as long as you aren't addressing anyone with the intention to offend or 'push buttons'. (If I call Karl Rove a 'b-word', or 'c-word', using the full expression, should I be alerted against?)

When I see it. I interpret such uses of those words as insulting to all women. Jurors almost always hide c... but not always b.....

and forced into little minority groups of like minded bigots.

However, the occasional use should stand. I'd rather wince once in a while rather than let censors and Bowdlerizers take over.

They've utterly wrecked more than one forum.

However, I think in HoF (especially in HoF due to Trigger Words/Warnings) we should avoid using the word in The Subject Line.

The words don't bother me but, I don't use them here out of respect for other people's feelings.

And thanks much to GravityCollapse for the thoughtful post and explanation.

Just because I host this group does not mean the my opinion means more than anyone elses.

If members in this group decide with a consensus (a majority) to avoid spelling out the word within the context of discussing the word itself, I am fine with that.

It's just that personally, I don't think it is helpful, and again, that is just my personal opinion.

with Tuesday that it should not be in the subject line. I would also caution men about the use of that specific word.

Women only ever hear that word in the context of greater or lesser abuse.

In most circles it is not used lightly, as say, b*** is. There is no humor or ambiguity with c***. When we have heard it outside of these very rare academic conversations, it has been hurled, and it has been hurled with the express purpose of letting us know that we are nothing more than meat. It is meant to cut, to hurt, to say, "this is all you are and all you are good for."

This is not a word I have heard often aimed at me. I have never been called this by anyone who is in any way close to me. But the word brings up memories of horrible experiences with people who meant to dehumanize me.

I don't like hiding ugliness.

But I do it, because I also don't like to offend unnessisarily, (don't mind one bit when I feel it's nessisary)and since I'm not the most sensitive person in the world I try to be careful.

It's just an alias, and there's implied equivalence to the full offensive word.

I'm not advocating offending people, but speaking only for myself, the edited version doesn't fool me for a millisecond. It has the exact same emotional and cognizant impact as the offensive word.

I guess I'm saying that there's no need to use even the sugar-coated version, except perhaps in the context of a discussion (such as this), because the meaning is still perfectly clear. So-and-so is a c*** is just as rude as spelling it out.

So that people who don't want to deal with it at that moment can have the option of not reading it.