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How necessary is "colorful" language for lending a sense of maturity to a story?

pmmg

Myth Weaver
I think if they keep it really clean it feels like I'm reading a children's book.

I am sure there are books where this would occur. My current story has not a single F-bomb, but I doubt it would be seen as a kids story.
 

Demesnedenoir

Myth Weaver
Ah, the good ol' days of animation! But, in fairness to Bugs and the gang, cartoon violence is a far cry from GoT and others with themes of rape, incest, impalings, crucifixion, flaying, or the classic drawn and quartered, or a hundred other staples of real-world torment no matter how many times Daffy's beak gets blown off or spins around his face. Throwing in a few words from Carlin's list of things that can't be said on television doesn't make it adult or grittier, IMO.

I get the idea, but it doesn't hold water. To me, profanity is more a hallmark of those wanting to appear adult, much the same way as adding an F to a PG turns it into a PG-13, but two makes it R. Weak sauce, dressing.

A book about dragons and kingdoms. Sounds right out of Disney. Maybe Disney in the 1980's and before when cartoons could show insane violence like vivisection, beheadings, gangland style execution, torture... and this is just Bugs bunny.

Throw a few potty mouth words in and then it becomes *real shit* R18. So I see her point.

Do the bad words anchor us as adults and make the scenes grittier?

Yosemite Sam shoots Daffy in the face literally tearing his beak off: cute and funny show for kids

Yosemite Sam shoots Daffy in the face while telling him to fucking die!: gritty and restricted audience
 
I agree with Demesnedenoir. It's more about the themes and the way subjects are covered than just about a few words. We're delusional if we think keeping bad words out of kids shows means kids wont learn them. I certainly learned them growing up. If anything, keeping them out of kids shows makes them "special" words...

There is a very big difference between cartoon violence and GoT violence. Cartoon violence is harmless and silly. Everyone knows that Daffy suffers no harm from getting shot in the face, neither does the Coyote as he tries to catch the road runner. It's slapstick comedy, the whole point of it is to be funny. In GoT beheadings are real. People who are whipped don't just shake it off and continue on as if nothing happened. It's a lot more gruesome. Yes, it's about a made up kingdom and dragons. But that doesn't make it a harmless fairytale.

It's how you show a subject that matters.
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
Ya know…. Many of those cartoons of the past have not survived todays values. When they are broadcast they often have much edited out to make them ‘safe’ for viewing.

While i am sure dropping some f- bombs into those cartoons would raised their rating i don't think its quite accurate to say thats the big reason somethings are rated one way and not another. Its just one of many things that can raise eyebrows from a show rater.
 

Demesnedenoir

Myth Weaver
I would say that there was an age, maybe 12-14 or so, when reading the "F WORD" brought a certain titillation to the read, like I was getting away with something—despite hearing the word often enough every f'n time the f'n car f'n broke down, heh heh—but then it became a big nothing, and then I studied English Lit to find no F'n Fs at all... except at the bar, particularly during pool league, where F carried a peculiar % of word count during the conversation. Though I lived and spoke the dialogue, would I want to read it? F no.

Power to cartoon characters getting drunk and smoking cigars!
 

BearBear

Archmage
I will now re-write GoT for children by replacing the characters with Animaniacs and removing all the naughty words. And I guarantee it will be no less violent and no less appropriate for children of the 80's.
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
I will now re-write GoT for children by replacing the characters with Animaniacs and removing all the naughty words. And I guarantee it will be no less violent and no less appropriate for children of the 80's.

I think if you did, it would still not be seen as suitable for children. So, I am not sure the point.
 

Demesnedenoir

Myth Weaver
I'm not sure if the Animaniacs are hard core enough for GoT, but I'll have to wait and see for the casting.

I will now re-write GoT for children by replacing the characters with Animaniacs and removing all the naughty words. And I guarantee it will be no less violent and no less appropriate for children of the 80's.
 

Penpilot

Staff
Article Team
I'm pretty sure that's been done. In a hammy cartoonish way, of course.
Yep

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BearBear

Archmage
Remember the old woman who lived in a shoe? Nursery rhymes are notoriously dark.

Grim's complete fairy tales for example.

London Bridges falling down...
 
Remember the old woman who lived in a shoe? Nursery rhymes are notoriously dark.

Grim's complete fairy tales for example.

London Bridges falling down...
London Bridge did fall down though, but the plague was probably a worse thing to deal with. Would you animate the plague and make it child friendly?
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
I do know that many fairy tales are darker in their less (earlier) Disney rendition. But I am not sure what you are trying to say. Are you still trying to say that the only difference between kid acceptability or not is the use of bad words? For that, I still dont agree.
 

BearBear

Archmage
I do know that many fairy tales are darker in their less (earlier) Disney rendition. But I am not sure what you are trying to say. Are you still trying to say that the only difference between kid acceptability or not is the use of bad words? For that, I still dont agree.

I'm saying that no, but partially. Nothing can be said as a sweeping generalization except death and taxes.
 
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