# Is the C-word allowed outside the Pit? {Answered: not in a misogynistic way or to insult. Not even with a letter changed} **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [February 11, 2022, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-c-word-allowed-outside-the-pit-answered-not-in-a-misogynistic-way-or-to-insult-not-even-with-a-letter-changed/959325 "2022-02-11T18:13:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-c-word-allowed-outside-the-pit-answered-not-in-a-misogynistic-way-or-to-insult-not-even-with-a-letter-changed/959325/104 "2022-02-12T21:05:35Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > We self-censor all the time, even when injured or stressed. We still know where we are and who’s around us. Yes. We self-censor all the time. There are lots of words in my casual vocabulary that are not allowed in my work vocabulary. But if I smashed my thumb at work I would absolutely throw some of them around. But when I don’t say n\*\*\*\* or c\*\*\*, that isn’t censorship. Those words are not in any of my vocabularies. Precisely zero percent of my brain power is used to keep me from saying those words. And since those words aren’t in my vocabularies, they’re not going to bubble up when something like shock or booze lowers my inhibitions. Nothing can make us express sentiments that don’t exist in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-c-word-allowed-outside-the-pit-answered-not-in-a-misogynistic-way-or-to-insult-not-even-with-a-letter-changed/959325/105 "2022-02-12T21:09:24Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > > [@k9bfriender](#): > > > > We can go barefoot and blindfolded through an obstacle course of hard wooden furniture, if you prefer. > > What if the floor is made of lava? Or worse, Legos. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-c-word-allowed-outside-the-pit-answered-not-in-a-misogynistic-way-or-to-insult-not-even-with-a-letter-changed/959325/106 "2022-02-12T21:09:36Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Same, but to a lesser extent “bitch”- fine when used talking about a female dog, can be Okay when used in “sonofabitch” as a expletive, might be okay when used in the term “resting bitch face” \*although that can be problematic, but not okay when used to call a woman that How about “The bitch is between your leg”? OK if there is a female dog sitting betwteen you legs? Maybe OK if you are making fun of a guys junk? Not OK if there is an actual female there? ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-c-word-allowed-outside-the-pit-answered-not-in-a-misogynistic-way-or-to-insult-not-even-with-a-letter-changed/959325/107 "2022-02-12T21:16:37Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > But when I don’t say n\*\*\*\* or c\*\*\*, that isn’t censorship. Those words are not in any of my vocabularies. It is censorship since you know what the words mean, and you choose not to use them. Next time you whack your thumb with a hammer, let out a good strong Cunt! Since it’s taboo to you, you’ll likely feel a lot better than if you’d let loose with a garden variety Fuck! ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-c-word-allowed-outside-the-pit-answered-not-in-a-misogynistic-way-or-to-insult-not-even-with-a-letter-changed/959325/108 "2022-02-12T21:19:51Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > I don’t use it outside of my circle I just don’t understand what relevance you attach to your idiosyncratic usage, if you don’t dispute that in _general_ usage the word “c\*\*\*” is a misogynistic slur of much greater severity than “fuck”. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-c-word-allowed-outside-the-pit-answered-not-in-a-misogynistic-way-or-to-insult-not-even-with-a-letter-changed/959325/109 "2022-02-12T21:20:06Z")
What the fück are all y’all doing hitting your thumbs with hammers? The last time I did that I was too young to swear. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-c-word-allowed-outside-the-pit-answered-not-in-a-misogynistic-way-or-to-insult-not-even-with-a-letter-changed/959325/110 "2022-02-12T21:21:05Z")
Yes, yes, I think we can all agree that pretty much any expletives you use when you hit your thumb with a hammer are excusable. But this is not the self-help carpentry board. Years ago, the smartest man in the world, one Cecil, declared “cunt” was off limits. Cue endless whining from the Pitizens, who demanded their life was _blighted_ unless they got to use that misogynistic term. 😱 Cecil was right, they were wrong. **Ban the word.** Okay, if someone starts a thread _“expletives I used when I hit my thumb with a hammer”,_ an exception can be made. 😄 ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-c-word-allowed-outside-the-pit-answered-not-in-a-misogynistic-way-or-to-insult-not-even-with-a-letter-changed/959325/111 "2022-02-12T21:23:37Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > How about “The bitch is between your leg”? OK if there is a female dog sitting betwteen you legs? Maybe OK if you are making fun of a guys junk? Not OK if there is an actual female there? Bitch is only a Class 3 Pejorative. My thoughts on it are that it is demeaning to use toward a female\*, it is demeaning to females to use it toward a male (you’re basically calling a man a woman and intending that to be an insult), and it is both demeaning and stereotypical toward women to use it as a verb (Quit your bitching implies that women tend to complain a lot). Using it to refer to a female dog is fine. So is you son of a bitch, which to me retains that usage (you’re calling one of their parents a literal dog). Used in a positive way, like That was a bitchin’ concert! is also fine. \* Back in the 80s and 90s, bitch underwent something of a resurgence and there were attempts made to reclaim it as an empowering word. So sometimes using bitch toward a woman can be okay or even good. Depends on context. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-c-word-allowed-outside-the-pit-answered-not-in-a-misogynistic-way-or-to-insult-not-even-with-a-letter-changed/959325/112 "2022-02-12T21:30:10Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I think you misunderstand my position. Even if you aren’t using it to demean women, i think it’s offensive to use. And to get this thread back on track and away from curse words, the word in question (however spelled) WAS used to demean a woman. If the mods decide whether or not RCH is a valid unit of measure or not acceptable is fine and all. But specifically this usage was at antithesis to the SD’s quest to reduce misogyny. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-c-word-allowed-outside-the-pit-answered-not-in-a-misogynistic-way-or-to-insult-not-even-with-a-letter-changed/959325/113 "2022-02-12T21:30:27Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > > [@DrDeth](#): > > > > Same, but to a lesser extent “bitch”- fine when used talking about a female dog, can be Okay when used in “sonofabitch” as a expletive, might be okay when used in the term “resting bitch face” \*although that can be problematic, but not okay when used to call a woman that > > How about “The bitch is between your leg”? OK if there is a female dog sitting betwteen you legs? Maybe OK if you are making fun of a guys junk? Not OK if there is an actual female there? What is this “OK”/“not OK” debate? When one is trying to be highly offensive, start a fight, or even for other purposes\*, one is always going to go with “not OK”. \*e.g. > [@](#): > > Roland Weary and the scouts were safe in a ditch, and Weary growled at Billy, ‘Get out of the road, you dumb motherfucker.’ The last word was still a novelty in the speech of white people in 1944. It was fresh and astonishing to Billy, who had never fucked anybody—and it did its job. It woke him up and got him off the road. ‘Saved your life again, you dumb bastard,’ Weary said to Billy in the ditch. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-c-word-allowed-outside-the-pit-answered-not-in-a-misogynistic-way-or-to-insult-not-even-with-a-letter-changed/959325/114 "2022-02-12T22:09:37Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > You cannot magically strip away the misogynistic semantic baggage of the word by saying “but _I_ don’t use it that way”. Exactly. > [@mordecaiB](#): > > I understand your position just fine. The problem seems to be that you don’t understand mine no matter how many times I post it. There is no reason for you to guess how I use the word, I have already told you. Digs about how you think I _really_ use the word are uncalled for. So let me rephrase that. I know that you use the word indiscriminately among your friends, but understand that you shouldn’t do that among strangers, because you’ve said so. And I find it a bit disturbing that you choose to use a misogynistic word as a generic swear. Separately, if I heard someone I didn’t know yell out “cunt” when they bashed their thumb, it would make me uncomfortable, and I would infer that they use that word in other ways that also make me uncomfortable. Just as I would infer similar if I heard someone yell out the n-word when they bashed their thumb. a slur is just an odd choice to cry out when in pain. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-c-word-allowed-outside-the-pit-answered-not-in-a-misogynistic-way-or-to-insult-not-even-with-a-letter-changed/959325/115 "2022-02-12T22:22:30Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > Of course, but I don’t use it outside of my circle. Which in itself means that you don’t think it’s generally acceptable language in the culture. > [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > There are lots of words in my casual vocabulary that are not allowed in my work vocabulary. But if I smashed my thumb at work I would absolutely throw some of them around. > > But when I don’t say n\*\*\*\* or c\*\*\*, that isn’t censorship. Those words are not in any of my vocabularies. Precisely zero percent of my brain power is used to keep me from saying those words. Yup. What comes out of my mouth under major stress is “shit!” And that comes out of my mouth, under stress, in circumstances in which I wouldn’t ordinarily use it in public. But what doesn’t come out of my mouth is words which I wouldn’t use to swear in private, either. And I don’t use them in private because I think they are Not OK. The words that come out of my mouth in public, if I’ve hurt myself or something terrible happens, are words that I do think are OK. > [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > Next time you whack your thumb with a hammer, let out a good strong Cunt! Since it’s taboo to you, you’ll likely feel a lot better than if you’d let loose with a garden variety Fuck! I very much doubt it; since I’d have to stop and think about it; and part of what I’d be thinking about it would be that stopping to think about what to swear in such circumstances just plain doesn’t work. > [@kayaker](#): > > What the fück are all y’all doing hitting your thumbs with hammers? The last time I did that I was too young to swear. I’m a klutz. I’ve been one all my life. I actually very rarely hit myself with a hammer, because I’m very aware of my klutziness when using a hammer, so I’m extra cautious. I’m much more likely to walk into a doorway or drop a piece of firewood on my foot or scrape myself on a piece of farm equipment. In any case, the last time I remember involuntarily swearing was when I found out, at the beginning of a Zoom planning board meeting when we were talking before officially opening the meeting, that a person I knew had been hurt in a car accident. > [@DrDeth](#): > > this is not the self-help carpentry board. That’s definitely a point. One of the major advantages, IMO, of message board communication, is that you get to look at what you just said before hitting ‘post’. The entire involuntary-exclamation bit is kind of irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-c-word-allowed-outside-the-pit-answered-not-in-a-misogynistic-way-or-to-insult-not-even-with-a-letter-changed/959325/116 "2022-02-12T23:09:04Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > The entire involuntary-exclamation bit is kind of irrelevant. If MTG beats Abrams in the 2032 Presidential Election, I will still not be calling her a c\*\*\*, but I may well be beating myself with a hammer. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-c-word-allowed-outside-the-pit-answered-not-in-a-misogynistic-way-or-to-insult-not-even-with-a-letter-changed/959325/117 "2022-02-12T23:17:07Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes, yes, I think we can all agree that pretty much any expletives you use when you hit your thumb with a hammer are excusable. But this is not the self-help carpentry board. Hey, speak for yourself. This board is many things to many people. It just so happens I’m a woodworker. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-c-word-allowed-outside-the-pit-answered-not-in-a-misogynistic-way-or-to-insult-not-even-with-a-letter-changed/959325/118 "2022-02-12T23:25:41Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > “Don’t use cunt, however you spell it, outside the Pit.” How do you game that? Much much easier to game a flexible rule. Nah. The goal is to stop misanthropic slurs used against women. If we institute a bright-line rule that you can’t say “cunt”, then people game it by calling women sluts or harpies or qunts. Making a rule that misanthropic slurs aren’t allowed is more effective, even if it means some people need to learn what misanthropic means. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-c-word-allowed-outside-the-pit-answered-not-in-a-misogynistic-way-or-to-insult-not-even-with-a-letter-changed/959325/119 "2022-02-12T23:31:55Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Making a rule that misanthropic slurs aren’t allowed is more effective, even if it means some people need to learn what misanthropic means. Agreed. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-c-word-allowed-outside-the-pit-answered-not-in-a-misogynistic-way-or-to-insult-not-even-with-a-letter-changed/959325/120 "2022-02-12T23:34:38Z")
Lol… 😄 😀 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-c-word-allowed-outside-the-pit-answered-not-in-a-misogynistic-way-or-to-insult-not-even-with-a-letter-changed/959325/121 "2022-02-12T23:36:52Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Making a rule that misanthropic slurs aren’t allowed is more effective, even if it means some people need to learn what misanthropic means. I can’t disagree. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-c-word-allowed-outside-the-pit-answered-not-in-a-misogynistic-way-or-to-insult-not-even-with-a-letter-changed/959325/122 "2022-02-13T01:07:55Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > “Don’t use cunt, however you spell it, outside the Pit.” How do you game that? Much much easier to game a flexible rule. How about the way it was gamed in the OP?? ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-c-word-allowed-outside-the-pit-answered-not-in-a-misogynistic-way-or-to-insult-not-even-with-a-letter-changed/959325/123 "2022-02-13T01:26:10Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@TroutMan](#): > > > > …misanthropic slurs… > > I can’t disagree. 🤦 That’s what I get for posting in a rush. _ **Misogynistic** _, not misanthropic. We don’t really have a problem with dogs or aliens using anti-human slurs on the board, while we do have a problem with men using anti-women slurs. Hopefully you still agree with me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-c-word-allowed-outside-the-pit-answered-not-in-a-misogynistic-way-or-to-insult-not-even-with-a-letter-changed/959325.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-c-word-allowed-outside-the-pit-answered-not-in-a-misogynistic-way-or-to-insult-not-even-with-a-letter-changed/959325.md?page=7)