I've always found the censorship of certain words pretty silly.
I have another story. Another ex gf of mine and her peer group used the word "chick" frequently. She was a very independent individual and somewhat younger than me. My gf previous to that and a generation behind had a problem with the word. I saw this apparent new outlook as a step in getting past having to fight for the recognition of women in society and a type of empowerment in the acceptance of the word. If the word is no longer of offence, to me, that is personal empowerment and rises above what others label you regardless of their intent.
I've since found out that recent generations still have a problem with the word. I've always used the word "chick" and I don't mean it in a derogatory way. If anything, to me it constitutes sexy and cool. I find the term "ladies" as some people use it patronising and hypocritical.
As I look at the word "****" (<unt ) which Daddyio so kindly emblazoned in big red letters for all to see, it gradually loses it's impact. My first reaction was that it looks "ugly" Either way, using the word addresses it's perception and connotation. Partially censoring it, only makes it seem more "OK" and full censorship only affirms its percieved negativity. Whatever the word and how it is used will still be the same. That cannot change.
Much like the word "nigger" I find people that dance around it, by saying "the N word" , not to be facing the generally perceived connotation and almost patronising. It's an ugly word, I don't use it except for the sake of discussion. I think we should face up to it and / or come to terms with it.
Just out of curiosity and for the sake of argument I'll type some words that I find offencive and words that may be already on the edit list. I can probably guess which ones will come up as edited with asterisks. The point is where do we draw the line. In the end it's an individual choice whether we choose to respect others and their perception of words.
nigger - ugly, isn't it ?
whore - I detest this word to varying degrees, depending on connotation, but it's literal meaning is not necessarily derogatory.
asshole
bitch
muthafucka
slut - to me this can be totally dependant on context and / or intent.