On bitchs.sluts and political correctness

[jlzania]

One of the underlying premises, indeed a fundamental principal of SDMB is tolerance. We don’t trade insults based on a posters’ race, religion or sexual preferences. You can be a tri-racial, bi-sexual, neo-pagan fundamentalist and your opinions, if expressed politely and rationally, will be given credence. Should I strongly disagree with your position, I can call you a jerk or worse but I can never call you an overweight Chinese/Mexican lesbian Wiccan jerk. Which, of course, is how it should be.

So why in the name of god’s green earth is it acceptable to use distinctly feminine nouns as a form of ridicule? I am referring specially to the practice of using the words ‘bitch” and “slut” as an insult in recent threads.Want to mock a poster whose opinion you disagree with? Call her a slut! Want to disparage a male poster? Call him a bitch! For years these terms have been a means of degrading strong and/or sexually active women and they are gender specific. Ask any high school girl how many sexually active boys are called sluts. Ask any women how many times assertive men are characterized as bitches. I don’t accept the argument that they have now become acceptable in popular culture either and therefore have lost their distinctly female connation. I don’t think most rappers as using the terms as a form of respect or endearment and I can also remember when calling some one a fag or queer was acceptable in popular culture as well.

Insult someone by calling them a cretin or an asshole or a jerk but don’t bleat about sensitivity and political correctness while using terms that are derogatory to 50 percent of the population

[Ferret Herder]

Isn't asshole a primarily male insult?

:D

[jlzania]

Gee, I thought assholes were common to both sexes?

[Michael Ellis]

[Kevin Kline]

Ass-HOOOOLE!

[/Kevin Kline]

[Ferret Herder]

I can't remember the last time I called a woman an asshole; most people I know use that as the male equivalent of 'bitch'. Jerk, I've used for both genders.

And that was a joke, btw. A poor one, perhaps.

[Caught@Work]

So now I can't call anyone a dick or a prick, or even dingus?
When did PC take over profanity?

[CalMeacham]

Don't be a schmuck.

[dropzone]

:wally

[Honey]

Can I still say Bitch if I use it as a verb?

;)



Honey

[jlzania]

My point Caught@Work is that both bitch and slut have historical connations that dingus or dick lack. It was inspired by the irony of Redboss' ire at the usage of the term "fat" as an insult.

[Briminator]

OK no problem. So if I want to insult someone on this board I should first ask them what gender they are and then after they reply I can use the correct gender-insult terminology.



Man that is going to be such a bitch

[jlzania]

Look-in the grand scheme of things, , Briminator et al, you can use any form of insult that you choose. That's certainly your prerogative. If you think someone is being wimpy, call them a fag. If you consider someone stupid, call them a retard. If you have a problem with a lazy co-worker, call them a "fat ass". Oh-not acceptable terminology, you say. Then why is it acceptable to use terms that have historically been used in the degradation of women?

[A Monkey With a Gun]

Man, all you ho's is bitchin in this phat thread.

word

[Embra]

But what will happen to what is secretly my favourite Pit thread-title ever, "Laugh it up, tit-sweat"? (Thanks jarbabyj for that - I snigger whenever I think of it.)

I suppose both men and women can experience tit-sweat. Or should I be referring to "man-boob-sweat" for a guy?

Yes, "bitch" and "slut" are gender-based insults based on a historically oppressive characterisation of "strong women". however, I do tend to think, "And?"

It's not the same as a word like "fag": "bitch" is not synonymous with "woman", whereas for the numb-nuts issuing the insult, "fag" is synonymous with "gay". Yes, "bitch" criticises a particular female behaviour, and I agree that it's unfair that there don't seem to be similar words that are as offensive/useful as insults for exclusively male behaviour, but it isn't the same as using the actual state of being a woman as an insult.

Did that make sense? I really only joined in to use the word "tit-sweat".

Embra

[Dirty Earthworm]

Maybe I am missing the point of the OP, but I've always used both "bitch" and "slut" for both sexes. Men can be bitches as well as sluts.

When a guy bitches - er, um ... whines too much, I consider him a bitch. Not permanently, not all the time. Same for a woman. John and Jane are pissing and moaning about one thing or another and won't drop it. Both John and Jane are bitches.

"Slut," on the other hand, is one that I am more careful with. I don't see the "male equivalent" of slut as "stud;" I see it as "swinger" or "player." But, more often than not, if a guy is having a problem keeping it in his pants or has cheated on his SO, I consider him a slut.

Both words have negative connotations, but isn't the point of an insult to make someone angry or upset? Why insult someone if you can't piss them off? There have been several times when I have said something in the course of an argument that may or may not be true, just to piss someone off.

And since we're going with the whole gender issue, is "motherfucker" a predominantly "male" word? Sure, I suppose a woman could theoretically fornicate with her mother, but ... wouldn't you just call her an incestuous dyke then? ;) (I think we need a tongue-in-cheek smiley)


Anyway, my original point was that, while I don't speak for everyone, I personally don't see gender labels on "bitch" and "slut." Most of the time I use "bitch" as a verb, anyway.

Just my 2¢.

-Dirty

[wring]

Can I still call people a fucknickle?


[arnold horshack voice] ooooohhh oooooooooh [/arnold voice]

I know, how 'bout genderless fucknickle? or genderless fuckquarter (adjusted for inflation) adjusted isn't a masculine concept is it?? :confused:

[mouthbreather]

I sit with waiting, with baited breath, for even more pit threads on words we can't use.

While I'm waiting, can someone please pass me the offended-flakes? I clearly have not had enough to hang out in the pit this week.

[mouthbreather]

Or maybe I am waiting with "bated breath".

[Mooch]

Whatever, bait-breath.:D

[mouthbreather]

Well, I am going fishing tomorrow. It may not be a bad thing.

[John Carter of Mars]

Please understand, I'm taking dictation here; responding for my four-footed friend that's sitting at foot-side:

Who the hell told you humans it was OK to subvert the word "bitch" to a derogatory connotation? The best sex I've ever had has been with bitches. Knock it off!
As for your indiscriminate use of the word "pussy", well, take it from the voice of experience, that stuff's only fit for chasin' up trees.

Boydog

[John Carter of Mars]

Originally posted by mouthbreather
Well, I am going fishing tomorrow. It may not be a bad thing.

Just don't stick your baited tongue in the water.........

[Bad News Baboon]

Originally posted by mouthbreather
I sit with waiting, with baited breath, for even more pit threads on words we can't use.

While I'm waiting, can someone please pass me the offended-flakes? I clearly have not had enough to hang out in the pit this week.

cheesy announcer voice:

OFFENDED-FLAKES -
They are just for breakfast anymore.

(close in on hollywood smile with glimmer on it)

[LurkMeister]

Random thoughts on the subject of insults:

One of my closest friends would sometimes go into "flaming queen" mode (usually in response to some smart-ass remark), which eventually led to either me or my wife waiting for the appropriate moment to mutter "faggot" - at which point he would stop and say either "where, where?" or "and proud of it!"

Once when I was trying to negotiate through a crowded train platform I had to push past a woman who apparently thought I was unnecessarily violating her "space'' and said something to the effect of "watch it, nigger." I stopped and looked back at her, shook my head, and continued on my way, trying to figure out why a Black/Afro-American/whatever woman would call a white/Caucasion/whatever man "nigger".

Insults can be given, but need not be accepted.

[Cervaise]

We didn't get much out of this debate the last time we did it (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=102567), either.

[jlzania]

I didn't realize that it had been the subject of a prior pit thread Cervaise . Thanks for pointing it out. [b]lissener's argument was more articulate then mine but the point is essentially the same.

[tisiphone]

Hmm...I think I'm offended by all this offense!

/Berke Breathed/

Ohmigod, it's offensensitivity! Aiigh!

:everybody runs:

/Berke Breathed/

[Freudian Slit]

Oh, cripes, when you tell people what NOT to say in terms of profanity, it makes them want to say it even more. That's why it's profane to begin with.

And for the record, I'll paraphrase Guin in the other thread and say I'm proud to be a bitch. :)

[Eonwe]

Originally posted by Embra
It's not the same as a word like "fag": "bitch" is not synonymous with "woman", whereas for the numb-nuts issuing the insult, "fag" is synonymous with "gay". Yes, "bitch" criticises a particular female behaviour, and I agree that it's unfair that there don't seem to be similar words that are as offensive/useful as insults for exclusively male behaviour, but it isn't the same as using the actual state of being a woman as an insult.

Did that make sense? I really only joined in to use the word "tit-sweat".


Excellent point.

[RenegadeLibrarian]

Where I am, Bitch has spawned a much less offencive (at least in our usage) term: Beeyyyatch, which tends to mean something akin to "dweeb."

I will illustrate with two scenes.

Person slaps me for no reason: "You bitch!"

Person gives me a "wet willie": "You beeeyyyaattcchh!"