# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 8:59pm 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/959325/144 "2022-02-13T20:59:10Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Using it as an alternate term for vagina is just crude and won’t be modded I would think. So even you don’t know when it will be modded? Shouldn’t that have been decided when you were discussing the rule? I’m not sure the difference between using it to refer to a woman or a woman’s body part is much different to the people who find the word itself problematic. This is just the kind of decision that people who want to rules lawyer love. What was the argument against only allowing it in the Pit? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 9:03pm 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/959325/145 "2022-02-13T21:03:23Z")
What’s the point of “rules lawyering” when the rules, quite rightfully, require subjective judgment by the moderators? Bright lines are bad because they make it easy for assholes to go right up to the line but stop. Subjective judgment by good moderators is better because it allows them to go after the assholes for being assholes. ---
**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 13, 2022, 9:04pm 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/959325/146 "2022-02-13T21:04:38Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > What are the non-misogynistic uses of cunt that are okay to use? This is an example of a sentence using the word which is fine. For that matter: > [@mordecaiB](#): > > If I hit my thumb with a hammer and yell “motherfuckingcunt” I’m swearing, not talking about women or mothers or sex at all. is also fine. I personally find the word offensive, but I also don’t care for banning words, and there are lots things I find offensive that posters are free to say on the SDMB. ---
**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 13, 2022, 9:07pm 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/959325/147 "2022-02-13T21:07:35Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > So even you don’t know when it will be modded? Right. We know that we can’t predict the creative genius of all future posters, including future jerks and trolls. So we didn’t try. My advice is that if you aren’t certain your use of the word will be okay, you should probably find another way to say whatever you wanted to say. ---
**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 13, 2022, 9:10pm 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/959325/148 "2022-02-13T21:10:50Z")
So I guess RCH is an acceptable unit of measure on the SD still. Thanks mods, I think it was the right decision. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 9:14pm 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/959325/149 "2022-02-13T21:14:31Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > I’m not sure the difference between using it to refer to a woman or a woman’s body part is much different to the people who find the word itself problematic. I don’t find its use when directly referring to the body part problematic at all. Not sure how often My wife keeps asking me to fuck her cunt is likely to come up on this board, though. ---
**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 13, 2022, 9:15pm 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/959325/150 "2022-02-13T21:15:26Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > Not sure how often My wife keeps asking me to fuck her cunt is likely to come up on this board, though. Dear Penthouse, I never thought this would happen to me. … ---
**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 13, 2022, 9:17pm 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/959325/151 "2022-02-13T21:17:20Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > I’m not sure the difference between using it to refer to a woman or a woman’s body part is much different to the people who find the word itself problematic. It’s a whole lot different to me. Referring to any body part in a non-insulting fashion is a very different thing from using body parts as insults. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 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/959325/152 "2022-02-13T21:30:54Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > You are just begging for rules lawyering with this decision. There is a solution to this theoretical problem: [![](https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/labyrinth_puzzle.png) ](https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/labyrinth_puzzle.png) ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 9:52pm 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/959325/153 "2022-02-13T21:52:58Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Bright lines are bad because they make it easy for assholes to go right up to the line but stop. How are they going to do that when the rule is No use of cunt, no matter how it’s spelled, outside of the Pit? > [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Subjective judgment by good moderators is better because it allows them to go after the assholes for being assholes. They can already do that, but sometimes don’t. Refer to my link upthread to the **Ed** quote. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > We know that we can’t predict the creative genius of all future posters, including future jerks and trolls. How are creative posters going to get around the rule I laid out above? It’s funny how in real life most people have no problem following bright line rules, but it’s impossible on a message board with a few hundred regular posters. > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > So I guess RCH is an acceptable unit of measure on the SD still. > Thanks mods, I think it was the right decision. Yep, and we can even spell it out if we want to! > [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > Not sure how often My wife keeps asking me to fuck her cunt is likely to come up on this board, though. You should start a thread for that. > [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Referring to any body part in a non-insulting fashion is a very different thing from using body parts as insults. Give me a for instance of a sentence I could say to you, using the word cunt, that you wouldn’t find offensive. > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > There is a solution to this theoretical problem: Yes, but as we saw with the hammer study above, everybody thinks it’s a great idea until it comes to actually put up the cash or to act on it. It would help if we had an actual sociopath on the board we could count on to participate. We need a list… ---
**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 13, 2022, 10:00pm 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/959325/154 "2022-02-13T22:00:22Z")
I had’t seen this one. I like it. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 1:17am 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/959325/155 "2022-02-14T01:17:06Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > Yes, but as we saw with the hammer study above Not sure who’s part of that “we,” but that’s not what I saw. It’s clear you’re unhappy with vague, judgment-depending rules. I consider them a feature, not a bug. ---
**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 14, 2022, 4:04am 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/959325/156 "2022-02-14T04:04:09Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > > [@thorny\_locust](#): > > > > Referring to any body part in a non-insulting fashion is a very different thing from using body parts as insults. > > Give me a for instance of a sentence I could say to you, using the word cunt, that you wouldn’t find offensive. 'The word “cunt” is used in Lady Chatterley’s Lover in a favorable sense." “There’s been discussion for many years, though no general agreement, among some feminists about trying to reclaim the word “cunt” as a neutral or positive term.” (If one is part of you): “I can’t use that brand of tampons, they make my cunt itch.” (Using the word about somebody else, if you don’t know how they feel about it, is problematic even if the general sense is the same.) – There’s three such sentences; from three different contexts. What they have in common is that none of them is using the word as an insult. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 6:55am 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/959325/157 "2022-02-14T06:55:15Z")
I once knew a guy with a creative blue streak. He used “cunt” in a way I’ve never heard before or since, as a profane intensifier unconnected to individual people. Sample usage: “Dammit, the cunting computer crashed again.” Except for the fact that the word itself is rude, I can’t think of any way this violates the norms of respectful discourse heretofore discussed. And yet, one can imagine that if a person used this form incessantly, one would be excused in raising an eyebrow at the implications of the usage. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 7:42am 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/959325/158 "2022-02-14T07:42:41Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Not sure who’s part of that “we,” but that’s not what I saw. It’s clear you’re unhappy with vague, judgment-depending rules. I consider them a feature, not a bug I’m not unhappy with anything. Message board rules have very little effect on my happiness. However, vague judgement depending rules are not a feature, or this thread would not exist. Nor would the entire mod squad be unable to warn someone for saying drunk women deserved to be raped. Nor would three mods think using the word qunt be an acceptable way to refer to a woman. This lack of judgement is still going on years after the declared war on misogyny. It’s taking longer than we thought, indeed. > [@thorny\_locust](#): > > There’s three such sentences; from three different contexts. What they have in common is that none of them is using the word as an insult. How often have any of those three lines ever been directed at you? I’ve seen it in print and heard it said thousands of times and none of them sounded anything like your examples. The first two I would wager have never been spoken outside of a lecture of some sort. > [@Cervaise](#): > > Dammit, the cunting computer crashed again. Actually, this is similar to the first usage I ever saw/read as a little kid, except it was an insult. In _The Exorcist_, the British director refers to someone/something as “a cunting whore.” I’ve since used cunting in reference to several machines that didn’t work like I thought they should. > [@Cervaise](#): > > Except for the fact that the word itself is rude, I can’t think of any way this violates the norms of respectful discourse heretofore discussed. And yet, one can imagine that if a person used this form incessantly, one would be excused in raising an eyebrow at the implications of the usage. This is part of what makes the use of the word problematic here. In my experience, the word is hardly used at all in the forums I read. Yet it still draws a lot of criticism when it is used and many are offended by it, no matter what the usage. You apparently have a line where you think it is too much. What do we do if others lines are well before or after yours? As far as I understand the new judgement call rule, all it does is push it down the road until the next time someone complains about the use of the word. What if the same mods that okayed qunt are the ones to decide? We’ll just end up with another thread just like this one. And if any mod would like to answer, what was the argument against limiting the word to the Pit? I hope it was more than the we don’t want to ban words bit, because keeping it in the Pit is not a ban. We already have stuff that’s only allowed in the Pit, surely adding one word to it wouldn’t matter. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 9:22am 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/959325/159 "2022-02-14T09:22:17Z")
I get the distinct feeling that you will not be satisfied with any answer you’re given, and at this point, you’re just beating a dead horse. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 11:35am 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/959325/160 "2022-02-14T11:35:48Z")
Hey, I found the right answer in post 4! Go, me. > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > So I guess RCH is an acceptable unit of measure on the SD still. I’m baffled. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 1:13pm 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/959325/161 "2022-02-14T13:13:14Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > I’m not unhappy with anything. Then I’d hate to see how you’d respond if you were. Whatever word you’d use to describe your emotional/mental state in reaction to the vague rules, feel free to swap that in. > [@](#): > > However, vague judgement depending rules are not a feature, or this thread would not exist. That doesn’t follow at all. Vague judgments lead to discussion, and I’m happy with that result. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 3:02pm 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/959325/162 "2022-02-14T15:02:22Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > This is just the kind of decision that people who want to rules lawyer love. Yes, we can tell. ---
**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 14, 2022, 3:04pm 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/959325/163 "2022-02-14T15:04:11Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > And if any mod would like to answer, what was the argument against limiting the word to the Pit? Doing that is neither necessary nor sufficient to deal with the actual issue, which isn’t the word but is the misogyny. [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=7) [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=9)