Ask Lemmy

Erotic is the art of leaving doors slightly ajar. Enough to make the mind lean in and do its own private vulgarities. A fog, darkness, mystery, and tantalizing reward. It’s a half-sentence that somehow feels like a full romance story, written in ink that smudges on purpose so you have to interpret it.

Vulgar is when the same door gets kicked off its hinges and someone starts pointing at everything inside with a flashlight and commentary track. Nothing is hidden, nothing is paced, nothing is spared from narration. Media slaps face.

Erotic is what I like, vulgar is what everyone else likes.

OK, so, no word of a lie, I decided to enumerate an alphabetical word list of British English. "erotic" is at 30872, and "vulgar" is at 99680. The average of these is 65276, which is where you'd draw a line exactly between them. What word is at that entry? "package's".

So by sheer mathematics, you're crossing the line if you can see some guy's package. QED.

Generally speaking, I think it has to do with intent:

Erotic = intended to arouse / is sexual in nature.

Vulgar = intended to offend / is characterized by a lack of social acceptability.

Erotic = It turns me on.

Vulgar = it offends me.

Also both of those are moving targets.

Erotic is light sensual play with a feather.
Vulgar/perverted would be if the chicken is still attached

If it turns me on or disgusts me.

I can't describe it, but I know it when I see it.

Where do you draw the line between green and salty? There isn't a line between them, they're two different dimensions.

If I’m being completely honest, that line is in constant motion.

Erotic is when everyone involved is into it. It turns vulgar when one person isnt.

Well, if it's in Latin it can be erotic, but never vulgar.

Erotic is sophisticated, thoughtful, sexy. Vulgar is trying to be erotic and failing because it's lazy, derivative, and misses the nuance.

Why exactly would anyone want to draw this line? "Erotic" and "vulgar" are both bad looks at a funeral, you know?