Iv seen posts with people substituting rape with r@pe. Other than bypassing filters I can’t see a reason to censor just 1 letter that doesn’t actually censor the word? I see if you fully censor the word, but even still context completely ruins the censorship.

  • Cryptic Fawn@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    16·
    2 years ago

    Pretty sure it’s done to avoid videos/posts being removed by TikTok/Twitter/FB and the likes. For example, you can’t use or say the word “Suicide” on TikTok, that would get the video removed. So people say “Unalive” to get around that. This way, they can still talk about difficult topics without the dumb censorship.

    If you’re seeing it in places where that isn’t an issue (like Lemmy, for example) they may just be doing it out of habit.

    • Sami@lemmy.zip
      11·
      2 years ago

      There was this tiktok where a woman was talking about how her cousin was shot and killed for knocking on her neighbor’s door to get her kid’s thing and she used “unalive” to describe it. It was very jarring to hear in such a somber context. It feels very dystopian that people have to self censor for the algorithm. Same with youtube and any mentions of covid.

      • LanyrdSkynrd@lemmy.world
        1·
        2 years ago

        A lot of this self censoring is algorithm voodoo. Nobody knows what makes these platforms mark your videos as age restricted, so people do silly stuff like say, “unalive”. I’ve seen many videos where people use the word kill that aren’t age restricted.

    • EmperorGormet@lemmy.worldOP
      2·
      2 years ago

      Makes sense, figured it was filter dodging. The fact it’s has made its way outside of those places is slightly annoying

  • TheBananaKing@lemmy.world
    153·
    2 years ago

    It’s really shitty for people that actually want to filter triggering stuff out of their feed.

    Putting in stupid characters doesn’t make it any less upsetting for the people it upsets, but it does force them to see it because fuck them, apparently.

    It’s a shitty, entitled thing to do, and people who do it should feel bad about themselves.

  • key@lemmy.keychat.org
    4·
    2 years ago

    I would assume it’s mostly habit from platforms with content filters and uncertainty if usage of the word is prohibited despite a lack of filter. And then a dash of “online subculture”

  • joshLaserbeam@sh.itjust.works
    4·
    2 years ago

    It is to get around filters on more oppressive platforms. My recommendation is if you see people self censoring themselves in places where they are free to say the words, tell them to say it!

  • ᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴏʀ 帝@feddit.uk
    3·
    2 years ago

    My understanding is that content creators have figured out which words trigger demonetisation of their videos (and to a lesser extent other content) so they’ve bowdlerised what they say to get around this. Other people presumably picked that up and used it.

  • DrQuint@lemmy.world
    3·
    2 years ago

    No, you’re right, it is stupid. I have to agree it doesn’t work, since it largely fails to censor the word for those people the censor was made for. I have seen platforms that do full word censorship (like Steam) and when people post screenshots of “I ♥♥♥♥ you”, the only accomplishment isn’t making me not think of a slur - it’s actually rationalize even harder that they did say one of either Rape or Fuck, nothing else. Congrats censorship, you went from 1 slur, to 2 slurs.

  • BobosGonnaeGetYe6@lemmy.world
    3·
    2 years ago

    It’s the same with most ways that we euphemise or censor words. It’s so pathetically redundant because everyone knows what the word is supposed.to be. You may as well have said it.

  • zeppo@lemmy.world
    3·
    2 years ago

    It seems pretty useless to me. The words are obviously still legible and comprehensible, so I don’t see how it has a different effect than just typing it out all the way.

    • FaceDeer@kbin.social
      1·
      2 years ago

      I suspect sometimes they don’t really think about it, it’s just something they think “everyone does.” But sometimes I think it’s an annoying sort of virtue signalling.

  • magnetosphere@kbin.social
    3·
    2 years ago

    I think it’s asinine. Rape is a serious subject. I find it insulting when someone “censors” the word in such a ridiculous way. Does the word “rape” make you uncomfortable? WELL, IT SHOULD. It’s sexual assault. You shouldn’t be comfortable thinking about it.

  • Deestan@lemmy.world
    2·
    2 years ago

    When asking people, they seem to think it is “rude” to write out the word in full and consider it a confused courtesy.

    Whatever the reason, it fucks with people who have filters set to avoid certain topics or just want to skip discourse that uses rude language.

    It’s shitty and should stop.

    • can@sh.itjust.works
      1·
      2 years ago

      Some people would rather not see that word. And importantly some algorithms don’t want people to see that word.

      • axum@kbin.social
        1·
        2 years ago

        Unless you are hiding the word entirely behind a spoiler tag every common substitution list would account for this and it doesn’t look visually different enough to just not think “rape”

        • FinalFallacy@kbin.social
          1·
          2 years ago

          I’ve been raped and it’s hard to have honest conversations now days because of this superficial escapism. It’s definitely not an easy subject to discuss but hearing people say shit like “They’ve been graped” or “r@ped” seems to cheapen the gravity of the word and the experience. It’s a word and topic that should make people uneasy and uncomfortable. On the same token people should be mature enough to see and hear these things or mature enough to leave, move on or skip it if they aren’t able to handle it.

  • dmoonfire@kbin.social
    2·
    2 years ago

    I’d rather see it because then folks can set up word filters to get rid of it. Adding random characters in the middle means it is harder to avoid seeing because it is so obvious what the word means.