Episode #14: “How Embarrbutting!”, from True’s 7 August 2008 issue.
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How Embarrbutting!
Web sites that import news feeds, but then automatically censor “objectionable” words, are sometimes committing “Clbuttic Mistakes”. The term was coined when a site changed the word “classic” to “clbuttic” on the theory the word “butt” (for instance) is less objectionable than “ass”. Prior to the 2008 Olympics, the American Family Association’s news site automatically replaced a word in articles about sprinter Tyson Gay: “Tyson Homosexual was a blur in blue,” they reported, “sprinting 100 meters faster than anyone ever has.” Other mangled language has included “consbreastution”, an article on “What did the British Embbutty do for this British National Overseas pbuttport holder,” and a “series of previously secret Central Intelligence Agency plots to buttbuttinate foreign leaders.” (London Telegraph) …As if such urinevish buttaults on our language could protect anyone’s chasbreasty.
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This is one of my favorite videos. I have to say that I came across several of these “filth-filters” myself while doing research. There was one shopping site that listed anything having a “circumference” measurement as having a “cirSEMENference” yes, the capitals are directly from the site in question. It did make me do a double and then a triple take as I thought that cirSEMENference was WAY WORSE than circumference. I wondered aloud when this senseless abuse of the English language was going to stop. Fortunately, I have not come across any of those filters lately and am quite glad. I did see one commenter who stated simply that the programmers were not quick witted enough, in fact, they were half-fast. (say it aloud).
Oh my odgay (or is that my odhomosexual)! Cracked me up laughing too 🙂 even after all these years. Now I’m going to have to go through all the videos. :p