QUESTION
Is it ever appropriate to use profanities in an email?
LAEL: YES
It's okay by my standards to use profanities in email to people that you would normally say profantities when speaking. However, you should becareful not to tell grandma to kick @ss in tomorrow's bingo tournament ... As with all things email related, you should be careful what you write because you never know who is going to see it.
AMANDA: YES
Actually, I've been trying to come up with a way to word the answer, but I'm just at a loss now. To sum it up, I think the only appropriate time is when the email is between friends.
NATE: NO
I don't really see the purpose of using profanities in an email. First off, it just seems rude. Secondly, there is no point to type more than is needed. Thirdly, if you wanted to curse someone out, it would probably be more effective to call them up and yell at them. Most emails lose their effectiveness if profanity is used; it just seems unethical..
JOHN: NO
Always! Unless of course you're replying to your boss and he/she was criticizing your work. You might want to use a little %#&*ing control then!
Actually, there's a time and a place for everything. If the opportunity is there where an expletive will really add and exclamation point to what you are saying, then go for it. If it is just better off not being typed then don't try to put it in there just so you can use an F-bomb. Just use common sense, d@mm!t!
BEN: NO
Using profanities in an email is somewhat subjective, first of all. There are the words you cannot say on network TV, but there are also middle-of-the-ground words, like "hell" or any version of it. Is that a profane? Is "sex" a profane word? Then there's the matter of quoting people when telling stories. Surely you wouldn't want to send an email and leave out half the story. Then again, you could always denote cuss words like "sh**" or something similar. Does this mean you are or aren't using profanity? I'm getting confused myself. In general, I would recommend again using profanity in strictly business email, but other than that, I don't think it matters too much.
RESULT
Is it ever appropriate to use profanities in an email?
YES, 4-1
NEXT QUESTION
Is junk mail from the post office more annoying than junk email?
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