To be offended by the use of this word in many threads?

[Sugarsandwich]

I am new to MN and tbh I am shocked by the regular use of the C word in many threads, using it as a term of abuse for (very often) men who have behaved appalingly towards their partners. It's not that I am against swearing in general, it just seems odd that a community of forward thinking supportive women would choose to use a word that actually means a normal, natural, sacred part of female anatomy to describe such vile and reprehensible men. Can anyone think of a creative alternative word to use instead?

Did someone report the thread?

Honestly? 'miss, miss she said cunt'.

Calling someone a cunt, yes report it as its a personal attack. Writing it, meh.

For balance. The picture is an official piece of paper that I only noticed after giving it to a number of people.

@Pipbin

Did someone report the thread?

Honestly? 'miss, miss she said cunt'.

Calling someone a cunt, yes report it as its a personal attack. Writing it, meh.

For balance. The picture is an official piece of paper that I only noticed after giving it to a number of people.

Folk actually reported the thread for goadyfuckery. But I thought I'd clear up the use of puffincunt etc.
HTH

Good to know we can use puffincunt if we need to.

Not as a personal attack though, innit?

Sacred Peace and Love All
Thanks ever so

"Are the people getting really het about this word (saying it's on a par with racist slurs), all American?

It's just a word. It ISN'T like racist slurs, as it isnt a word that has been used to institutionally repress women for a really fucking long time."
I am not "getting het up". Not agreeing with you is not the same as "getting her up"- although it is an equivalence that has been used to silence women for a very long time. No, I am not an American. Yes I do think that "cunt" is equivalent to racial slurs. It has been used to degrade and belittle women for years. It is not "just a word". Whatever today's cool girls say.

Has pearl clutching over cunts become the mumsnet initiation ritual??? I swear I've seen at least 5 threads recently that basically say "I'm new and your language is disgusting".

Wolfie, very one I see wankbadger I burst out laughing.

OP I use corn flakes instead of fucks sake. Not because I don't like it, but because DS (2) cannot say corn flakes, it's comes out fucks sake. So it's a running joke in our house.

Cunt is just another swear word. It's all about context.
If I am actually called a name whatever it is, I would be offended.

hakluyt

I agree that it may have been used against you from men who wanted to put you in your place so to speak. But surely you were also called other feminine words too, there are plenty that are used to belittle women.

Bitch
Witch
Hag
Silly cow
Barbie
Little woman
Given in the right context, they are all nasty

I use cunt, but I don't equate it to female genitals. Same as when I say fuck, I don't have the thought of fornication in my mind.

I don't like it. I've grown up hearing it said in such a hateful and misogynistic way that, for me, it's 'unreclaimable'. An example of a word being 'reclaimed' is 'queer'. Gay people began to call themselves queer and it then lost its power to be used as a term of abuse. There's a famous gay club in London called Queer Nation. I generally only see cunt used on here as a term of abuse so I don't get the reclaiming argument. And I don't think calling someone a dick or a knob has the same connotations as calling them a cunt. I accept that I'm in a minority on here though.
And saying that it's OK because it's 'just a word' is a lazy argument. Language is important. I had to comfort my friend last week after a group of kids called her disabled son a retard and a spastic. Should I have told her to get a grip because they're 'just words?'

I have proper belly laughed all the way through this thread.

i had to stop reading this thread for 2 reasons,

one i was on my phone and my DS 13 was reading over my shoulder and 1 because i kept reading bits out!!

I love the use of this word on these threads, its taken the sting out of the word for me and while i still dont say it in a daily basis i am no longer 'shocked and pearl clutchy' when i see it/hear it - this can only be a good thing in my view

I can't find a link at the moment, but there is a recording of a presenter on Radio 2 introducing a record requested by "Betty Sutton, of Dartford in Kunt"

I'd rather be called a cunt than a "cool girl". As I said previously in the thread cunt can be applied to anything - a cunt is just a cunt - be it a woman, man, car, computer, anything that irriates me. I always find that "cool girl" is a very dismissive, passive aggressive phrase solely used to undermine women who think differently from someone.

... it was Charlie Chester's "Radio Soapbox" show. Still can't find the link though.

"I always find that "cool girl" is a very dismissive, passive aggressive phrase solely used to undermine women who think differently from someone." Really? Isn't it "just words"?

Really? Isn't it "just words"?

As i pointed out before its about context, you apply your sentence to various other pp

Good point, Dragon. Is 'Cunt' still considered the most shocking word?

'Motherfucker' might also be a contender, plus its an Americanism, isn't it? So quite possibly doubly offensive.

"I have proper belly laughed all the way through this thread."

"I have proper belly laughed all the way through this thread"

Why!

Well I get called it all the time.

The rest of you have nothing to worry about.

I prefer twat to cunt .

I like that Mumsnet allows swearing. Most other forums are far too puritan about language.

Swear words change and evolve over time. When I was at school, in the 1970s, use of words such as Bloody or Oh my God where not permitted because they were seen as offensive swear words. I can also remember an excruciatingly embarrassing conversation with my Dad about the meaning of Twat when I used it to describe a friend when I was 14.

I can understand why other old school feminists object to Cunt, but I do think its use has evolved and changed in recent years. It certainly was directed at women in the 70s as a term of abuse, I'm not quite sure of the concept of reclaiming, I still actually loathe Queer or the N word whatever the context, but do think Cunt is more widely acceptable amongst friends as a general swear word.

Personally, as a feminist myself, I find terms such as love, dear, ladies etc. used towards me by male strangers (unless part of a regional or normal manner of speaking) far more derogatory and offensive. And don't get me started on the patronising use of Hun between women.

Context is everything.

It ISN'T like racist slurs, as it isnt a word that has been used to institutionally repress women for a really fucking long time.

It is still used this way in the US. It is interesting to me that it has evolved away from this misogynistic connotation for many in the UK but not in the US. I doubt it will ever be acceptable in the US. I am American and I can count on the fingers of one hand and still have a few left over the number of times I have even heard it spoken aloud.

Also, as an "old school feminist," I have no interest in advancing its use as an acceptable swear word in the US.

The fact that the OP hasn't come back does suggest I wasn't too far off, with my suggestion of goady fuckery.

Either that or she is over on NM, even as we speak, being hunned and sparkly-tickered back to a happier and calmer frame of mind.