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Allow them, but require clinical (or at least euphemistic) language. Allow them: These topics are as important as any others in halacha and rabbinic tradition, and anyway people will naturally enco...
Answer
#1: Initial revision
by
Monica Cellio
·
2020-08-03T13:39:42Z (over 3 years ago)
Allow them, but require clinical (or at least euphemistic) language. Allow them: These topics are as important as any others in *halacha* and rabbinic tradition, and anyway people will naturally encounter them in learning (or just hearing the weekly torah readings!) and will naturally have questions arising from that learning. But require clinical language: Clinical language emphasizes the educational aspect over the prurient. Some non-clinical language used in broader culture is demeaning to some, and we should do better. I strongly suspect that if we allow slang or crude language we will drive away people who would have otherwise productively participated as members of our community. And one who is mature enough to be studying these topics can use, or learn to use,[^1] clinical language while doing so. Or at least euphemistic language: Clinical language is usually more *clear*, which is why we should generally prefer it, but if it's clear what's meant, euphemism is fine too. People will have different views of what's clear, so edits to clarify euphemism should be welcomed just like other edits to improve posts. Sometimes the clarity (or lack of it) comes more from context than from actual word choice, so people should use their best judgement and be flexible. [^1]: From edits, for example.