Is this term appropriate for a PG audience?

Hi! I write and draw a webcomic called Heroes of Thantopolis. (The page needs work, haha, I just gotta get other people to do it.) This webcomic is intended for an all-ages audience. I'd describe it's rating as PG-7 - the harshest words are "crap" and "pissed" and maybe "sexuality" by virtue of the fact that it has "sex" in it.

In the chapter that is currently publishing, we meet a character who is a slave in a cockfighting ring. He is called a chicken by his owner and master, although if he is really a chicken or not is hard to tell. Regardless, the problem is that I'm not sure if "cockfighting" is an appropriate word considering the um, first part of the word (....cock.........) It's clear in the narrative that cock is referring to a chicken and not a private part. But I'm worried that because this cockfighting ring continues to be important throughout the story because it's this character's backstory, that it may be too innapropriate for my audience.

What do you think? Is it innapropriate? Or am I overreacting? I'm an incredibly sensitive person so I tend to overreact sometimes. I also have the sense of humor of a 12 year old so cock is a very funny word to me. I'm terrible : P

Thanks for taking the time to read this topic!

Pokemon aside, I wonder how you can make cockfighting pg-7.

Perhaps it's because I'm a kiwi - and therefore have an extremely relaxed attitude to far harsher words in general conversation - but I don't find anything remotely offensive, sexual or pertaining-to-private parts in the term "cockfight".

Then again, it could also be due to the fact I'm old enough to remember when it was perfectly acceptable to use the term "sex" to refer to the difference between male and female of a species - "Battle of the sexes" and a' that - rather than the namby-pamby political correctness that resulted in "gender" being substituted for everything as late 20th Century people tried to outdo the Victorians for prudishness. (Incidentally, "cock" was quite an acceptable term of familiarity for one's friends during the aforementioned Victorian Era,)

Its a ghost world. Everyone's a ghost and they don't bleed. I guess older people won't mind, but that's not really who I'm worried about. I don't want to upset any parents, mostly.

I've heard "poppycock" in children cartoon before and it's a combination of two family unfriendly words. And Dick Greyson, age 12 can get away with his name.

If you don't want to use "cockfighting" then "beastfighting" is an alternative.

Though the "family unfriendly word" upon which "poppycock" is based would appear to be "dung" rather than male birds or male members...

edited 19th Nov '16 10:02:00 PM by Wolf1066

The question is, what are you afraid will happen if you use it? It is, in fact, the proper word for the event you're describing. I think you're fine in using it. You'll get some adolescent giggles, probably, but that's unavoidable.

I recall there was a WB cartoon from the 90's called Histeria which got away with using the word "Crapper" (which is generally a no-no for a kids cartoon in the US) because it was someone's name, and called all kinds of attention to the fact that they were getting away with it, to humorous effect (they were repeating the oft-told myth that Thomas Crapper invented the modern flush toilet).

Go ahead and use it. You'll likely have more people offended by the concept of cockfighting that by the name, which, again, is just what it's called. I frequently find it awkward when they try to make a substitution in such instances, especially when it's something that most people are going to recognize.

What is your auidence? I say that if you consider them mature enough to take "sexuality", they can take "cockfighting".

Why would cockfighting be not PG? There are plenty of examples of beasts fighting each other in PG media. Not sure if Pokemon counts as an example, but it has beasts fighting themselves and even humans.

I assume you've done your research to ensure it really is cockfighting, but that is an entirely different issue.

edited 20th Nov '16 3:51:34 PM by hellomoto

I really appreciated how you worded this response. It is very good advice and I will take it. The topic has been fulfilled.. chickens forced to fight each other is cockfighting, right? That's what's going to happen. It doesn't let me make enter spaces on my iPad, sorry if this response looks silly.

"Cockfighting" is specifically roosters being made to fight each other. Roosters will generally be inclined to fight whenever they encounter another rooster, but cockfighting is deliberately placing them in a ring to do so, and often attaching a blade to their heel spur.

So yeah, chickens being made to fight.