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Comment by AsyncAwait | Hacker News Reader

This is not aimed at you specifically, but I find this decorum policing off punting. Like the U.S. military may be able to control what they say, but some of the things it has actually done are less than nice.

I don't care that Linus swears, he hasn't invaded anyone or harmed anyone as far as I know. I don't care that Trump swears, I care about the stupid stuff he actually does.

Linus may swear, but he also protects us from bad code and I value that, because in the end, words don't do anything, actions do.

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I didn't bring the military up to say that it's an authority on proper conduct.

Rather, I'm saying that EVEN in the military, with some of the most insensitive people around, swearing indicates lack of self-control and situational awareness.

Sure, swearing may indicate lack of self-control, but the lack of swearing does not indicate self-control, nor does the presence of swearing indicate lack of self-control.

I once saw a doc about the alarming levels of rape in the U.S. military. Some of these guys were pretty high rank, so I guess they fooled everyone that they possessed self-control, (perhaps they didn't swear), but in reality they clearly lacked self-control. I only bring up this example to explain my point, I know there are many officers who don't swear and don't lack self-control, but my point is that the lack of swearing doesn't really prove anything, nor does the presence of swearing.

This may be getting into semantics, but isn't it entirely possible that we have a class of military rapists engaging in rape as a very deliberate and controlled form of power play? Their superior self-control put into wicked use?

You haven't spent much time with the military have you? Swearing is a delicate and beautiful art form, more expressive and nuanced that the dry words of HN.

Eight years, which included serving as a PSG then joining the dark side.

Obviously swearing is a big thing, but not when leading. You'll have exceptions with some of the line units of course, but that's a culture that won't change.

If I saw one of my squad leaders cursing at someone for doing something dumb, then I'd know that supposed leader just failed that Soldier. At ease those emotions, get your point across, and hold them accountable. If you can't do that without throwing a hissy fit, take off those stripes.

There is a difference between swearing and having, as you put it, a hissy fit. Not all swearing is demeaning behaviour, and plenty of people lose their shit without swearing (oops I said shit).

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