...... 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?

Did most posters know that cunt was female genitalia before knowing it was an insult ? I am surprised if they did

I only recently found out what twat meant and quite sure my nanny didn’t know she never used any other swear words

Next question. Why is the combination of letters c u n t a swear word/insult?

I hate the way posters in this forum use it. It is a vile term but they think it’s clever or something. Weird.

...on this forum...

Why doesn’t anyone seemed bothered by the use of the word twat

It’s an insult not on the same level but it’s another word for female genatilia

I don't like twat either.

But it does not carry the same cultural weight that cunt does.

I am aware of that

And I am also aware that many people don’t know it means female genitalia

It still an insult but the word has evolved to have a different meaning

I agree OP

Could there be a background of fear too? As in there's nothing worse for some men to call each other than something essentially female, therefore implying they're feminine? Especially now, when calling someone gay is unacceptable.

It's a bit of a stretch I admit.

EnthusiasmIsDisturbed I heard of it first from Chaucer and as far as I can remember (and it was a long time ago) the teacher explained the background of the word and how it changed over time. So both uses together really.

It still an insult but the word has evolved to have a different meaning

Are you not in the uk? I know of no adult female who does not know that their cunt is their genitalia. It has not evolved at all. It is still used in this context..

Fine there are a couple of people On the thread who claim to not know this and that if someone said to them, “let’s see your cunt”. They would be confused and not sure what it is. But rest assured the overwhelming majority of adults, both Male and female know what this word means.

The argument is that a word which crudely refers to female genitals should not be used also as an obscene insult. In today’s society it is not an acceptable term by any manner of means for thr vast majority. In fact it’s commonly perceived as the most obscene profanity.

As women we do ourselves a disservice to use what is commonly known as an explicit term for our genitals as a horrible insult.

I didn’t say that people don’t know that cunt means female genitalia I said that I think many would have heard it used as an insult before knowing what that it’s also a word for female genitalia

And that for many people they don’t connect the two

And language does evolve of course it does and will continue to

Twat has the same meaning I certainly didn’t know this until recently I still use the term when referring to someone I think is being deliberately stupid I don’t think oh they are being a vagina/vulva

And that for many people they don’t connect the two

I agree that a small number may not really understand when they use the word, or even mean that, however this doesn’t change what it is. Lack of understanding doesn’t change it in the slightest.

In fact the Oxford English Dictionary thinks it’s a toss up between this and the n word as being the most taboo word in the English language.

It's very medieval.

I don’t see why twat or cunt wouldn’t be the same in your opinion, I thought they both referred to female genitalia.

"I don’t see why twat or cunt wouldn’t be the same in your opinion, I thought they both referred to female genitalia"
As I said, I don't care for twat either.

But it is inescapably true that one carries much more "cultural/societal weight" than the other.

I commented earlier about the language/meaning change, as have many others. That is the key.
Anyone arguing that language hasn't evolved is pretending. The word comes from Latin, for one thing. Of course it's changed. If it hadn't evolved, no one would use it as an insult. If it hadn't evolved, this thread wouldn't even exist. If the meaning hadn't changed, people would commonly use it as a term for vagina and it wouldn't be crude, it would be acceptable.

And I really don't think you can say that cunt has just as if by magic changed it's meaning to unpleasant person without considering it's origins!

As if by magic? It's been used as an insult for a thousand years!

And if you want to get feminist about terminology, cunt is way better than vagina, which, coming as it does from the latin term for "sword sheath" literally means a hole for a penis to go into. Vagina is names solely for its use for men.
Not very feminist, is it?

he word comes from Latin, for one thing

Nope. Not related to the latin cunnus, it instead comes from a Norse root.

That's arguable but I couldn't agree more with your previous post.

HoofWankingSpangleCunt you’ve let yourself down, you’ve let MN down but most of all you’ve let Feminism down. So think on. 💭

"And if you want to get feminist about terminology, cunt is way better than vagina,"

Many feminists agree.

The power and status of Cunt as a contemporary insult, in my opinion, has not much to do with its anatomical meaning and far more to do with phonetics. There is a similarity of structure and sound to what are considered by some as more offensive swearwords (one syllable, four letter words with short vowels and a k sound). The k sound at the beginning of Cunt (rather than at the end of words like Fuck, Dick and Wank), together with the clipped 'nt' ending give it more power to sound offensive. Its usage as the most offensive insult reinforces its status.

I agree with OP.

I think its part of growing disrespect to women. Ironically taken up on MN as a positive trend . Any thread that has that in its title is deliberately flaming and derogatory to women - so I normally ignore.

I think Bluntness100 puts it very well.

I don't use it as an insult (I don't use 'twat' or words relating to the penis either), and I consider it a hate slur when used against a woman.