to underuse and relentless taboo. (Example: "Niggardly")

We at The Shtick believe in civility and will not support the use of foul language, by which we mean, language designed to give offense. We do not think it proper to punctuate an idea or thought with rude language and do not feel it would be a great loss to society for such words to be forgotten in their rude sense.

Other words have their proper time and place, but are often used vainly. Such practice diminishes the effectiveness of proper word use. The Shtick censors itself in the use of such words. The "vulgar" or "common" use of powerful or especially significant words is a practice we shall avoid, even conspicuously.

The Shtick has a low tolerance for foul language and will not use it. In the event that a discussion board or any other public posting feature is added to The Shtick, filtering and censorship are to be expected.