# The "C" word. **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 29, 2014, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-c-word/699916 "2014-09-29T23:58:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-c-word/699916/1 "2014-09-29T23:58:44Z")
There may be a factual answer to this, but why is the “C” word so bad, but calling someone a dick isn’t? I never liked the way the “C” word sounded, so it’s not as if I care. I HATE HATE HATE the word “tits”!! Can we make that a word nobody says… ever? ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-c-word/699916/2 "2014-09-30T00:26:05Z")
Ha, I’m not afraid to say it! “Catafalque!” There! Ha ha! I said it, and I’m not ashamed! Seriously, it’s because of differences in overall empowerment. It’s why rude names for white people don’t have much hitting power, but rude names for black people are much more hurtful. Women – and blacks – don’t hold the dominant upper hand in society, the way men – and whites – do. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-c-word/699916/3 "2014-09-30T00:39:34Z")
I’ll tell you a secret. If I hear a woman use it, it is extremely arousing. No, I don’t know why either; it just is. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-c-word/699916/4 "2014-09-30T03:03:08Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > There may be a factual answer to this, but why is the “C” word so bad, but calling someone a dick isn’t? > > I never liked the way the “C” word sounded, so it’s not as if I care. I HATE HATE HATE the word “tits”!! Can we make that a word nobody says… ever? Because dicks are powerless. Calling someone a C tells you that the bad person has the power to hurt you. Calling someone a D tells you that the bad person won’t hurt you. ---
**Author:** ![crucible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@crucible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crucible)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-c-word/699916/5 "2014-09-30T03:14:18Z")
It seems to me that Englishmen call each other the ‘c’ word all the time, probably with good reason, but its use is not as pejorative there as in the US. One Brit dickhead called me that every day for a year or more on a forum…and said I shouldn’t be horribly offended, it simply indicated that I was annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-c-word/699916/6 "2014-09-30T03:14:49Z")
I sympathize with the OP. Just the very _sound_ of “conservative” drives me to drink. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-c-word/699916/7 "2014-09-30T07:59:03Z")
You know, I’m gonna go with [Louis CK](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF1NUposXVQ) - _just say the fucking word_. Cunt. It’s not that hard, and it doesn’t turn your tongue to ash, and after checking the rules I’m 99% sure it’s allowed. Saying “The ‘C’ word”… We _all_ know you mean “cunt”, and now _we’ve_ got it in our heads. And all it really accomplishes is inviting countless other people to make responses like, well, quite a few above. _We all know what the C-word is, after the first time it stops being funny_. At least Catafalque is… Unique? @OP: I don’t think the specific setting of the body part has much to do with the strength of the word. Comparing it to “dick” is a bit of a hard sell, IMO. The words evolved differently. Germans also have vulgar slang for vaginas, but “Fotze” rates about as high on the insult scale as “jerkbag”. I mean, why is “Fuck” such a big deal? Why does it rank higher, when it comes to swear words, than, say, “hell”? These words have different etymologies and different meanings - it has little to do with the body part they’re attached to. You can’t compare cunt to dick in that way - just because they’re primary sexual organs of the various genders does not make their usage or etymology equivalent. And that has very little to do with the difference in empowerment. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-c-word/699916/8 "2014-09-30T09:00:11Z")
> [@crucible](#): > > It seems to me that Englishmen call each other the ‘c’ word all the time, probably with good reason, but its use is not as pejorative there as in the US. One Brit dickhead called me that every day for a year or more on a forum…and said I shouldn’t be horribly offended, it simply indicated that I was annoying. I hear this misconception often from people in the USA and it is not really true. In some sub-cultures it may be in frequent use but it is still the highest insult you can throw at someone and isn’t in use for most general conversations. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-c-word/699916/9 "2014-09-30T09:07:50Z")
A haiku about Australia, horribly plagiarized by me: aye cunt what ya say wanna go i’ll glass ya face fucking hell ya cunts ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-c-word/699916/10 "2014-09-30T10:12:36Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > I hear this misconception often from people in the USA and it is not really true. > In some sub-cultures it may be in frequent use but it is still the highest insult you can throw at someone and isn’t in use for most general conversations. Im having visions of Americans coming over and mistakenly dropping the C word in during every conversation. I remember listening to a podcast(I forget who) where the podcaster noted that no-one says m_therf_cker better than an American. That most Brits shouldn’t even try to say the word. I think the reverse is the case with c\*nt. Who said the word tits is annoying? Whoever said it is so wrong that they deserve a punch in the tits for even complaining about it. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-c-word/699916/11 "2014-09-30T10:36:18Z")
[George Carlin on tits](http://www.erenkrantz.com/Humor/SevenDirtyWords.shtml): “Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker, and Tits, wow. Tits doesn’t even belong on the list, you know. It’s such a friendly sounding word. It sounds like a nickname. ‘Hey, Tits, come here. Tits, meet Toots, Toots, Tits, Tits, Toots.’ It sounds like a snack doesn’t it? Yes, I know, it is, right. But I don’t mean the sexist snack, I mean, New Nabisco Tits. The new Cheese Tits, and Corn Tits and Pizza Tits, Sesame Tits Onion Tits, Tater Tits, Yeah. Betcha can’t eat just one. That’s true I usually switch off . But I mean that word does not belong on the list.” ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-c-word/699916/12 "2014-09-30T11:41:14Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > Im having visions of Americans coming over and mistakenly dropping the C word in during every conversation. I remember listening to a podcast(I forget who) where the podcaster noted that no-one says m_therf_cker better than an American. That most Brits shouldn’t even try to say the word. I think the reverse is the case with c\*nt. > > Who said the word tits is annoying? Whoever said it is so wrong that they deserve a punch in the tits for even complaining about it. “Tits” is a nasty, tinny word. Not a good woody word like “boobs.” ---
**Author:** ![crucible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@crucible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crucible)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-c-word/699916/13 "2014-09-30T11:48:23Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > I hear this misconception often from people in the USA and it is not really true. > In some sub-cultures it may be in frequent use but it is still the highest insult you can throw at someone and isn’t in use for most general conversations. I thought he was more than a bit of a twat. Should have trusted my bloody instincts. Twat and Bloody were the words he said were really offensive…now I know. ---
**Author:** ![crucible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@crucible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crucible)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-c-word/699916/14 "2014-09-30T11:55:49Z")
> [@crucible](#): > > I thought he was more than a bit of a twat. Should have trusted my bloody instincts. > > Twat and Bloody were the words he said were really offensive…now I know. Sorry, when I research ‘cunt’ in England vs. America, all sources I find say the use is casual and not that offensive in England, while considered ‘fighting words’ in the US. Oddly, when this twat called me a ‘bell-end’, even his Brit buddies told him to back off before he was banned from the (English based) forum. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-c-word/699916/15 "2014-09-30T12:03:22Z")
> [@crucible](#): > > Sorry, when I research ‘cunt’ in England vs. America, all sources I find say the use is casual and not that offensive in England, while considered ‘fighting words’ in the US. > > Oddly, when this twat called me a ‘bell-end’, even his Brit buddies told him to back off before he was banned from the (English based) forum. I think he was definitely having you on. Bell-end, bloody. twat, these are all far less offensive than “cunt”.He was probably trying to get you to drop it in to your next polite conversation with a brit. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-c-word/699916/16 "2014-09-30T12:07:20Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > “Tits” is a nasty, tinny word. Not a good woody word like “boobs.” Totally agree. Like someone said above, I find “cunt” to be extremely sexy in context. But I hate “tits” in any context. Makes something wonderful sound cheap and ugly. Awful word. ---
**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:** [September 30, 2014, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-c-word/699916/17 "2014-09-30T12:18:30Z")
When my kids were in elementary school, one came to me and said that someone said the “C” word in class. I was pretty stunned! I said, really, the “C” word? Wait, what was the second letter? “R”. Oh, they said “crap”. Regarding US vs. British usage, I hear my British friends say it from time to time, but I never hear my American friends say it. Also, I read it in British books more often than American books, except when said by the roughest of American characters. It’s pretty unspeakable here in the US. **Novelty Bubble** , maybe you’re from a British sub-culture where it’s more forbidden or something. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-c-word/699916/18 "2014-09-30T12:19:46Z")
In the U.S., at least, cunt seems to have a misogynist tinge that dick obviously doesn’t have. These days, it is the slur towards minorities that are the most taboo. Think about it: what’s now considered the worst cuss word? It isn’t a sexual word like “fuck” or a bodily function like “shit” or even a profanity like “goddamn.” It’s the racial epithet “nigger.” And, yes, women aren’t really a minority, but we treat them like such. There is discrimination for being female. Discrimination by gender comes right after discrimination by race every time it comes up in our society. I think it is the issue of women’s historical and even ongoing discrimination that makes insulting vulgarity with a female tinge seem misogynist and thus more insulting. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-c-word/699916/19 "2014-09-30T12:32:25Z")
I don’t think anyone has ever named their child “cunt.” Maybe that’s why “Dick” is more acceptable to our ears. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-c-word/699916/20 "2014-09-30T13:04:34Z")
There once was a king named Cnut… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-c-word/699916.md?page=2)