Is 'The C Word' Sexist?

[Cheesepower5]

In that it discriminates based on sex? Yes. Is it negatively sexist? Depends on the usage.

I personally defend the use of any word. We all have words we don't like. ****, mansplaining, moist, antiquing... But to force them out of use is impractical, unnecessary and kind of a dick move.

 

[michiehoward]

Favorite word, uses are endless.

 

[DanDeFool]

I don't think it's sexist, but it certainly is a more serious insult when directed at a woman. Kind of like how calling a man a whore is less serious than calling a woman a whore.

Regardless, I find it odd that the word "****" is somehow cruder-sounding than the word "fuck". When I was growing up, it seemed like "fuck" was the be-all-end-all of swears. Maybe I'm just getting old.

 

[Caffeine_Bombed]

Not in Britain.

I once participated in a 67-post Facebook discussion about how much of a **** Jeremy Kyle is. The word came up in basically every post.

Yeah, not exactly a big deal.

It's true, it really isn't a big deal here. I know people who don't like hearing the word, but I've never heard anyone call it sexist. People use it really casually around here.
Like people have said, I don't see how it's any different from calling a guy a dick.
Me? I like the word, to be honest.

 

[The Wooster]

Is it sexist? No. It's a word.

Can it be used in a sexist way? Yes.

 

[Comrade Richard]

Is it sexist? No. It's a word.

Can it be used in a sexist way? Yes.

This is the equivalent of saying we need the sun to survive but it's not a good idea to stare at it: it's that bleeding obvious. A lot of things can be used for terrible purposes, that doesn't necessarily make it bad, and I think on this we agree. **** is not an evil/sexist word, but it can be used as such, same as the various versions of 'cocksucker' like cockmunch, cockbite, or my personal favorite - cockgobbler.

 

[Bug MuIdoon]

Is ****** racist if you call a white guy that?

Dick and **** aren't the same level of insulting, a more equal feminine slur would be pussy.

That's not true.

When you call someone a pussy, you are saying they're scared. As scared as a woman. That is it's actual meaning, whether you consciously mean it to have sexist intention or not. The same can not be said for ****. It has no direct connotation referring **** = woman.

**** may seem more offensive, but pussy is far more sexist.

 

[Entitled]

Is the word "Chinaman" racist?

You could make pretty good logical arguments that it technically shouldn't be ay more racist than "Englishman" and "Frenchman", yet you also know very well what kind of people are still using that word instead of "Chinese", and you know very well what you will communicate about yourself if you use it.

So why argue about it? How about just using the words that are the least likely to misrepresent your intentions?

Maybe "****" shouldn't be inherently sexist, but there are also a bunch of perfectly serviceable insults that are less likely to offend innocent bystanders by implying to them that you are a bigot.

Use those.

 

[Charli]

I'm English, I call people cunts. Both sexes, all sorts of ages.

I don't swear often. Mainly because me having a conversation of that kind of intensity doesn't come around more than once in a blue moon and only when the weather is right. But I've done it.

I'm always in stitches when my American friends give me 'the look' when I'm loosing in a Game and the C word gets dropped casually. Get over it ya ninnies (also a word for the same thing).

If you call people dicks. You can call people cunts.

Failing to do so is more sexist to me. (WHAT LADY PRIVATE PARTS ARE TOO TABOO FOR YOU HUH?)

 

[TehCookie]

Is ****** racist if you call a white guy that?

Dick and **** aren't the same level of insulting, a more equal feminine slur would be pussy.

That's not true.

When you call someone a pussy, you are saying they're scared. As scared as a woman. That is it's actual meaning, whether you consciously mean it to have sexist intention or not. The same can not be said for ****. It has no direct connotation referring **** = woman.

**** may seem more offensive, but pussy is far more sexist.

First of all, yeah I said **** is more offensive. That was the point when people were comparing calling someone a **** to calling someone a dick since they're both genitalia slurs but are on different levels of insulting.

You do know that **** does have a direct connotation to vagina and is used to say that's the only important part of a woman. That's more sexist than saying women are more scared than men.

 

[Cpt. Lozan]

Is ****** racist if you call a white guy that?

Dick and **** aren't the same level of insulting, a more equal feminine slur would be pussy.

That's not true.

When you call someone a pussy, you are saying they're scared. As scared as a woman. That is it's actual meaning, whether you consciously mean it to have sexist intention or not. The same can not be said for ****. It has no direct connotation referring **** = woman.

**** may seem more offensive, but pussy is far more sexist.

Actually, you're wrong. The word pussy originates from the Latin term Pusillanimous which means to show cowardice.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pusillanimous

So, no, the term pussy is NOT sexist.

 

[conflictofinterests]

You have to be fair if you want to call it sexist.

If the word "dick" isn't sexist to you, then the "c-word" shouldn't be to you, either, for instance.

Well, words don't exist in a vacuum, and if they did, I'd be inclined to agree with you. As it is, however, calling a guy a term for a penis is Western society doesn't have the pejorative, demeaning, demoralizing connotations that calling a woman a term for a vagina has. Guys being "dicks" while insulting, still admits that they have agency, still admits their power in society. Women being "cunts" implies a wannabe status, presuming to have more agency than they actually do, or attempting to exercise more power than they have a right to. Calling someone a "pussy" implies that either they don't have agency, or they don't exercise it. I can't even think of another word synonymous with "penis" that one can throw out as an insult to a man.

 

[conflictofinterests]

Is ****** racist if you call a white guy that?

Dick and **** aren't the same level of insulting, a more equal feminine slur would be pussy.

That's not true.

When you call someone a pussy, you are saying they're scared. As scared as a woman. That is it's actual meaning, whether you consciously mean it to have sexist intention or not. The same can not be said for ****. It has no direct connotation referring **** = woman.

**** may seem more offensive, but pussy is far more sexist.

Actually, you're wrong. The word pussy originates from the Latin term Pusillanimous which means to show cowardice.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pusillanimous

So, no, the term pussy is NOT sexist.

Well, when the term pussy is used interchangeably for being a coward and for vagina, it kind of acquires a sexist bent, at least a little bit.

EDIT: Not in origin, but in current usage, is what I'm saying.

 

[Ryan Minns]

Apparently the English language is considered the hardest to learn by some due to many English words meaning completely different things

They're, Their and There. (Identical sounding)
To, Too and Two (Identical sounding)
What and Watt (Identical sounding)
Saw, saw and Sore (Identical sounding and spelling)
Right, Right and Right. Left and Left (Identical spelling)
Sorry is even used as an apology and a sympathetic term (Many languages have different "sorry's" for these) which apparently confuses many sometimes.
Identical/similar spelling doesn't help

Pussy(Coward) and pussy(vagina) for example are different. Just because they're the same word doesn't mean when I say sorry for someone losing their family I'm secretly admitting I slaughtered all of them myself and wish to apologise... because you know... I wouldn't do that!

 

[Nieroshai]

In America, "dick" is used the same way the British use the other word. Really, I think of it as calling the person a fuck-up. Of course, "****" has its stigma because it's only culturally recently that it was okay to swear at women in public.

 

[OZ7O]

a **** is a part of a vagina.No,vaginas are not sexist.Being sexist is hating someone because of their sex.So if you call somebody a **** because of their sex then you are sexist.And on the topic of racism,it isn't racist to call a black guy a black guy.HOLY LOGIC BATMAN!

 

[LongMuckDong]

Here in New Zealand it's used just as much as a compliment (example: "Thanks for the beer! you sir are a good ****!") as it is as an insult (example: "Hey shit for brains, stop drunk dialing me you ****!").

The true nature of the word (example: "Ohh yeah, keep putting that sex sword in my ****!") is hardly evoked, thus bringing me to the conclusion that, no; it is not seen as a sexist word here, downunder...the **** of the world some would say..

 

[Bug MuIdoon]

You do know that **** does have a direct connotation to vagina and is used to say that's the only important part of a woman. That's more sexist than saying women are more scared than men.

It doesn't, that's just conjecture. See Harker067's and my posts on the previous page.

The word pussy originates from the Latin term Pusillanimous which means to show cowardice.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pusillanimous

So, no, the term pussy is NOT sexist.

Awesome, thank you :]

neither **** nor pussy is sexist in origin. I still find it funny that vagina is!

 

[Mike Fang]

Maybe not sexist, no, but it is INCREDIBLY vulgar.

 

[chuckdm]

...I do use cocksucker as one of my top tier swears, and I certainly don't think there's anything wrong with that activity whatsoever. I might be slightly hypocritical on that point.

*SNIP*

But as the "cocksucker"-example above shows, I've still got some ironing out to do...

No, this isn't hypocritical, and here's why: only a female has a vagina, and only a male has a penis, but both have a mouth and are fully capable of performing the sexual act that "cocksucker" references. Accordingly, it isn't sexist. Rude (though that is the point) but not sexist.

This is the reason why **** is sexist. If both men and women had vaginas it would be only offensive generally, not sexist. But, since this is an insult that is only valid against one gender, it is sexist.

That said, I do feel like this is all missing the point somewhat. You are already insulting the person in question. Aside from being very rude in general, **** shouldn't be "banned" because being sexist is both a mark against the user, and a further, additional layer of insult against the target. Thus, usage of **** should be reserved for those you hate so badly that you are willing to damage your own reputation with those within earshot if it means damaging the reputation of your target even further.

Now that I've analyzed this to death...sleep...yes, at noon...