There are a few things I will point out. I apologize if they've been mentioned before; I'm really busy right now and I didn't have time to read the entire topic. Anyway, my two cents:
(1.) When I first came to IMFDB, the movie quotes section already existed, and it contained a quote from Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels which used the F-word. I do not know if it was Bunni or someone else who added it. But profanity in the movie quotes has existed since IMFDB was created. Then again, there are a LOT of things that have changed about IMFDB since I came to the site, mostly for the better, so this isn't necessarily an argument in favor.
(2.) The movie quotes section exists purely for fun and humor. None of the quotes were penned by IMFDB members. Anybody, professional or otherwise, should recognize this fact. I don't believe that the movie quotes make us look "un-professional", and I was never in favor of censoring them.
(3.) I do agree that we do NOT want IMFDB members to openly swear on the actual pages or their discussion sections. That does make us look immature, and should not be tolerated. When Oliveria (who seems to be the whipping boy in this discussion) used to say stuff like "What the motherf*** is an M4A3?", it was embarrassing and cringe-inducing.
(4.) However, I do not believe that allowing profanity in movie quotes would necessarily open the door to swearing elsewhere (one of MPM's legitimate concerns) if
we stated in the rules that profanity is only allowed in movie quotes and not elsewhere on the site. It seems like a pretty simple fix, and should take care of the problem.
(5.) I have seen IMDB get mentioned a bunch of times. IMDB's policy is basically that they do not allow profanity anywhere except in the "Memorable Quotes" section. Since we have often used IMDB as a model for things like movie titles, I think we should follow suit here, too. Nobody seems to think IMDB is un-professional for allowing profanity in quotes. Of course, IMDB also has filters, but I keep wondering - isn't there a way we could add the same thing to IMFDB (while making an exception for quotes)? I don't know much about Wiki software, but I find it hard to imagine there isn't a way to do this.
(6.) MPM, you have repeatedly brought up the issue of industry types looking at this site. I am asking this question with a sense of deja vu, because I'm pretty sure I've asked you this before, but
why do you care so much? You know as well as anyone that Hollywood is filled with anti-gun liberals who are probably inclined to hate IMFDB for what it represents and the types of people who contribute to it (conservative, pro-gun, pro-military). You have even criticized those people
on this very forum. I am sorry, but I just don't understand where you're coming from - you are expressing fear of being judged by a group of people even though there is already mutual disrespect and distrust between yourself and them. Please explain this to me. (And remember, I'm not disagreeing that we want to be professional or that too much profanity detracts from this goal; I just don't understand why industry people figure in your reasoning.)
(7.) My age is 26. By own admission, I'm also immature for my age; I'm often reminded of this by my significant other, who is five years my junior but WAY more mature than I will ever be. But maturity aside, I would prefer that my stance on this issue be judged by the content and quality of my arguments, rather than my age.
