Does replacing letters with * to swear legally count as swearing?
If someone put the first letter say f and then three asterixes after it so they don't actually swear can that be defined as swearing. Even on Yahoo they put asterixes for swear words and we all now what they mean so if it was swearing they surely would just leave a blank instead of replacing the amount of letters which lets us know what word was meant to be there. So could someone claim to be swore at if there were astarixes?
I assume it doesn't count in a legal sense as we are allowed to do it but we all know what it really means so as far as intent goes then it does count.
I'll be fecked if I know.
Answers:
I don't think so. Asterisks could stand for any letter, so there would always be an argument that the word in question was a completely innoffensive word. Besides, the very fact that one thinks one knows what the asterisks stands for betrays the fact that one is no stranger to the type of language concerned and so is accordingly less likely to take offence.
It reminds me of an old joke about a young lady complaining to her mother that her latest boyfriend knew too many dirty songs. 'Does he sing them to you?' her mother asked. 'No, but he whistles them!' was the reply.
