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Asterisks that replace letters in words are dangerous things. Writers use this artifice routinely under the erroneous assumption that they can disguise offensive language to avoid offending the tender sensibilities of the readers.
However the writer has gained nothing, because when people see an asterisked word, they assume that it's "bad", and will automatically stop and read it until they see the "bad" word they expect.
This conditioned reflexive response is dangerous because an unscrupulous writer can use the asterisk to lead readers to see offensive words where none actually exist.
I offer the following examples for your edification:
1. Harry Truman had a sign on his desk that read "the *uck stops here".
2. I like my bed because the mattress is held up by sl*ts.
3. To a baseball fan, a drag *unt is a thing of beauty.
4.Agribusiness uses NAFTA to market their cr*p.
5.When your mouth is full of toothpaste, remember to s*it.
6.Larry Craig is a senator from Ida**.
7.A top-selling after shave is Aqua V*lva.
8.When you're too tired to accept a friend's last minute dinner invitation, you should decline by saying "Sorry, but I've got to take a p*ss tonight".
Now that you see the diabolical ways that an asterisk can be used, won't you join me in demanding that they be banned entirely?
