To Really, Really, Hate That Word?

[WhyDoesThatWordExist]

Call me an old prude, but, why does the 'C**t' word exist? And why do so many MNers use it? It HAS to be the most offensive, crude, word there is?

The way I see it, it shows exactly what sort of person you are, if you think it's okay to use it? Or is it my age showing?

Go on, flame me.....

Cunt is very culturally specific in it'meaning. As someone mentioned it is much less rude I'm the west coast of scotland. I've seen mothers use it when Talmud.g to their children and I've seen it used affectionately.

I love the word cunting for it's nonsensicalness.

I was born and bred in Glasgow, I now live in the Central Belt. I've never heard this word used in any way but as the most derogatory of terms, the foulest of insults. Where on earth is it used affectionately?

I live in Glasgow and have heard it used affectionately between friends for example where I might say " you idiot" while laughing at someone who did something stupid , some less polite members of society might say "ya cunt". I really hate the word though.

This was amongst mainly working class women from around cumbernauld. I've.also seen it referred to in a Lynn Franks routine, which suggests it's a bit more widespread. I imagine it is less common in Milnagavie.

Perhaps my example wasn't that great, but I have heard it meant in an affectionate way.

You see, my experience is the other way round. My poncy bourgeois university friends and meeja colleagues all use "cunt" as often as they use "the" e.g.

"I see that cunt's got a job at the Guardian"
"Hi? Boden? Your cunting online order system is down"
"Please pass the balsamic vinegar. You cunt."
"Did you see the way that John Lewis salesman cunted me off?"

Whereas my working class family of council house dwelling single parents and teenage mothers would be at the word. My mother-in-law (yorkshire mining stock) thinks 'bloody' is beyond the pale.

I think it has become quite fashionable to use it in a slightly ironic way among middle class people to show that you are a bit 'street', confident and not easily offended, but I doubt many of those people would actually use it to casually to insult someone face to face. That seems to be reserved for extreme anger and hurt (eg, said by a woman to total arsehole of a man who has let her down) or more commonly among neanderthal men spoiling for a fight, or the sort of men (or women) who have such a meagre vocabulary and such a warped sense of social acceptability that they pepper every sentence with obscenities so they cease to serve any real purpose or convey any emotion. It's a shame because swearwords when creatively and frugally used are a wonderful way of conveying emotion.

I don't use the word myself and would add that the only time I have ever been called it is on MN .

It's up to individuals to decide what language they want to use and what 'image' they want to project.

I do judge when someone uses it and immediately dismiss whatever point the poster was making. It may not be perceived as an offensive term in some circles and that's fair enough.

I just use it as a good indicator of people I will avoid in future - which is always good on here!

coming late to this

twat in my part of the country (SW) is interchageable with twit

Imagine the shock of my sister's colleagues when she went to Manchester for a work meeting and referred to someone as a twat - the stunned silence before someone took her aside and explained in hushed tones why

Agree with fellatio.

Am in Australia.

Here it is quite rude actually.

We all guffaw loudly at the oft told tale of MIL using it in a game of Trivial Pursuit

While it is not a word I have used much - only while driving - I would not judge someone who did.

offers peace pipe all round

It's a word full of hatred and the only people who think it's clever to use it are as thick as pig shit.

It should be as unuseable as nigger is, it's part of hate speak and should be seen as such.

I am offended Malificence....cunt is an old word for an important part of my body and it is NOT full of hate unlessyou and people like you allw it to be.

I refuse to have a word which is about my body associated with hate. How ignorant.

It's not the same as nigger, which has a specific historical and social context and a long history of usage in suppressing and dehumanising a group of people.

It's just a word which someone decided a few years ago was THE MOST OFFENSIVE WORD EVER and then everyone decided to. It's not.

I agree with fellatio about its current fashionable status.

I just do not get why a woman would use the word "cunt" as a way to insult a man.

It reminds me a bit of the time my brother was apologizing to our mother and said "Oh, mum, I'm so sorry - I am such a selfish son of a bitch"!

The only people I associate with using that word are those who also think that Paki is an appropriate term for any one of Indian descent.
The intelligent and well educated people I know would never use it - it's a common word for abusive men to use towards their partner too, I've seen it on here countless times.

Why would you be proud of a word used by men to belittle women and a way for them to show their hatred?

If it was purely a word to describe female genitalia that would be fine, but it's not and everyone knows it's a hugely offensive term.
Quim is an old word too, but nobody uses that as an insult, if women want a traditional word to reclaim, why not that?

Cock or pussy aren't offensive, they are playful words that are pertaining to other things i.e. a cockerel and a cat.

Any swearing denotes a lack of basic respect in any case, anyone swearing in the company of people they don't know well is ignorant and rude.

seeker at your brother!

My DP uses cunt, in its appropriate context, i find it a turn on

Malificence, i can't even bring mysyelf to say the q word, i don't know why it just make my toes curl. Saying that, i used to feel the same about pucker!

LOL seeker.

Quim is just BOAK.

Re: cunt as a word to belittle women - I have so rarely heard it in that context - does it have widespread usage? Bitch, slut, whore, lady, girl, fishwife, cow, dog - all these have far stronger claims to being words used to belittle and insult women.

YANBU. It's a horrible word.

It's just a word. It fits well into all sentences and was used in a lot of classic literature. ie.

''That cunting robot has both sets of genitalia, a metal nob and a metal cunt. That's why we call him cunty.'' - Shylock (Merchant of Venice)

TondelayoSchwarzkopf - That is an excellent point, i don't think i have ever heard "cunt" used to slag off a woman. But ofthen heard men described as a cunt.