Calling a Kid the "C" Word

[Fasckira]

Maybe if people realised it was The goddamn motherfucking Onion, rather than reacting to a Poe, we'd have some sense from it.

Im assuming that all those flinging their poo at The Onion over this probably don't actually follow The Onion on twitter but instead have seen the retweeted message from someone who has.

I think the only real "bad" part about this whole thing is the fact that The Onion deleted their tweet. Sure, they can tweet later on saying they're sorry if they feel they overstepped the mark but I hate it when people cover up like that.

 

[Zykon TheLich_v1legacy]

Wait wait wait wait wait.

The 'C word' commmon to the point of casual in the UK??? From my experience you couldn't be more wrong there! At least not where I live. People might say it, but it's considered one of the worst words you can use. And the only people that use the word casually are the kind of idiots that think using bad swear words makes them cool.

It's casual in the sense that it isn't a specific slur. It's a normal swear word. Take "******". That is a racial slur and if you use it (in the right context) people will think you are a **** (hurr hurr) in the UK or US. In the US the word **** has a similar status, it's a specific gendered slur that used in the right context marks the user as being a misogynist arsehole. The UK usage doesn't have the additional stigma attached to it, so while not something to use in polite company it is still "acceptable" in casual use. Hell, I've heard it said on radio 4 in the evening, although admittedly in a slightly roundabout way.

 

[Kinitawowi]

We decided that the c word was going to be really bad, and so it is.

Bam. Nail on head.

The most valuable lesson my father ever taught me is that being offended - by anything - is a choice. **** is, at the most fundamental level, just another four letter word. Like "milk". Or "only". The fact that certain subsets of society have decided to declare it the most mind-blowingly offensive word in human existence is little more than an attempt to socially enforce censorship; it's a safe bet that somebody is devoting their life to petitioning governments to enforce a total legally enforced ban on the word's use (the watershed is just the start, then video games, then any mass media, then the internet, then See You Next Tuesday variants, then Thoughtcrime), a slippery slope that I'm sure most of us want to avoid.

But yeah. I don't give a flying fuck about the rest of the world's reaction to this tweet; society gains very little from somebody being offended on somebody else's behalf. I'd be interested in Wallis's response (if I had any idea who she was before this story broke), but frankly it's not the rest of the world's business.

As for The Onion's actions afterwards... unfunny jokes are unfunny jokes, but apologising because somebody was offended is pure cowardice - and you will never be funny if you're not going to be brave. Yes, Twitter is not the best forum for this joke - most people wouldn't be aware it was even intended as a joke if it wasn't for "The Onion" at the top of it, and even that wouldn't be a guarantee, especially after that header's lost in the worldwide crapflood of retweets. But this is the world now. 140 characters can have phenomenal power. They can destroy relationships, bring down governments and start revolutions. But as has been noted, you've got to pick the right 140 characters, and the sort of stream-of-consciousness stuff that pervades on Twitter doesn't necessarily cut it.

 

[mgirl]

It's casual in the sense that it isn't a specific slur. It's a normal swear word. Take "******". That is a racial slur and if you use it (in the right context) people will think you are a **** (hurr hurr) in the UK or US. In the US the word **** has a similar status, it's a specific gendered slur that used in the right context marks the user as being a misogynist arsehole. The UK usage doesn't have the additional stigma attached to it, so while not something to use in polite company it is still "acceptable" in casual use. Hell, I've heard it said on radio 4 in the evening, although admittedly in a slightly roundabout way.

Whilst I understand the whole stigma thing, The idea that it's a word thats casual and common in use in the UK, or at least throughout the UK, is completely wrong. With pretty much everyone I've ever met, people are happy to use pretty much every other swearword when they're with friends, excluding racist slurs, but I hardly ever hear the word '****' said out loud, and when someone does use it, there's usually a pause as most people dont feel comfortable using it. Hell, I don't even like writing the word. Then again, that could be a regional thing in itself.

 

[Mouse One]

The Onion can easily craft a joke like this, this article was linked on their site, AT THE BOTTOM OF THEIR APOLOGY http://www.theonion.com/articles/i-slapped-a-crying-child-and-called-him-a-******-a,31361/ They just can't do so in 140 characters. Not in today's society.

Yep, that's exactly the type of joke they were making. Like Colbert pretends to be a brainless right wing commentator, the Onion frequently pretends to have articles written by idiots who hang themselves with their own words. Clearly, from the number of people posting here who are asking "What did the girl do that made the Onion call her the c word?", a large percentage of people don't get that-- even in comments on an article that explains the joke.

Clearly, it was a bad joke because it spectacularly failed. But it was aimed at the media commentary about award ceremonies, not the girl.

 

[axlryder]

I think the joke itself is funny. I even chuckled initially. Unfortunately, I iterated the same point as Bob when I first heard it. If the object of your joke isn't likely old enough to even understand why your joke isn't really making fun of them, then it's probably crossing a line. It's not the most offensive thing The Onion has ever said, but it's also using a very specific little girl as the base of its joke, and that requires a bit of finesse.

 

[Susan Arendt]

But don't we call young boys "dickheads" all the time yet **** is unacceptable?
Don't get me wrong I hate it when any person demeans someone else and think the twitter is in the wrong.
Also the fact of her age shouldn't factor into it,insulting anyone should be looked down upon.
However I do find the double standard between swears interesting.

If they had called a 9-year-old boy a "dickhead," the reaction would've been the same, I promise you.

I seriously doubt they would have been this up in arms.

Then again we did get an example in how thin skinned and over sensitive some folk are a couple of weeks ago in the reel physics comments

You think people wouldn't have flipped out about someone calling Haley Joel Osment a "dickhead" the year he was nominated? Sorry, but I simply disagree with that.

 

[Froggy Slayer]

I think that it would have benefited from being a full article. Being familiar with the Onion, I can get what they're going for, but I don't really know why they have a twitter account; 140 characters isn't really enough for good satire.

 

[Mikeyfell]

Every time I see "C word" I die a little inside.
because dick and dickhead are perfectly acceptable and they are exactly the same thing.

The extent of the hateful things you're allowed to say about women is held down by a Glass Ceiling. A Glass Ceiling that we'll have to break through if we ever want to see any true gender equality!

Why doesn't the burden of proof ever lie with the audience (Not necessarily to "get the joke" but) to at least differentiate between a joke and a statement made with real malice.


Apologizing for a joke also caries the unfortunate implication of suggesting there was something there worth apologizing for.

 

[Loonyyy]

Maybe if people realised it was The goddamn motherfucking Onion, rather than reacting to a Poe, we'd have some sense from it.

Im assuming that all those flinging their poo at The Onion over this probably don't actually follow The Onion on twitter but instead have seen the retweeted message from someone who has.

Indeed. Any journalist who has done that has failed in their journalistic integrity. They're responsible for what they publish. When they get hoodwinked by a Poe, they should make it clear. Apart from that, general idiots misunderstanding it getting to that point is a bit beyond my comprehension. They'd have to see it from someone, and that someone should have made it clear. I'd expect people like The View, bored, stupid people who spend their time on daytime television, both watching and making it, to fall for this. And those people generally don't follow The Onion, because self-awareness is a trait that would make them suicidal.

Really, I think the biggest problem here is people like Bob here taking it seriously at all. To take the tweet, or any criticism of it seriously is just silly.

I think the only real "bad" part about this whole thing is the fact that The Onion deleted their tweet. Sure, they can tweet later on saying they're sorry if they feel they overstepped the mark but I hate it when people cover up like that.

Definitely. It makes them look weak, and like they're unwilling to stand behind their words. Being satirical comedy, those words aren't exactly a battle-standard to hide behind, but when they delete it, it's as though they tacitly acknowledge and validate all of the criticism. And that criticism is flat out wrong.

 

[Phuctifyno]

Can anyone link a video of whatever it was that led to the Onions comment? I dont know whether they said it because she was smug, or dumb, or what, and I really would like to know...

Absolutely nothing at all. She seems to be completely innocent. That was the joke. If she had done something to make the insult seem in any way real, there would probably be less controversy because the offended parties would be obviously in the right.

 

[Dhael]

If you cannot figure out why the word "****" has such a vitriolic meaning in the states, you need to do a little more research.

Though the reaction is kind of hypocritical, given how sexist personal insults tend to be.

Agreed, from what I've read so far I don't think the Euros in the community understand just how bad an insult "****" is in the US. It's damn near blood-feud level and has no positive context. You can't use it when joking among close friends and you will lose friends if you do, even if they aren't the target of it. That's how serious it is considered in the US.

I know that in the UK it can be used in a similar context that "shit" is used in the US. Little shit, Little **** and such. But, it simply doesn't have that context in America. It is all bad, all the time. It is simple the very worst possible thing you can call someone, male or female. You can go on a long rant about every single thing you hate about a person and it still wouldn't be as nearly insulting as just calling them a "****." It's just a cultural thing.

 

[itsthesheppy]

A perfect example of how, while nothing is immune to humor, if you're anything less than a master of your craft, expect to get pilloried.

If you want to tell a rape joke, go for it. But if you fuck it up, you're going down, burning. And you'd deserve it.

It's like cliff diving. If you're good at it, you look like a boss. If you suck, you're hamburger spattered on the rocks. Well deserved, either way.

 

[azriel2422]

Very, very, objective and well said.

 

[Baron von Blitztank]

Calling a little kid a ****? Really?
Good job. It's blunt, kind of effective in its simplicity but I'd much prefer some creativity. No "wretched scum-weasel" or "mewling quim"? Come on! Loki up this *****!

 

[maninahat]

I think this was about as diplomatic as anyone could be, when describing a situation as touchy to both sides as this. Good work Bob!

There was a comedian who used to call her 4 year old daughter a "little shit", but you immediately knew through the telling of the joke, the context, and the fact that he was obviously a loving father, that he didn't really mean it. Twitter lacks the opportunity to easily develop that understanding, so it's no wonder that the joke completely blew up in their face.

Related (viewer discretion advised)

 

[PrototypeC]

Not that I didn't read the whole article, because I did, but as soon as he said that The Onion retracted it and apologized it was enough for me to say it was bad. The Onion is very self-aware and this is the first retraction of theirs I've ever heard of. If they concluded the joke wasn't worth making and did harm, and removed it, that should be the final word.

I love the Onion, and I certainly don't think less of them for such a small thing. It's over, let's forget about it.

 

[Mikeyfell]

Every time I see "C word" I die a little inside.
because dick and dickhead are perfectly acceptable and they are exactly the same thing.

The extent of the hateful things you're allowed to say about women is held down by a Glass Ceiling. A Glass Ceiling that we'll have to break through if we ever want to see any true gender equality!

Why doesn't the burden of proof ever lie with the audience (Not necessarily to "get the joke" but) to at least differentiate between a joke and a statement made with real malice.


Apologizing for a joke also caries the unfortunate implication of suggesting there was something there worth apologizing for.

That's because you're an idiot
Dickhead and dick are first of all not very powerful curse words. Hell, judging from a lot of the Manly Online Brigade of Ha Ha I'm Anonymous it's a god damned compliment.
**** however, isn't. It's just making the connection that the person is a sexual organ that's to be filled by manly cock, so it calms down.(Origin of the word hysteria could be useful for you here.)
Also: It's a 9-year old?! How much of an inbred douchebag, drugged up "bro" do you need to be to not see the flaw in bullying someone that hasn't matured mentally yet?

This is exactly the thing I'm talking about.
Sometimes the burden of proof should be left up to the audience to understand the difference between a statment intended as a joke and one intended to carry malice.

But what if you actually believe what you said is true, what are those implications? That suggesting a whole person is reduced to female genitalia is worse than saying a whole person is reduced to male genitalia.
You're saying that the vagina is just worse than the penis? Period. No further explanation required.
That's sexism.

And calling me an inbred drugged up douche bag idiot is also perfectly acceptable but a comparison to a female body part isn't? You're a boob if you think that.

 

[Klonoa Prower]

Carlin did say it best, 'You can joke about anything.'

However, if the joke isn't funny, it becomes insulting instead, and without context or structure on their twitter post, that's exactly what happened.