Is 'The C Word' Sexist?

WarpZone

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Mar 9, 2008
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Is it sexist? Well. Would the word and your use of it be robbed of all meaning if males and females were exactly the same in all respects? If so, then it's sexist.

(Note: By this test, "dick" is also sexist.)

Is it inherently insulting? Moreso in the U.S. than in the U.K. Like all swears, it depends on who hears you say it.

I'm from the U.S., but I once saw an episode of Coupling where they only *alluded* to this word ("You can relax now. She just said 'you can't.'" "Believe me, that wasn't can't.") Am I correct in reading this to mean that you normally wouldn't hear that word on TV in the UK?

(Just so everyone can calibrate their swearometers, IIRC they weren't afraid to say 'hell,' 'damn' or 'shit' on the same show, along with a bunch of English swears. I can't remember if they ever dropped the f-bomb. There were constant allusions to adult situations, but no partial nudity, even in the episode about partial nudity.)
 

freakonaleash

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Jan 3, 2009
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It isn't generally considered sexist I don't think, but it is considered pretty much the strongest curse word you can use.
 

GAunderrated

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I don't know and personally who cares? I use the word "cunty" for both men and women alike. Word's don't have racism, sexism, etc ism's, only the intent should imply racism or sexism.

Of course this always differs between certain cultures.
 

Sudden Thunder

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Jan 12, 2013
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While it can obviously be used as an offensive word, here in New Zealand it can often be used in a positive light. If a person is pretty cool we often say, "yeah he's a good ****" Though to be honest I never really hear it used to describe a women that way.
 

Xarathox

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Feb 12, 2013
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Is being alive sexist?

I think so seeing as how the word is attached to everything anymore, that it's become a farce. I could die a happy man if I never see the fucking word used in any context ever again.
 

ungothicdove

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It's a pretty terrible way to reduce a woman down to her sex organs. I use the word, but generally just around buddies who I know won't care or when I'm swearing to myself. People who think that **** is just another word are right, but it has a long history like the word ****** that can bring up a lot of negative emotions. Say what you want about not being upset by words, but people aren't robots and words can cause a myriad of emotions.

I must confess that I have called a woman by that one time in my life. But in my defense, she was extremely drunk at a bar where we were celebrating New Years, and she was going around and poking people in the eye and she even hit one of my female friends in the face for no apparent reason. I was almost going to fight one of her friends(a guy), who took offense to my use of the word, but cooler heads prevailed. He couldn't really disagree that she was being a pretty terrible person that night, and I agreed that it was a pretty strong word to use. He was actually a really nice dude, but he was stuck with the job of babysitting a group of completely hammered girls.
 

rasputin0009

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Feb 12, 2013
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**** is one of my most favorite words and I'm not even sure why. Maybe it's just the irony of it being such a hard, ugly sounding word for what a vagina is supposed to be; a dainty, pretty, little flower. (Ya, I probably used the word irony wrong there, but I don't care.) I can see how it can be considered sexist, sure. But, I don't completely understand the offense taken to it. I think it stems from self-esteem issues that a woman might have with their pretty little vaginas that they're not supposed to talk about because society says she'd be considered a slut.

I use it a lot whenever I injure myself, and I save it for special times when I really do meet a **** of a person. B oy, have I met some cunty people that really needed to know that they're cunts. I'm also a polite Canadian if that puts this in perspective.
 

DSK-

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May 13, 2010
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The word is used a great deal at my workplace in just about every possible conversation. Even the women use it and aren't bothered by it lol :/

OP: I don't think it's any worse than words for Male genitalia in regards to sexism.
 

emeraldrafael

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Jul 17, 2010
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I guess? I mean, a word is a word and the only power behind it is the power its given. I've never actually heard anyone use the word **** without being derogatory (even when they're referring to vaginas), and I guess its as sexist as saying a guy's a dick. To me its the same as saying the N word (which i still cant really bring myself to write out unless i'm rather pissed much less say) is racist but thats only when its directed to smeone of african decent. If its between two Caucasian people then it just sounds weird, just like its weird hearing two girls use the word dick against one another and hearing two guys say one is a ****. It definitely has its own gender ascribed to it, but in general its just a derogatory term.
 

Mr F.

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Laurents van Cauwenberghe said:
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
You are aware that you just used an ablest term to state that you find the idea that a sexist term is sexist to be stupid? The irony is amazing. I assume retard is also totally not offensive?
 

Ancientgamer

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Jan 16, 2009
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I've only read the first page of discussion, so I'm not sure if any ongoing arguments are happening.

But for the OP, In Britain the word doesn't mean much, the reason it does here is because America has been a separate nation for ~250 years and different cultures develop different linguistic eccentricities; simple as. If you mean specifically why, you could probably write a dissertation on the exact history of the word, so you're not going to get a good answer on this board.

If you mean why is it sexist, or rather 'more' sexist than similar male oriented words like dick or cock, it's because males haven't been subjugated for thousands of years and we already enjoy an overwhelming social androcentrism - it simply carries no particular weight to call someone a cock.

Power dynamics are a huge and objectivally relevant part of sociology, I want to be relatively inoffensive about making this point but if you aren't able to accept this at least in some sense you're about 60 years behind the times.
 

LetalisK

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May 5, 2010
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The sexism of the insult is in the eye of the beholder. Though if I'm at the point where I'm calling someone a ****, it's just another short-hand for "worthless sack of almost-human meat", like a multitude of other insults.
 

FalloutJack

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Nov 20, 2008
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*Two pages later*

Whelp, Mr. F didn't get a warning for being a deliberate irritant towards me. You know, trying to make a statement about mere words when I don't even get ONE TENTH as annoyed at words over action (such as the internet VS real life) is silly. No, **** is just a word. Much like F is just a letter. Though, it WAS a devious plot. If his words were really that much impact when he insulted me, the mods would've decked him for it. And if they didn't - which is what happened - then he's proven wrong. I love being me.
 
Apr 24, 2008
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I wouldn't ask. There's an endless parade of people who will wrongly assert that they're right, and I say fuck the lot of them. It comes down to making your own mind up and knowing your audience.

My own 2-worthless-cents: I don't consider it sexist or offensive. It's one of many arguably "gendered" insults that I throw at the women in my life on a regular basis, knowing full well that they can handle it.
 

Ryan Minns

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Mar 29, 2011
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This was touched on by my friend with her Forgotten woman speech. "Loaded terms" to be more specific but I honestly can't remember exactly what was said which sucks.

My thoughts... I dislike the sound of the word, it seems forced to me but as a word I don't give a toss about it since I don't believe there is such thing as 'loaded terms'.
 

Syndarr

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Mar 28, 2008
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I wouldn't exactly call it sexist, but I think it's not a good word to use as an insult. Not in the sense that I find it particularly offensive, but in the sense that, as many people have already pointed out, it's taking a good thing (a vagina) and turning it into a bad thing. Too many women--and men, too--are already taught that vaginas are bad and dirty and shameful. We don't need more of that. Same reason "gay" should never be used as an insult, either. Consciously or otherwise, it perpetuates and encourages a hateful way of thinking.

That said, I actually really like the word "****" and wish it got used more in a positive sense. Reclaim your cunts! **** **** **** **** ****! :D
 
Apr 24, 2008
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Mr F. said:
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.)
Wait... what?

I don't think people are claiming that words have zero meaning, on the contrary, I think that most people are arguing that they have multiple meanings... many of which don't get considered when it comes time to compile a dictionary because they're too regional, or potentially controversial. "Controversial" not being a synonym for "wrong".

"Appropriate language" is informed by cultures, which develop their own brand of humour which is itself subjective and forever evolving. It's all in flux. It's simultaneously meaningful and not. So I can't really begrudge anyone for not showing deference to the sanitised, formal iteration of a language that is handed to them. Language is ours, it doesn't belong to dictionary publishers, and different perspectives are valid. Especially considering that the people who tend to get offended, tend to get vocal, and they end up being the people that need to be appeased. It doesn't make them right, it just makes them awkward.
 

Tuxedoman

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Apr 16, 2009
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Well in New Zealand it can be used as both a greeting and another way of saying "Good Job", so yeah. Its not *that* offensive here.
 

Yeager942

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Oct 31, 2008
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Froggy Slayer said:
I would like some bloody Yanks to explain to me how sexist it really is over there, for I have heard conflicting reports.
I don't know dude, it's just weird how it has a different connotation here. "Why" is it in unutterable? No clue, it's just what society seemed to collectively decide. I find it kind of weird considering how it's not that big of a curse in the UK. I was talking to some of my female neighbors at my dorm, and they tell me that they find the word incredibly offensive. Maybe it's just the ones I've talked to, but if they find it offensive than I won't say it.