A new take on George Carlin’s “7 Words You Can’t Say”

JohnR1972JohnR1972
in General

Whether you consider him a comedian, a prophet, or a grumpy old man (I think of him as a humorous prophet) George Carlin was a master of making serious points with humor.

One of his most famous routines was discussing the 7 words that cannot be said on broadcast television (at least in the 1970s) because they violated FCC guidelines and would result in broadcast network getting fined.

As I reflect on the topics that get mentioned in posts that tend to derail threads, there are about 7 or so that seem to come up frequently, invoke heated discussions, and drag on for pages and pages.

This thread is NOT to discuss / debate / argue those issues but simply to ask what issues do you think belong on a “7 topics that derail threads” list. Here is my list…

1) Rates that pros charge
2) Requiring / paying deposits
3) Verifying CC member IDs
4) Same Gender Cuddling
5) Cuddling Married People
6) Pros’ Appearance (old or filtered photos)
7) Not getting responses or getting ghosted

What would be on your list?

Comments

  • BearBear

    How we can improve this website.

  • BearBear

    @JohnR1972
    One of the best parts of that skit was

    You can hear all 7 in a Disney movie

  • PeopleLikeUsPeopleLikeUs

    George Carlin's 7 deadly words bit was a made up routine. There were no FCC rules about those words however, Carlin's routine significantly impacted broadcast policy and regulation moving forward.

  • Calming_HugsCalming_Hugs

    Is buying a dog more cost effective than booking professional cuddlers

  • VitaminJVitaminJ

    I would add “red flags” but not sure which I would remove…maybe #6.

  • JohnR1972JohnR1972

    @PeopleLikeUs - I wasn’t aware of that, I know profanity was taken much more seriously back then and in the 1960s women showing their bare midriff (I Dream of Jeannie) and even female aliens (Star Trek) had to cover their belly buttons.

    https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/i-dream-of-jeannies-biggest-obstacle-was-barbara-edens-belly-button.html/

  • JohnR1972JohnR1972

    @Bear @VitaminJ @friendlyhugging
    Great additions, we may have to expand the list to more than 7 😂

  • ShaneSchruteShaneSchrute
    edited July 2024

    @PeopleLikeUs a public radio station played Carlin’s 7 words bit on air; generating legal trouble. The case went all the way up to the Supreme Court, which ruled in 1978 that the government had the right to restrict content in television and radio broadcasts (a lower court ruled that speech containing the 7 words was protected speech.)

    Carlin begins that bit with something really important that I strongly believe. It’s the idea that
    there are no bad words. There are bad thoughts and bad intentions.

  • TenderEmbracesTenderEmbraces

    👀 I am just here for the comments, lololol.

  • timbear50timbear50

    Same. Love this thread 🍿

  • [Deleted User]Dyl_Pickle (deleted user)

    I'm pretty sure that there is a specific thread for each of those topics lol but I agree with the idea of this. Keep discussions on those topics in their specific threads.

  • JohnR1972JohnR1972

    @ShaneSchrute Thank you for the additional context. Carlin used a lot of language I don’t use but I agree with his fundamental premise about the power and importance of words. Controlling language is a big step toward controlling thoughts.

    I recently saw an internal document from one of the world’s largest data brokers (they have the browsing history of hundreds of millions of people going back many years). The document was a flow chart explaining how they “receive data” from websites. My first thought was “They ‘receive’ data the same way a burglar ‘receives’ cash and jewelry from people’s homes when they are away for the weekend - without their knowledge or consent”.

    But doesn’t “receiving data” sound a lot more consensual (and less Orwellian) than “collecting” or “harvesting” data? Once they have your data, they analyze your preferences to gain insights into what you are likely to want to purchase. They then “share” those insights to companies for a fee, a practice I refer to as “trafficking your personal information”.

    Words matter a great deal when you are attempting to share ideas and shape the way people think about something.

  • SunsetSnugglesSunsetSnuggles

    @JohnR1972 posted: "Words matter a great deal when you are attempting to share ideas and shape the way people think about something."

    💯 And this fact can be used for good or evil.

    ~ Sunset Snuggles

    🦄 Enthusiast 🏞 Travel Fiend 🐘 Animal Lover

    Happy summer vibes! 🐬 🎹

  • JohnR1972JohnR1972

    @SunsetSnuggles

    And this fact can be used for good or evil

    100% agree. In the example I cited, the company intentionally chose the most harmless sounding word to describe their activities to portray their business model as nothing to be concerned about. I chose a word with a very negative connotation, that I honestly believe is more accurate, because I know what some of the people buying that data (that I consider “stolen goods”) are doing with it and it is harmful to the people from whom the data was collected.

    I chose that example because it was the least political example that immediately came to mind but I could give dozens of political examples (but this isn’t the place to bring up such topics).

  • SeekerInVASeekerInVA

    @friendlyhugging a dog will always be there for you lol.

  • starrynitecudsstarrynitecuds

    Paying before or after a session.

    How do I pay?

    Normally you pay the Pro by cash when you arrive and before the session starts. https://www.cuddlecomfort.com/professional-cuddlers#faq

    Client contract

    Payment: The Cuddler will ask for payment from the Client for the Full Session Price as previously agreed between the Cuddler and Client on the website. Payment for each session is due before the session or at the very start of one. https://www.cuddlecomfort.com/terms/client-service-agreement

    Pro contract

    Payment: The Cuddler is responsible for collecting payment from the Client which should be done before the cuddle session begins. You can ask the Client to pay in cash or online via your preferred internet payment company (e.g. Paypal, Square). https://www.cuddlecomfort.com/terms/pro-cuddler-contract

  • JohnR1972JohnR1972

    @timbear50 - thank you!

    @starrynitecuds -oh yes, we are going to have to expand beyond 7. Paying before be after definitely belongs on the list.

  • SeekerInVASeekerInVA

    Always pay after. And definitely don’t send money to someone that you don’t know in real life. Not just for cuddling but for any business transaction.

  • SunsetSnugglesSunsetSnuggles

    @SeekerInVA

    Per the Client Service Agreement:

    11. Payment for each session is due before the session or at the very start of one.

    https://www.cuddlecomfort.com/terms/client-service-agreement

    ~ Sunset Snuggles

    🦄 Enthusiast 🏞 Travel Fiend 🐘 Animal Lover

    Happy summer vibes! 🐬 🎹

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