All The Tropes:Strong Language Usage Rules
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What sort of language is appropriate in an article? Can you swear to your heart's content? Or should there be a level of decorum on this wiki? Once upon a time, there were few hard and fast rules. Following The Google Incident, things have changed a bit.
The Policy
"We ask you to respect our need to keep the wiki family friendly. We don't really need lewd pictures or tons of cuss words to have the fun we're having. Anyway, clever is always funnier than obscene. Shocking stuff just gets old."
The rule was once "Keep it sort of PG-13." That meant that "ass" and "wanker" were probably fine, "fuck" and "cunt" not (especially in multiple). Nowadays, since AdSense, our most lucrative advertiser, has rules about adult content, it's closer to "Keep it PG-13 if at all possible."
With Google monitoring to make sure that pages are in compliance, it's important not to add swear words to an article where its not really necessary. Think for a moment, and if you can say it without swearing, then do it. Pages that are moderated must go behind a "wall," which means that those pages don't display Google advertising and make less money for TV Tropes. For example, if your article is about a children's film or a network sitcom, then the word "fuck" really doesn't need to be anywhere on it, so don't put it there. Something like The Departed would be a good example of something where profanity might be considered an integral part of the article. If the show itself makes regular use of profanity, then the page is likely going to be behind the wall anyway. If there's something from the show that has profanity that you want to quote, go ahead. When it comes to adding general examples, there's probably little need for you to be using profanity yourself, if it isn't in relation to the content of the media, especially on a page that's otherwise clean.
That said, don't butcher a quote just to take out a dirty word or two. If you believe that an article is in need of attention due to mature content, "flag" it using the menu option on the left, or consider alluding to it rather than quoting directly. Whether you really need the quote from the movie Narc with 9 uses of the word "fuck" out of a total of 11 words on a page about kittens is something to take into consideration.
Yes, it's true that this site isn't just about documenting entertainment, it's also about providing it. You're allowed and expected to be funny, but there are plenty of ways to be funny. If your imagination is failing you to the extent that you need to curse, you should just back off for a while and let your brain come back on line. We'd actually be a better source of humor with one cuss word per hundred pages.
Don't c-ns-r w* rds w* th d!sh!s, $ste#r&sk, %r @ny th^ng m()r() ¿¶⇔‡ø√ℵ¤. Face it, you're not fooling anyone, and it's just annoying. Unless it's funny, of course, which it can be, rarely. If you're quoting a print source or "bleeped" show that had the dashes in it originally, whatever, but you may want to make that clear. Don't just spoiler font a swear word. It's even more annoying, and doesn't actually change the content level. If a particular swear word is actually a spoiler, we'll see it when we believe it. Swears should be on the page or they shouldn't; having them there but neutered doesn't work either way, because no matter how you slice it, they're still swear words.
Don't be a Bluenose Bowdlerizer. Serial Bowdlerizers will get themselves banned. Again, if you believe the language in an article is a cause for concern, flag it, if it isn't already marked as being for "mature audiences." If you're a younger Troper stuck behind some sort of net nanny software, be careful: there are cases where it's been said to mess up articles by replacing bad words, and you can still be banned even if you didn't do it on purpose. If you're a younger TROPER and can reach such a page (assuming you're a good, honest TROPER who wouldn't lie about his or her age), you may want to flag it, depending on severity.
Remember... even the language used on the most obscene page of this wiki probably compares favorably to fifteen minutes in any Junior High Lunchroom. MST3K Mantra, people. But we are trying to keep the general pages family friendly, so try to respect that. Additionally, keep in mind that these rules are about language, not politeness. Cussing out other Tropers will get you thwacked, regardless of anything in relation to what you add to pages or which pages you add it to.
That's our policy. You agreed to the terms of service, so please stick with them.