Hear, hear to the last 4 paragraphs.

I've been following this debate with interest, but found myself vacillating between the "freedom of speech, words are only words, no cencorship" side of the argument and the fact that I find it uncomfortable to see certain words used in some contexts.

I don't consider myself a prude and as anyone who knows me in IRL will tell you, I'm not adverse to throwing a few good ....s around when I judge the circumstances warrent them.

I also find that the occasional use of a well chosen, proscribed word, can serve to increase the poignancy of the speaker/author's meaning, but this only really works when the word or phrase is percieved as being 'out of character'.

As in the first time I ever heard my grandmother say "Bloody hell".

Or when during one of my first attempts to drive in rush-hour London traffic I cut up a black cab, and then stalled. As I sat there getting very hot and bothered trying to restart the car and make a quick get away from the scene of my fopar, there was a tap on the side-screen of my car. It was the cabby I had just cut-up and then ever-so-neatly stalled in front of such that he could not manoever until I did. I reluctantly wound the window down--a little!

"Ok. So yer cut me up and then yer stalled it raht'n front o'me. Big deal! Nah calm the .... down! Puddit in neu'ral. Keep yer darn great plate orf t'gas. Nah try it!"

Whirrr-rrr-rrr vroo-oom! (With apologies!).

"Hal-leh-bloody-loo-ya! Nah I c'n get back t'trying t'earn a ....... livin'."

He half turned away before turning back and saying.

"Oh. And pleeese. Be calm! Y'll geddon mush betta tha'way."

That stuck with me.

There is only one good form of censorship. Self-censorship.