Is 'The C Word' Sexist?

[Amaury_games]

Obligatory Yahtzee quote (I'm surprised I haven't seen it posted here until now!): "This review is dedicated to you, anonymous forum poster, because you are a ****. What are you? You're a ****, yes you are. You live in a cunty cottage and you drive a cunty car!" (not actually dedicated to the OP, but I couldn't help remembering these lines from the Quantum Conundrum review when I read the title).
I'm afraid that's all I can do, since I'm not from an English speaking country, so I don't have any history with the word **** being used as offensive or sexist (really?!)... unless the equivalent in my language counts and it also is a strong word around here, though I hear it used more in expressing anger about a situation more than about a person.

Examples: "Why this **** of a program just won't work?" or "****! I slammed the car door on my fingers!"
I almost never hear it in "You ****! You killed Kenny!"; just thinking about a phrase like that sounds very off (not because of politeness, but because it sounds forced).

Maybe my opinion about the subject may count so here it is:

I've never actually heard a girl get called a ****. Guys, though? All the time. I don't consider it particularly terrible. If I wanted to actually insult a girl by 'reducing her to just her parts' or whatever the stupid determinist logic behind this is, I'd probably just call her a filthy cum-dumpster and be done with it. Obviously I don't ever actually do that, but the option is there.

I'm also British, if anyone hasn't guessed. In certain pubs, finding new and inventive ways to call people cunts is practically a past-time in between rounds of darts.

I think "cum dumpster" is both more offensive, AND more sexist. "****" doesn't bother me too much though.

Seriously? I get ninjad on 'cum-dumpster' of all things. Well done Sir

I pretty much agree with these people. Swear words logic is weird, if it exists at all. XD

 

[Mr F.]

Well, these two questions will take seconds to answer:

1. Yes.

2. Yes.

Thats about it. Gay people can use homophobic words, not every word used by a gay person is no longer homophobic. Intent matters but content is very important. Thats about it really. And the word **** does have gendered associations, it might have colloquial meanings and uses but honestly, we all know what it means. We all know it means vagina. The association is still there. It still has its meaning.

This is not a subject I can speak with total authority on. I might just text my sister James, he specializes in this kind of stuff (English needs more gender neutral terms. That was a clunky as fuck way of referring to my sibling who happens to be gender neutral. But they prefer it that way).

The real question is how much you, and the people you are talking to, care. (This is where it is back to context). IF the people around you know you are not being sexist, then you are not being sexist despite the words you are using. But the words themselves still have those meanings. Its a strange thing to bend your mind around.

I see what you're saying there, but... I dunno. I certainly disagree with the whole 'we all know what it means' because quite frankly, we don't all know what it means. Many of my friends and relatives don't know it's 'true' meaning and gendered-association (hell, I didn't know it's meaning until I bothered looking it up a couple years ago), and odds are good their children won't know it either (most of these guys/gals are 3rd gen minimum users of **** as a verb/noun/adjective/Punctuation mark). Couple this with how common and meaningless it is in England/Ireland/Scotland...

The jist of what I'm saying is I get your point of the whole 'it's a sexist word but is often used without sexist intent', but I reckon that due to the sheer number of people who use it without sexist intent nor even knowing it's gendered meaning will 'strip the power' of it so-to-say, eventually rendering it as yet another completely meaningless word ala fuck in a few more generations. Granted, could be horribly wrong (not exactly an expert in linguistics and the evolution of words over time), but it's certainly how it's changed meaning around here from what I've seen.

Well, I am not exactly a professor of linguistics either, I just bounce things off my sister or my mother (My sister being a feminist, my mother being a linguist) and I build my views from that. Perhaps we all know what it means is a bad way of putting it, we might not all know what it means but that does not change its usage. If, at some point, it is totally and utterly stripped of all meaning and loses ANY meaning as another word for vagina, then yes, it is not a sexist term any more. However, we are talking about the here and now, not the future, not potential. And, right now, it means vagina, and it is used to indicate that something is bad, this usage is inherently sexist. It is exactly the same as using the term gay to mean anything bad, the intent is in most cases not homophobic, however it is as a result of our culture. It is used in that way and it is homophobic in its usage. However, unlike ****, the term "Gay" will not shift away from its current meaning (Homosexual male), and its usage is far less ambiguous.

So in a way, I am agreeing with you. If, at some point, **** loses its meaning as anything other then its common usage then yes, it will no longer be sexist. However, since it currently has that meaning, its usage is inherently sexist. This is the point of the word though. It is an insult because of our culture, our society, and its meaning (Which is as a result of its history combined with our culture/society). Circular, yes, but honestly rather simple to understand.

Insults are insulting. That is the point of insults. With some insults if you seek to understand why they are insulting you end up coming to the conclusion that they are sexist. Honestly, the vast majority of insults carry some form of baggage. Calling someone a "Retard" instead of an "Idiot" is ablest, for example. It is MEANT to be ablest, that is the point of the insult.

However, despite my lack of being a linguistics professor, I am still infuriated when people try and make the baseless claim that words lack any meaning. Its a very, very stupid argument. If it held true, communication would be impossible. And there are those within this very thread who are attempting to make that claim (You are not one of them.)

 

[interspark]

As with most swear words, it depends entirely on the context. For example, I have a sexist... friend who uses the word "*****" to describe any woman he has even the slightest of negative feelings towards, but only women. I, on the other hand, regularly use ***** to refer to people who are petty, gossipy or empty-headed... Or to ironically refer to men's mother's when I'm annoyed.

 

[GonzoGamer]

Words cannot be sexist.
Only people can be sexist.

I think George Carlin said it best.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pksx_IAHDE

As an American I try and only call guys cunts. It's a great percussive word, but where I come from, the women will start hurling punches at you if you direct it towards them.

 

[gizmo2300]

The sound of the word **** certainly packs a punch and sure, it refers to female genitalia. That said, it's a slur you throw at someone when you're pissed off, like forexample "That Kim Jong Un fellow sure is an oppressive ****", the word **** in this context is meant to hurt them, which is why it's useful. As for it being sexist, well, I guess but the word isn't exactly meant to induce thoughts of rosegardens and teaparties. So let it be sexist! It's meant to offend anyway!

 

[Mikeyfell]

No! no god dammit! nothing is sexist in and of its self!
Not even directly insulting a woman.

The only way anything becomes sexist is if you use it to imply that all women are inherently inferior to anything that isn't a woman for no reason.

Calling a woman a **** if she's being a ****, calling a man a **** if he's being a ****, Calling a 9 year old a **** ironically to point out that tabloid journalists have no tact. none of those things are sexist.

Calling someone a **** because comparing them to a female organ is the best insult you can think of makes you sexist, but not the word its self.

 

[skulltaglegion]

if you are resorting to using swears to offend someone, you're doing it wrong

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

Words cannot be sexist.
Only people can be sexist.

I think George Carlin said it best.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pksx_IAHDE

As an American I try and only call guys cunts. It's a great percussive word, but where I come from, the women will start hurling punches at you if you direct it towards them.

bah thanks for posting that, i forgot how awesome george carlin is.

and i'll say i do try to do this, i flip flop gender associated words, or i just use words that make no sense (unless with context) if i feel like being an aggressive ***** to someone.

"shut your pie hole, you scanty clown, nobody gives a flying muffin about your canadian opinion"

*note on the use of the word canadian, i am not referring to actual canadians, it's hilarious to see peoples reactions when i use it in my context though*

 

[DanielBrown]

In Swedish it's fairly common to use. Nothing you say in front of your parents, but it's used once in a while. It's used in the exact same was as in English.
When playing LOTRO once, while I was in a mainly UK based kinship, I made a comment about people tagging mobs being cunts and chaos erupted. They all went into a fit of rage and scolded me for saying that. Was almost kicked out of the kin.

Since we can say dick, dickhead or other cock words I don't see why **** should be so frowned upon.

 

[dando300]

Is calling some one a "dick or a prick" sexist?
I don't think so, though being British its not a particularly bad swear word.

 

[FallenMessiah88]

Not really, unless you would consider the word "dick" sexist as well. I guess it depends on the situation and the intent behind it.

The way I see it, it's just a standard curse word. A woman can be a dick, just as a man can be a ****.

 

[Wolf In A Bear Suit]

Irish here, it's pretty much the worst word you can use for me, not sexist though, never used it on a girl, just people who are been downright cunts.

 

[Daveman]

I'm pretty sure I don't care. It's an insult, the more offensive it is the better. I mean it's clearly not sexist, but come on.

Also, why do Americans think we Brits don't think it's a really offensive word? Some of us are just more offensive people and so use offensive words more. That doesn't change the meaning of the word.

Frankly I prefer fuck as it scores more in Scrabble.

 

[Laurents van Cauwenberghe]

no not at all, i've always found the notion of that retarded...
if i say dick or dickhead am i a sexist?
thought so

 

[OtherSideofSky]

'****' is certainly no more sexist an insult than 'dick,' 'cock,' 'knob end,' or 'wanker.'

Personally, though, I never use '****' as an insult because it is my favorite word for female genitalia and I very much enjoy the sound of it.

 

[templar1138a]

I have no issue with it personally. Then again, I'm a guy. Still, I only think there only a few contexts in which it is acceptable to use in real life, but those are mutually agreed sexual situations. If one is going The best argument I've heard against it is from 30 Rock: There's no male equivalent.

 

[Hagi]

Seeing as the primary purpose of an insult is to be insulting I don't really see the problem with people getting offended over it, that's kinda the point.

Doesn't mean there's no problem with using insults, it's just that the problem is with the person, not with the word.

As such the word ****, or any other insult, isn't in any way negative. In fact if it causes a lot of offense then the word itself is pretty damn positive, it does exactly what it's supposed to do and does so extremely well.

 

[lettucethesallad]

It's a derogatory word for a woman's sexual organs that you use to describe someone in a negative light. Yeah, I'd say it's pretty sexist. Doesn't matter if it's a guy or girl who's the person you're calling a **** either.

 

[Schadrach]

Well, yes, you are using an obscene term for female genitalia as an insult.

However, the amount that it is sexist is based on the amount that it's an insult. As mentioned, this varies a lot, in places where it's not particularly obscene or insulting, I'd say it's much less sexist.

It does come with a lot of baggage though.

Yet, I suspect you wouldn't consider several other words particularly sexist. For example, any of the pejoratives that mean penis. Or the the ones that reference male masturbation, or semen.

CAPTCHA: take it all. I'm not sure how to take that.