@Aethelflaed Well, since you put it that way…
But I think that using tricks like “Sex, sex, sex” is obviously tongue in cheek. People can see that, and it’s honest in a way that using “nsfw” is not. Using nsfw means I’m following the rules to break the rules. Manipulating by using the word “sex” is all on me. It’s much more honest manipulation. Less complicated.
@Leanne1986 do you not see how absurd your comment is? “nothing that could cause offense to anyone?” It’s just not possible. You can never watch out for other people’s sensibilities because a) you don’t know what they are and b) they vary so widely. There is stuff on here that really offends me, but no one cares because it isn’t sexual. So I just have to deal with it on my own. And in fact, the hypothetical you offer is one of those things that makes my stomach churn. I don’t know why you say it shouldn’t be offensive. It is offensive to me. But then, sex shouldn’t be offensive to anyone. How come people are such babies?
I’m just being hyperbolic there. I really would not tell anyone else what should or should not offend them. But if people are going to tell me what shouldn’t offend me, I feel like I should return the favor. fluther has no business being in the business of telling people what to think. But it is. It tells people that sexual subjects are racy and possibly offensive. That is what happens when you force people to label things “nsfw.”
I understand why people do it. I understand fluther thinks it is protecting people. Fluther thinks it is being nice. None of these things are true, but most people feel better pretending to believe the illusion that they are true. It’s deliciously hypocritical. But then, I get philosophical about that—it’s really hard to live a life without being hypocritical. So, wtf? Honestly, I don’t know why I say anything, since nothing is going to change as a result of this conversation.