To not see why 'cunt' is a worse insult than many others?

[HeathcliffMoorland]

I never hear anyone outraged at someone being called a cock/dick/scrotum...

If there's something I'm missing and someone can tell me why I'm BU, I will happily change my ways.

[cannyfraddock]

My personal favourite is "cuntyballs". A playfull take on the raditional "cunt" insult.

[wendihouse22]

I prefer "twat". ,

Though I don't use the "c" word I have combined that and "twat" to form the ultimate insult......TWUNT.

This is reserved for the most deserving only.

[glub]

haven't read all of this either but must add my bit whether it's been mentioned already i don't know... but my view on 'cunt' is that it's to do with it being fucked, violently, rape-ily as opposed to twat which is um, more consensual and for me is synonymous with idiot.
this despite having read the first half of lady chatterley's lover, in which 'cunt' is used pleasantly enough.

[tomhardyismydh]

havent read whole thread as...8 whole pages on cunt is way tooooo much for anyone.

anyway, its my favourite word ever, ever. its glorifying and empowering, if used in the correct way.

id much rather be compared to the lovely lady parts than man parts.
cunt
cunt
cunt
cunt
cunty
cunt

embrase it ladies its part of us.

[claig]

I have already reported the Boyzone reference to MNHQ. Let's wait for their response.

[claig]

yes, that's what I was referring to. That is totally unacceptable, please refrain from that type of language in future.

[TheCoalitionNeedsYou]

I'm sorry it was in poor taste to mention Boyzone.

[claig]

Have you been watching Frankie Boyle's DVD again?

[claig]

Did you have to lower the tone?

[TheCoalitionNeedsYou]

Case in point:-

"If some cunt can fuck something up, that cunt will pick the worst possible time to fucking fuck it up cause that cunt's a cunt."

The words fuck and cunt are serving a lot of different functions in that sentential. None of them are referring to fornication or genitalia.

Similarly when I talk about "needing to do a shit" or "Boyzone's records are shit" I'm effectively using two entirely different words that happen to both be spelled "shit".

[claig]

In a lot of mediterranean countries, the sign of the horns is a great insult, since it means cuckold and is a threat to their masculinity.

In Italy, cornuto, is the sign of the horns and means cuckold. It is interesting that this sign is also used by devil worshippers and metal bands etc. as it signifies the devil's horns.

[TheCoalitionNeedsYou]

;)

[Takver]

Coño is obviously generally inoffensive - the BBC translates it as 'blimey' or 'for heaven's sake' in their egs here.

They list 'cabron' under the heading 'looking for trouble' so I guess it is generally bad

I like the idea that Spanish men are more distressed by the idea of being cuckolded than English ones, and hence the worse nature of the word.

What would be the worst thing possible for other countries, I wonder?

[claig]

looked up 'cabron' (billygoat) because I thought that it might have cuckold as a meaning, and apparently that is one of its meanings. In our culture cuckold is not as great an insult as cunt. In fact cuckold is hardly ever used as an insult here. It doesn't surprise me that in macho Spain, which I guess is more patriarchal, that cuckold is such a great insult, possibly even more so than cunt.

[claig]

tethers

[tethersjinglebellend]

Thanks Coalition- I think you've just summed up my many posts in one sentence.

You cunt

[LaWeaselMys]

I am throwing in the towel now too. Going to pay DP some attention.

[TheCoalitionNeedsYou]

The meaning of swear words is the offence they cause. Their etymology is beside the point really.

[tethersjinglebellend]

I think that the only thing which has brought about the change is the passage of time, TBH claig. Civility is a fluid concept, and is subject to change from generation to generation.

BTW, thanks all for a very interesting discussion

[claig]

'Whereas the conductor of the band I played in used to shout '¡Coño!' ('cunt') at you if you played a wrong note . . .'

was he Gordon Ramsay's Spanish relative?

That's interesting, was that the same across all of Spain? is billygoat a worse insult than cunt in Spain?

[LaWeaselMys]

I think it is more acceptable to speak your ills after decades of repression. Not necessarily by swearing but complaining is starting to be okay. Which releases some of the previously silent wankers I guess. But it does nothing to society as a whole apart from justifiably annoy people when it is misdirected.

Crime rates have been going down for an incredibly long time, but fear of crime is going up.

Nobody has ever sworn at me living here, but the only people to get shirty or be rude are older too. Of the kind who wouldn't swear, but think it's okay to tell you you're stupid for not doing something the way they would.

[Takver]

Going back to the OP, 'gradations' of sweariness are definitely different in other languages.

In Spanish (certainly where we lived), calling someone a 'cabron' (lit. 'billygoat') was outstandingly rude, on-the-point-of-blows type rude.

Whereas the conductor of the band I played in used to shout '¡Coño!' ('cunt') at you if you played a wrong note . . .

[northernrock]

Yeah, me too LaWeasel. Thats why there should be a program called "Escape From the Country"

[northernrock]

Thats true, young people have always been demonised.
I have not had any trouble with them myself. The man who went for me was in his thirties. The man who called me a cunt when I was crossing the road, more like forties.

I was out of the country for a few years and actually did notice a difference when I returned. I do think it is just more acceptable to go to anger sooner.
In other words, where people might have been more hesitant to show anger in, say, the post office queue, now it's all "tuts" and muttered comments. People seem to get aggressive a lot faster for some reason.
Purely a personal observation, not from any newspaper (I never read 'em)

[LaWeaselMys]

I wouldn't bother northern, everyone is civil, conservative and racist.

I'd rather get sworn at than be neighbours with racists tbh.