...... to think it is profoundly anti feminist to use the word "cunt"...

[BertrandRussell]

....to describe, for example, an abusive violent man? I find the idea that, when looking for a word to describe awful, awful behaviour, we use a word for women's genitals horribly misogynistic.

Or am I just stuck in the 70s?

Certainly still no direct link between 'cunt' as in females and 'cunt' as in despicable person."
So please can you provide the etymology for cunt meaning a despicable person?

Didn’t it become seen as a ‘peasant’s’ word in the 1700s? So an everyday word for a body part was taken up as an insult.

Yes it is a mysoginistic insult. And much "worse" than dick or prick!
Cunt is considered the worst of all words.
In America it seems that cunt is an insult more applied to women than men incidentally.
Consider this: you are a woman and a man tells you you are a cunt. It feels different to calling a man a cunt, or even a woman calling a woman a cunt. Not that I don't dont use it, but yanbu.

InkAdvantage

Nevermind the rest I want to know what

I'm profoundly anti-feminist means

So please can you provide the etymology for cunt meaning a despicable person?

That would require much more research time than I can give at the moment. Even if in the Middle Ages they had a shared history, now the insult version is not the same thing as genitalia. It has no history of being continually used as a primary
female derogatory term, unlike the N word which is specifically and only used as an insult based on physiology. If it was commonly used as only a derogatory term for women, there would be an argument for misogyny, that is where your argument fails. To give another example, it's not like the words 'retard' or 'spastic', which took medical terms of its time and became purely social degradation of those with disabilities and cognitive impairment. Although awful, it is clear where they are related, whilst there is no explanation of how 'cunt' or 'dick' equals awful person or one behaving in a terrible manner.

Physical anatomy and human behaviour are not exactly comparable, so it suggests that taboo words have evolved from slang of privates (as would be unheard of speaking about penis and vaginas in the Middle Ages) to the insulting swear words we have today. Much as many other words from it's time have changed meaning, though not much of the word root over time.

Fair enough. I will carry on believing in Occam's Razor. You can carry on believing that misogyny can't be the explanation for anything

You can carry on believing that misogyny can't be the explanation for anything I believe (as a non feminist) that it is clearly misogyny.

Fair enough. I will carry on believing in Occam's Razor. You can carry on believing that misogyny can't be the explanation for anything

I didn't say that, what I'm saying is that if you are so convinced by this, you need more evidence than you currently have to convince me that there is a direct correlation between 'cunt' and misogyny. You have an interesting theory, currently all I read is belief and opinion, which you are very entitled to. Language evolution is a complex matter though, especially when comparing Middle Age English to today - it is almost two different languages.

"You can carry on believing that misogyny can't be the explanation for anything I believe (as a non feminist) that it is clearly misogyny."

Maybe you're not quite as non feminist as you think you are!(

@WillowWeeping

I have no idea how to put that more simply.

I didn’t mean it wasn’t offensive! Twat definitely isn’t more offensive than dick or cock where I’m from . In my mind pussy is probably on par with dick that’s why I mentioned it.

I'm being sucked into the vortex

But bastard is different because being one is no longer a shameful thing-in most parta of our society at least

Neither is possessing female genitals. Not that different at all. Clearly bastards and cunts were both once considered bad things suitable to be used as insults.

I like a good swear. But cunt is one word I can’t bring myself to use. Even if it’s warranted.

In Scotland, it's often used semi-affectionately! (E.g., any cunt coming for a bevvy tonight?)

This.

It's a term of endearment in my neck of the woods. Awright, ya cunts?

No offence intended whatsoever.

I'm with the Scots on this one. I bloody love the word, especially in conjunction with others. "Cuntybollocks" is used a term of endearment here at Lakie Hall.

To remove the stigma of it being considered by some the "worst" of all swear words, it should be reclaimed by being used at every possible opportunity and then it would lose its shock value. Many of my colleagues agree with me, and we are almost entirely lefty, feminist women (one of the women is a Tory feminist and we have a gay man on the team - he loves a good swear, too).

Tbh, it's getting a bit out of hand and it's only a matter of time before someone drops a bollock and has a rant about the cunting printer in front of some po-faced senior manager, who wouldn't understand that we are simply seeking to reclaim a perfectly useful Anglo-Saxon word.

In Scotland, it's often used semi-affectionately! (E.g., any cunt coming for a bevvy tonight?) I'm Scottish and I rarely hear this word. Sorry to be po-faced but it's true.

Yeah- I am always a bit sceptical of these places where everyone calls everyone else cunt as a term of affection. It's a bit like the threads where someone says that all their black friends just love being referred to in a friendly manner as Sambo....

I'm Scottish and I rarely hear this word. Sorry to be po-faced but it's true.

I'm Scottish and I hear it constantly.

We must be mixing in different social strata. are you from Edinburgh?

Yeah- I am always a bit sceptical of these places where everyone calls everyone else cunt as a term of affection.

Well you carry on being sceptical and others can carry on using the word as they see fit.

I also hate the way 'pussy' and 'fanny' are used as a derogatory term towards men who are perceived as wek.

*weak

For me the beauty of the English language is it's evolution over time. At the moment, although probably not for much longer due to it being commonly used, cunt is a vulgar word reserved for vulgar people, for me. I don't see any connection, or want anyone connection, to that word and my vagina or any other woman's, really. I'd be insulted if anyone referred to my body using that word.
My daughter doesn't have a father but I don't want to reclaim the word bastard. Language/meaning changes.

I suppose it's the generalisation of "in Scotland" rather than "in my place of work" or "amongst my friends" in Scotland....

I suppose it's the generalisation of "in Scotland" rather than "in my place of work" or "amongst my friends" in Scotland....

It's not as ubiquitous as "wee", put it that way. But it's widely used in the way described in my area (and within certain contexts - i.e., NOT work).