It is important to start this by saying that neither my friend or I are homophobic and my friend was playing devil’s advocate for purposes of debate.
Yesterday I was having a conversation with a friend of mine and I chastized him on the use of the insult cocksucker because of the homophobic connotation. He accepted my criticism as valid but he came back at me by saying,
“But what about motherfucker”
I contemplated that for a second and rejoined with,
“Huh?”
Anyway his point was if you can’t insult someone by calling them a cocksucker, a concept which you find repulsive, then why is motherfucker ok.
“Because it’s wrong.”
“So is being a fag.”
“But it’s gross.”
“Homosexuals are icky. You are just a bigot, what could be wrong with a consenting relationship between two adults”
The conversation went on, but I was unable to penetrate his defense.
In light of our conversation should mother fucker should be off limits as an insult/expletive. I can’t even work out what my position is.
I don’t see it that way at all; the purpose of an insult like that isn’t to insinuate that the recipient actually sucks penises or has sexual relations with his mother; I’d even venture to suggest that no such mental imagery takes place in the mind of either the insultor or insultee; it’s just a case of making a nasty sound.
A lot of insults aren’t really used for their literal meaning (son of a bitch, bastard) but for a more abstract sort of visceral impact. I don’t think most people hear the word “motherfucker,” and think about incest, it’s just sort of an all-purpose intensifyer. For instance, it can be used as an adjective in sentences where its literal meaning would render the sentence gibberish. (Ouch! I dropped a hammer on my motherfucking foot!) Ditto “cocksucker.”
(These cocksucking boards take forever to respond!) Although I can see how gay people would be a little more sensitive to “cocksucker.” I don’t see how “motherfucker” insults a specific group of people (except, I guess, for real mother fuckers).
I think Docklands’ friend is trying to draw a specious analogy here.
In the same vein as “cocksucker,” I never understood why “sucks,” or, more specifically, “sucks dick” is considered a bad thing. (i.e., “Wow, Cherry Coke really sucks [dick].”) Ever had your dick sucked? Is that a bad thing?
Obligatory:[ul]*When he found what he had done,
He tore his eyes out, one by one.
A tragic end to a loyal son
Who loved his mother.
So be sweet and kind to mother,
Now and then have a chat.
Buy her candy or some flowers,
Or a brand new hat.
But maybe you had better let it go at that.
–Tom Lehrer, Oedipus Rex*[/ul]
Dirty Earthworm: consider the even-more-puzzling “Fuck you!”
Why not: “I hate you! I despise you! Go have an orgasm!”
Sacre bleu! Cursewords don’t make a lot of sense.
Myself, when I’m really angry with someone, I call them “Spartan Dog” or “Anglo-saxon Hun”, or, when that vein in my temple starts to throb, “Saracen Pig!” Confuses the hell out them, and gives me an opportunity to kick them in nuts while they’re trying to figure it out.
