Is 'The C Word' Sexist?

[mattaui]

As I tend to use it only in the case of insults towards someone I'm angry with, I definitely don't mean it in a nice way. I'd never berate a woman verbally the way I'd berate a man, so I can safely say I've never said it to anyone's face, even if I've used it (still rarely enough) in describing someone else. I don't get rattled at people often, but when I do, it's full throttle.

I'll certainly avoid racist epithets, but everything else is pretty much fair game. It's language, deal with it.

 

[Asuka Soryu]

It's only sexist if you somehow think it's worse then saying/being called a "dick", "balls" or "ass hole".

 

[Sandernista]

I wouldn't say that the word is inherently sexist, but here in the US the severity of the word is indicative of a sexist society.

 

[Sandernista]

No. Sexism (and every other -ism) is about intent. I could say that women are inherently inferior and should be considered slaves to us mighty man-folk, but if I didn't actually mean it (and I don't, mods or offended people) I'm not being sexist. Someone could take it that way, of course, but that would be because they're ignoring my intent.

Words are tools, they aren't anything on their own.

Intent is a horrible way to judge anything and ultimately irrelevant. You can never truly prove intent, and you can never know another's intention.

 

[Sir Christopher McFarlane]

I don't consider it sexist. It can be directed at both genders anyway.

 

[likalaruku]

Well bullocks (testicles) is used for unfavorable situations, but only in the UK. We need to start using it in the US.

Now calling someone a pussy is derogatory, because tom cats are just as wimpy as pussy cats, if not wimpier.

 

[Sean951]

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.

Always wondered why "****" is considered terrible, yet the same very people likely use the word "dick" in a derogatory way at the same time. Never understood the difference.

New thread, is it sexist that **** is considered sexist but dick isn't?

I think guys started calling each other dicks long before women, so it's hard to make a case against it. It's also culturally acceptable to the point that it's allowed on network television, while I don't think I've ever heard c*nt other than HBO or Comedy Central's "After Hours" programming.

 

[AlexWinter]

Well I use the word **** to refer to men and women as much as I use the word dick to refer to men and women. Seems pretty equal to me.

EDIT: Also I wrote a dissertation on insulting language for my linguistics course and it concluded that the syllables that make up a word are actually what defines how offensive we perceive them to be.

That's why dick is seen as less offensive than ****.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Its sexist and the amount it is used does not make it any less sexist. I had to spend over an hour educating a friend of mine as to why the use of the word "Gay" to mean "Anything not good" (See: "That's totally gay" or equivalent) is homophobic. Context is everything, true, and many people who use it, including myself, do not intend to be sexist in the slightest. However, it is still sexist.

One might as well argue that "******" is not homophobic because it is used by so many people in certain communities, or "******" is not racist for the same reason. Context is everything but content still matters. It is not even a question of whether or not you are offending the person you are calling a ****, it is a question of if others are finding your language offensive that are in earshot.

It is why I do not like eating out with my sisters. I swear a lot, although I try and limit this to when it is socially acceptable. I swear more around my sisters, they swear constantly. They have no issue with speaking the same as they do when at home as they do in public and I find it upsetting.

Ah, This argument. It is a word with baggage. Like I said, context matters, but context does not change the content. Intent matters, but intent is not everything. If you totally and utterly accidentally buy stolen goods you can still be arrested for handling them, even if that was not your intent, for ignorance is not an excuse in the eyes of the law.

If I call someone a fucking ****** it does not mater at all if I meant "You very nice person who I love dearly", the term is homophobic REGARDLESS of intent. Same with calling someone a ****. The term is sexist, pure and simple, (As are terms like "Dick" but you know what, that argument is circular and pointless). The question is how much you care and do the people around you care?

For whilst I will not stand for the F word that I have typed multiple times during this post, I can call people cunts. And I do. I accept that it is sexist, I also accept that my close friends are all male and that no harm whatsoever is meant. However, I am still being sexist. Much like when I posted the words "Ding dong the ***** is dead" on FB, that was a sexist remark, it was a gendered insult. It was wrong.

Most of our insults are insulting. That is sorta the point of insults. Denying that the term being discussed is not sexist based on either intent or proliferation is utterly, UTTERLY pointless, for all of the arguments made above.

Unless you intend to indicate that the F word or the N word used above are not racist or homophobic. In which case you are quite simply wrong.

This. Well said.

Both the fact that the word **** is sexist, and the fact that it being sexist doesn't matter because insults are supposed to be BAD words. That's what makes them insults.

Although, everyone who is saying that dick = ****, you're incorrect. Cock is the swear word equivalent of ****. Dick isn't one of the Heavy Seven, but Cock is, so Cock is the proper comparison.

Anyway, this is one of the annoying thing about the sexism debate. No one is saying anyone needs to STOP being sexist. One can recognize that something is offensive without needing to stop being offensive. As noted, the point of insults is to BE offensive.

However, understanding what a word means - and how it affects people and culture - is important. Once you understand what words mean, you can use them most effectively. Even if the word in question is "**** curtains" - the most creative term for "labia" I've ever heard.

 

[nicetomeetkita]

In North America, it's pretty much the worst word you could use on a woman. I know it's fairly commonly used elsewhere, but here it's pretty horrible. If someone said it to me, or someone I cared about (and meant it), there would probably be a punch to the face involved.

As a fellow North American, I second this.

Usually if someone calls me a *****: playfully? - no problem (my college roommate and I called each other this daily because it became a term of endearment); seriously? - there is offense taken, but not to an absurd degree. But I do hate the word "****" something fierce: and if someone called me that, playfully or otherwise, it would mean a significant verbal or physical altercation.

On the question of whether it is sexist, ehhhh I don't know. It's the worst insult (bar none for women, I'm not sure for guys because it's never come up in conversation with male friends), so the fact that the "big bad" curse word is a part of female sexual anatomy could be considered relatively sexist. Sure, we throw "dick" around, but that doesn't have the same connotation of being quite as negative (probably because it's become pretty frequent in its use).

 

[Annihilist]

Pfft, no. We say "dick" all the time. What's the difference?

 

[Vausch]

I'm Irish. I call everyone I think is being something worse than a fucking horrible sonnovabitch a ****. Considering the ratio of men to women I think deserve that is somewhere around 70-30, no I don't think it's sexist.

Of course there's the argument of "Why is "dick" okay for men but **** is not okay for women?"

 

[Mr F.]

F?

Odd name.

Listen, people are thrown out of whack by mere words way too often. Forget context for a moment. We shouldn't even BE so freaky-outy over this shit. The word does not outperform the deed, though. If someone gets raped, that's WAY more sexist than calling someone a ****. No offense, but it makes logical sense to me.

My username is based on a pseudonym I occasionally write or blog under and is of no consequence.

The rest of your post is pointless. I am not stating that calling someone a **** is the same as raping someone. I am really confused by your post. It also contains some stupid logic. If I were to get raped would that be sexist? Under the laws of this land the only person who could rape me would be another man. So yeah. Interesting that your mind makes the association between rape and a women being raped. Nothing wrong with that. It is how your brain has been wired since birth.

Honestly, when people call something sexist they are not saying it is on the same level as "all sexist acts ever". Calling a black guy the N word is racist. Starting a hate organization with the full intent of exterminating all black people is significantly more racist. Just because one is worse then the other does not mean that words should be ignored.

I am sorry, but your argument makes no logical sense.

To break it down.

"People get upset by words" - Uh, point? That is the point behind insults and since words convey meaning, people think about them.

"Context doesn't matter and we should not get upset by words" - Uh, what? Your statement indicates you think language doesn't matter much at all.

"The word is not worse then the thing the word describes" - This is where you really confuse me. **** is a term used for vagina. It is not a term used for rape and has no associations with rape, unless you associate vagina with rape. Which, if you do, is very bad.

No offense was taken, honestly. Your post did nothing but confuse me.

It's only sexist if you somehow think it's worse then saying/being called a "dick", "balls" or "ass hole".

How is ass hole sexist? Seriously? I do not think you quite thought that through.

No. Sexism (and every other -ism) is about intent. I could say that women are inherently inferior and should be considered slaves to us mighty man-folk, but if I didn't actually mean it (and I don't, mods or offended people) I'm not being sexist. Someone could take it that way, of course, but that would be because they're ignoring my intent.

Words are tools, they aren't anything on their own.

No. Its not. You can accidentally be sexist. You can accidentally be racist. You can accidentally be homophobic. actually, trying not to tread on peoples toes can sometimes be a bit of a challenge. The very language we use is important and can offend people.

I do not give a flying fuck about context, if people use the term ****** around me and do not justify themselves very, very quickly, they will end up on my black list. Because the term is homophobic. The word, by itself, carries weight and meaning. It is not a nice term. And, as much as ****** is homophobic due to the words history and its meaning, **** is sexist due to its history and its meaning.

Proliferation does not matter, intent does not matter. You might have meant "I love you man, you are my best friend" but if you use a term which means something so totally different, particularly to people within the LGBTQ community, then you are simply not communicating properly and being homophobic, through choice of language. I have had friends who genuinely had to be sat aside to learn why calling all Arabs "Towelheads" or "Darkies" was racist. He could not understand. He was not racist, his parents were and that is just how they raised him (Army family). Those terms are racist.

And much like Towelhead, Darkie or ****** are racist, racist and homophobic, **** is a sexist term.

Honestly, this thread has little of discussion value. The word is used as an insult, of course it is insulting, and the nature of the insult is "You are a vagina" so it equates vagina with bad and is therefore sexist. Like when people say "Thats so gay!" to mean "Thats really bad", its homophobic. Who gives a damn about intent.

Its content that matters. Ignorance is not innocence in the eyes of the law.

 

[FalloutJack]

Snip

Well, gee. I guess if you have to be abusive, condescending, and instigating to make a point, then so be it. I'll tell you what, F. If you get a warning for the report I just made, then you're right. However, if nothing comes of it, then you're wrong.

 

[Scarecrow]

No, I don't think so. Also the word isn't strong. Maybe it's because I'm in Australia, and anybody who's being to Australian, especially the outer suburbs of large cities, you know that the word **** is less of word, and more like a verbal tick, used like a full stop at the end of every sentence.

 

[PhiMed]

No, the word "****" isn't sexist. The context in which it's used in North America often is, though.

So, since every trampled upon group in North America is composed, entirely, of five year olds who try to ban words regardless of context, and refuse to consider and examine what someone is saying before jumping at the fact that they used a particular word, people have decided that it's THE WORST THING YOU CAN EVER SAY, except for all the other words that are supposedly THE WORST THING YOU CAN EVER SAY.

 

[Nestor Laszyn]

Context it always important to consider.

 

[thespyisdead]

let me express my opinion using only the c-word *sees ban hammer looming* gee fine...

OT: i think Conan put it very nicely:

also, it's all in the context of the situation... men can still call other men cunts

 

[pearcinator]

'Straya ****!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-SUhJT3g1c[/youtube]