# The cleansing of the English language?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cleansing-of-the-english-language/47701>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [December 29, 2000, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cleansing-of-the-english-language/47701 "2000-12-29T19:36:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Kyberneticist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kyberneticist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyberneticist)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2001, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cleansing-of-the-english-language/47701/41 "2001-01-08T18:28:20Z")

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Concerning context, and the offensiveness of the word “cunt”  
[http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/m/m/mmm253/cuntfest.html](http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/m/m/mmm253/cuntfest.html)  
Seems some feminists have embraced the word.

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**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2001, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cleansing-of-the-english-language/47701/42 "2001-01-08T18:55:38Z")

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Thanks, **Kyber** , great link.  
**Kirk** , welcome to the SDMB!

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**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2001, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cleansing-of-the-english-language/47701/43 "2001-01-08T19:46:24Z")

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Kirk, interesting. You might find it interesting that I’ve known a few blacks who honestly say, “I hate niggers, too.” Meaning the sometimes cliche’d “There’s black people and there’s niggers.”  
Anyway.  
Cuntfest, haha. All those women…  
oops! Wasn’t supposed to say that out loud 😉

A case like that makes me wonder, however, how much “shock” value was intended over true form-breaking. That is, how many attendees went because they wanted to say they went to Cuntfest. I dunno, I am always suspicious of people who so boldly push boundries. But, I’m suspicious of moderates, too.

Hell, next thing you know I’ll be singing in sync with Julia Roberts. 😃

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**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2001, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cleansing-of-the-english-language/47701/44 "2001-01-08T20:59:38Z")

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I personally don’t like the word (and being black, don’t care for other blacks using it either), and will not allow it to be used around my household. However, in the contexts to which I’ve seen it used in this thread, it’s not objectionable. Like other posters I think that’s the key **context**. There’s a far cry inthe way, say **Izzy** used the word in this post, than the way the inspriration of the post used it. Of course that my opinion…

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