tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902857965429630827.post771355571545756578..comments2023-06-05T04:26:27.437-07:00Comments on Forty Shades Of Grey: Just A WordForty Shades Of Greyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07070982468518425595noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902857965429630827.post-78822606467454984452012-01-13T06:28:14.122-08:002012-01-13T06:28:14.122-08:00@plentyofants - wasn't it a Ben Elton sketch r...@plentyofants - wasn't it a Ben Elton sketch rather than David Baddiel?kinboshihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16836933323430093140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902857965429630827.post-31247529779977592742011-12-28T07:18:05.046-08:002011-12-28T07:18:05.046-08:00In Finnish 'vittu' (cunt) is used instead ...In Finnish 'vittu' (cunt) is used instead of 'fuck' (exclamation) and also as an adjective and adverb. You can hear it in playgrounds (so my family say), everyday (but impolite) conversation and of course modern literature. But then Finland is something of a female-oriented society.KGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04928258009537462877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902857965429630827.post-14982660794570038422011-12-28T07:03:38.663-08:002011-12-28T07:03:38.663-08:00Cunt is different to 'cock' or even 't...Cunt is different to 'cock' or even 'twat' as a swear word. Largely I think because it was used for a long time, by writers such as D H Lawrence, Norman Mailer etc, not just as a term for female sexual organs but as a word that was synonymous with women. That said, it is a brilliant swear word.Eddie Bitcheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17463915732381327229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902857965429630827.post-41641849053844778872011-02-08T04:22:02.537-08:002011-02-08T04:22:02.537-08:00Racially offensive words almost always used to be ...Racially offensive words almost always used to be racially offensive. "Cunt" is almost never used in a sexist context (at least in my experience. I like to use the word cunt quite a big EXACTLY BECAUSE people find it offensive. I never understood why "cunt" should be any different to "cock" or other similar words. Maybe it just sounds worse?<br /><br />BTW Robert - "Taff" and "Jock" can be an insult in certain contexts. Usually this takes the form of a condescending racial abuse. E.g. Welsh person makes some kind of mistake, English person says "fucking idiot Taffy" - this is more offensive than "fucking idiot".Jon Brittonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18306309364852307361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902857965429630827.post-3603737763719231952011-02-07T22:15:17.649-08:002011-02-07T22:15:17.649-08:00It's amazing how some words have deeply powerf...It's amazing how some words have deeply powerful associations-in a sentence, the word 'c**t'(noun) is always preceded by 'He/She/It (subject) is a Tory...'. I cannot conceive of its use in any other context.Eddiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02360233717540377232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902857965429630827.post-30710797373940005342011-02-07T14:12:57.804-08:002011-02-07T14:12:57.804-08:00Lucky you did not work with me then, because swear...Lucky you did not work with me then, because swear words are used all the time, but then again we have no women working with us.<br /><br />But words are words they are made up names for items people things.<br /><br />People now say Paki is an insult, yet my local Asian shop is called Paki, I bought some rice from an Asian shop called paki, just because it's now seen as an insult does not mean it's so.<br /><br />Taff is not an Insult or Jock, sheep shaggier is a joke we are told yet it's insulting.<br /><br />Not to long ago retard was the norm, and so was spastic it was in fact a medical term, now all of a sudden in a PC world it's wrong.<br /><br />But lets just say it the way you use a word, you can spit out paki and you know it's a threat, then again you can spit out jock and you know a person is looking for a fight.<br /><br />Sexual words are used in a sexual way or they can be used again to insult.Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05186557603493331701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902857965429630827.post-33721756202024102312011-02-07T13:51:37.025-08:002011-02-07T13:51:37.025-08:00If I object to anything it's that it's ove...If I object to anything it's that it's overused. As the strongest swearword (a friend refers to it as "The last English swearword") it should only be deployed in extraordinary circumstances.<br /><br />After some pupils at a school I was working at were swearing like bastards, I gave them a long boring talk about appropriateness and how, because I don't swear at work, if I let slip a damn or a bugger then they know I really mean it. They were better at controlling themselves around me after that (they hate being talked at)Neil Willcoxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07166832958072749813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902857965429630827.post-8446826966358333772011-02-07T13:22:16.034-08:002011-02-07T13:22:16.034-08:00I do reserve the word 'cunt' for special s...I do reserve the word 'cunt' for special swearing moments when your average run of the mill swears won't do. I have used it as an adjective but never an exclamation, it is now on my to do list. <br /><br />I love the David Baddiel quote.Ingenuity Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07211506409568554699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902857965429630827.post-6601959186574755032011-02-07T13:02:17.157-08:002011-02-07T13:02:17.157-08:00Yes, fair point. Admittedly, nobody uses the two w...Yes, fair point. Admittedly, nobody uses the two words I cited as generic insults; I suppose I was just uncomfortable with the title of your post. Maybe one can get too hung up on the use of language but then language, to my mind, is what it's all about.Petehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09098025829400967357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902857965429630827.post-55534401150002842022011-02-07T12:48:10.376-08:002011-02-07T12:48:10.376-08:00That's completely different, those words are c...That's completely different, those words are calculated insults, used for the purpose of insulting specific people. I made it clear that I oppose use of the word 'cunt' to insult a woman specifically, just not as a generic swear word. No one uses those words as generic swear words.Forty Shades Of Greyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07070982468518425595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902857965429630827.post-89360294943551840332011-02-07T12:42:19.859-08:002011-02-07T12:42:19.859-08:00I'm not sure "just a word" cuts it a...I'm not sure "just a word" cuts it as an argument. "Nigger" and "Paki", for example, are just wordsPetehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09098025829400967357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902857965429630827.post-24692264391635823302011-02-07T10:51:56.024-08:002011-02-07T10:51:56.024-08:00I'm a huge fan of creative swearing. A friend&...I'm a huge fan of creative swearing. A friend's favourite is 'shitting crikey', so that's one we enjoy using around each other. He regularly calls his best mate 'a gentleman and a cunt' or some such; the mate of course reciprocates in a similar manner. Elaborate constructions, especially using adjectives like 'wanking', 'bollocking', 'cunting' and so on, are a joy. One of my personal favourites is 'bollocks' - there's something really satisfying about saying it. Then there's the ability to put a different slant on a swear word, depending on how it's said - 'fuck' vs 'feck', 'bastard' (southern English accent) vs 'bastard' (northern English accent), same for 'cunt', and so on. People who say it lacks creativity, or imagination, or ability to express oneself, are most likely just being prudish. (This is nothing to do with using the appropriate register for the situation, of course, but that's a different matter.)<br /><br />I am not easily offended, but two examples spring to mind. When I was 16 or so, I was called a 'fucking Polish bitch' by the school bully for refusing to 'borrow him a quid'. I was so angry I attempted to chase him down the street, despite being fresh off crutches and barely able to walk sensibly, let alone run. Curiously, my wrath terrified the little fucker so much he actually ran away (!), and later sent his minions begging me not to tell the headmaster. The other time, about a decade and a half later, was when I confronted a barman about shortchanging me (with good reason - it was by about 15 quid). I asked to see the manager, and the barman's response was that my opinion didn't matter because I was a 'short piece of shit'. I, um, flung the contents of my glass in his face (a whisky - I know, a terrible waste), and things went downhill after that...<br /><br />The point is that in both cases the people picked on something personal; if 'Polish' and 'short' had been omitted or replaced with 'cunt(ing)' etc, I wouldn't have given nearly as much of a fuck. Not quite the minority situation you mention, but they hit a nerve nonetheless. Meek as a twatting lamb, me.<br /><br />Sorry about long rambling post. I've been ill and so unable to rant for a couple of days. Bollocks.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10612260724907367577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902857965429630827.post-69988437235619927662011-02-07T10:51:04.815-08:002011-02-07T10:51:04.815-08:00Yep. I'm with you on that (with the possible e...Yep. I'm with you on that (with the possible exception that word reclaiming might work, in the long run. But it's irrelevant to this because it doesn't need reclaiming).<br /><br />I remember a David Baddiel sketch, years ago, about objections to use of the word cunt. He said he'd rather it was <i>only</i> used as an insult, and never anatomically. Because it was really good for insulting people, and it seemed a shame to use it for something as nice as a vagina.plentyofantshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01939216351803421638noreply@blogger.com