Be Excellent To Each Other

Oh yes, won't somebody please think of the men?

If we lived in a world where the mack-daddy of all swearwords, the absolute worst thing you could call somebody, was a slang term for the penis then there'd be a conversation to be had here. We don't. So there isn't.

Was this one of those schools where the teacher is called 'Dave' and everyone is encouraged to express themselves a lot?

Quite. He was spoken to about this by his mum why asked him why he coloured the sky to the ground when all fo the other kids drew the sky in a line at the top. He mistook this for thinking that he had done something wrong, so for a time coloured the sky in a strip, like the other kids, until his mum saw him doing that and asked why he had changed. She said that no, it wasn't wrong, in fact it was right, she just wonderd why he did it, and he was very special and cever to notice such a thing.

The man can't draw for toffee now, so it wasn't indicative of a great career in art.

A smart arse reply, but not one that actually answers the question. Unless you seriously think that all men (and women) who use the word "cunt" subconsciously hate women I'm not sure that you have a point.

I was getting at the fact that the insult being gender specific doesn't automatically make it belittle that gender, rather than "oh, poor men". So I was, out of genuine interest, after an explanation as to why you think it does in the case of "cunt" but not in the case of any other insult (including other female-related ones like "tit", "twat", "vadge-batter" etc)



Really?

In the council estates where a friend of mine lived back home, the one insult that showed you were being serious, and which could start a fight almost instantly, was "prick". You never used it even in jest.

The primary school I went to was in quite a deprived area of Cardiff. If you stopped the kids using piss, shit, cunt, fuck, bloody, twat, arse, wank etc, most of them wouldn't be able to communicate at all. Especially not with their parents.

I, however, was dragged up proper, like.

I do think that there is some indiction of misogyny in the fact that if you really, really want to offend someone (usually a man, you don't often hear the word said to women, well I don't, anyway) you call them an offensive name for a vagina.

Horsehit. Calling someone a "fucking prick" is actually pretty much equally if not more offensive and aggressive than "fucking cunt" though. Try some experiments around town and I think you'll find I'm right on this.

Perhaps, but the use of the word has become just as disassociated from its original meaning as 'twat' and 'gay' have, in my opinion.

Yes, but you would say that, because you're a mysognistic homophobe. A lesbian is your worst nightmare. Oooh - Myp, Elen Degeneres and Rosie O Donnell on an island. How awesome would *that* be?

I use the word "cunt" more often in every day conversation than any other swear word. I don't know what this says about my personality, but nobody in my circle of friends finds it offensive. Unless they're hiding it from me.

Is it not just the case that women are more likely to be offended by words describing their genitals than men are, therefore the word automatically becomes more loaded?

I'm not sure gay has become entirely dissociated though. However I think the equivalent isn't cunt but bitch, as it's pretty much the same sort of pricks who use both.

That's a bit patronisingly sexist, mate. They're not all delicate little flowers, you know.

I actually think the vagina is, to quote David Bowie, a velvet goldmine. I cannot insult it anyway, so the word cunt though very derogatory means something else entirely to me and has no association with female genitalia.

For me the word is a set of characteristics someone displays to become "one", which usually involves being spectacularly self centred and malicious.

But then, where do you end with swear words. The use of the word fuck is even more divorced from it's original usage.

Sadly, no, it was an entire normal junior high. Our avuncular teacher alternated between being very cool (encouraging the creativity, keeping even the more unruly thugs interested during lessons, etc) and somewhat creepy (I don't think anyone in the class hadn't had him squeeze their shoulders or something by the end of the year).

No, some of them are lesbians!

Indeed not, but women tend to be less crude than men.

You are spilling into the realms of the stupid now, Mr Chris, but don't worry, I have your ankles and won't let you fall.

Have you ever been to Newcastle?

WTF? How are you quoting a post that I can't even see??

* pops paper bag behind mimi *

pffft sunderland more like.

Previous page myp. Unless I'm on your "foe" list, in which case you can't see me waving a little ascii willy at you:


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I love modifying 'cunt' by slipping an adjective in front. Is there anything as deliciously offensive as calling someone a 'fat cunt'? The sound alone is enough to make baby jesus cry.

If a 10 year old called you a "twat", what would you think?

You child.

Sorry, I thought you were replying to my 'lesbian' comment. This thread is moving very quickly.

cabin fever on holiday with my mates last year brought about the expressions 'shit cunt' and 'dick cunt', maily because the word cunt was losing any sort of meaning.

Children swearing at all is bad, but children swearing *at* people is horrid, and rather sad. I would assume they had been raised poorly.

Odd that.. I know someone who'd react in much the same way to the word. No other word would offend him.

I'd hate to have been his dentist.

I tend to agree, so I think that removing the word from a book read by 10 year olds is perhaps not that bad an idea.

And on the other side of the coin, after a friend's stag do, me and a mate who were sharing a hotel room ended up using the word 'tea' as an insult out of sheer boredom. We'd say that some people had had too many teas (ie fat); sportsmen who weren't doing very well were said to 'not had enough tea' because they had poor energy levels.

It was funnier at the time, promise. You can make anything into an insult if you really want to.

Riiiiight....

That's not funny at all, you flimwock.

I was once told to quieten down in the school library by a teacher, and as he walked away, I muttered 'twat' under my breath. Obviously not under my breath enough, because he span around and demanded to know what I'd just said. I'm still quite impressed by my quick thinking, I told him I'd said 'I don't belive that', but he didn't buy it and I got bollocked by him outside the library, during which I practically burst into tears. Curse him for making me look small in front of my mates

Exactly. Outside of the moment it just doesn't seem funny at all, but in our cabin fevery, hungover state it was so funny we were crying.

Wait, you have baby goats? Georgia and Georgina???

A few of us tried to turn 'Git' into the new top offensive swear word. It morphed over time to describe both the male and female reproductive, er, part. So for example, you might yell 'Oi, get yer git out!' across the street, causing a Victorian Lady to feint.

I don't remember there being much in the way of swearing at either primary or secondary school but my brother and I used to swear a fair bit at each other at home. With having deaf parents, we thought we'd get away with it - till one of the neighbours popped a letter through complaining about the noise and bad language. At that point, our parents went ballistic

These days, I rarely swear unless I'm quoting somebody. Although I'll occasionally mutter stuff under my breath when playing the likes of Geometry Wars (so close to beating Trouser's score on Pacifism last night... hnngh) but not in company.

Glad you cleared that up...

Fair enough.

I've got a problem with language that demeans any particular group. As mentioned upthread, that most definitely includes "twat", and since you're asking it would cover all the specifics you've thrown out above, amoung others.

Personally, it disturbs me that despite swearing like a fucking trooper I'd never dream of calling someone a nigger or a fag, but that until relatively recently I'd use cunt or twat and not think twice about it. At the end of the day, it's all language cut from the same cloth - to equate an oppressed group with badness, nastiness, vileness.

I have less of an issue with "cock", "prick" or other male-centric insults. This might be because I've got one, so I'm more comfortable throwing the words around. It might be because they're words almost exclusively directed at men, so they don't carry the same message of "you're as bad as a woman". It might be that "prick", your mate's specific experiences aside, just isn't as reviled and unpleasant a word as "cunt". It might be that since the world is largely run by men for the benefit of men, I don't feel I have to be as careful to avoid further alienating and oppressing other men. I don't really know. A little of everything, most likely. That's entirely a personal attitude, though, and your milage may vary.

No, I don't think everyone who uses the word "cunt" subconsciously hates women. I don't think most people who use the word subconsciously hate women. But for an awfully long time I let myself get away with some pretty dodgy attitudes and some very dodgy ways of expressing myself because I knew I wasn't sexist.

That's a trap that it's bloody easy to fall into - "I'm not a misogynist, so therefore if I'm doing something by definition it can't be misogynist and anyone who thinks it is is oversensitive / reading too much into it / looking for something to get upset about."

Thing is, you don't need to be a sexist Deep Down Inside to say and do stuff that's sexist. You don't need to have a subconscious hatred of women to help perpetuate the notion that their body is something filthy and hateful and that no-one would want to be associated with. Actions matter more than intentions.

I don't mean to come off as preachy or holier-than-thou. I'm by and large a pretty rubbish feminist. But hey - you asked.

Can't listen at work, can I have a transcript please?

Malc

Swearing a not isn't the sign of a diminished vocabulary, and swearing is enjoyable.

Stephen Fry enjoys swearing.

Well I just don't really think that cunt refers to women, it refers to vaginas, they are two separate things. Also I'm slightly confused about what your point is. You seem to be saying that it is revealing something about society that cunt is top of the list when it comes to swear words. So is it misogynistic to use the word cunt or to find it especially offensive, if it got demoted to be 'below' cock would that be better or worse?