To be enormously offended by the C-word

[AmericasfavoritefightingFrenchman]

So today a man called me a c* during an argument, and I was assured by everyone around, including three women, that this is no longer an insulting word, not shocking or taboo, and that I was unreasonable to be enormously offended.

This idea is shocking to me. Surely it’s very offensive and deeply misogynistic? I was definitely offended, and hurt that the women I was with thought it was no big deal.

Or am I unreasonable? Is it so unoffensive these days as to be a casual, unremarkable part of conversation?

You can be offended y whatever you like, just as everyone else can 🤷‍♀️

its just a word

I think it is used more widely in a more general context as a swear word and I think many people have become a little desensitised to it. However, used as an insult towards someone I think it's pretty abhorrent and I would be offended too.

I’m not offended by the word cunt in general, but I would be offended if someone used it as an insult towards me

I saw the title and assumed the offensive c word was cis. Which angers me far more than cunt!

It doesn't bother me, I find bitch or slut more misogynistic, don't get me wrong I wouldn't appreciate being called it but I wouldn't be deeply offended, it's a pretty generic slur, not particularly personally insulting.

Same. I swear like a sailor but I won’t have it used in my presence.

That seems an odd thing to do? Plenty of intelligent people possess extensive vocabularies and are more than able to 'put together a cohesive argument', yet still prefer cunt (appropriate time and place permitting, as per PP). It's just a word.

Why would you make assumptions about someone being thick because their language choices differ from yours; there is no link between the two things? The man the OP refers to obviously intended to be aggressive, intimidating and rude, and likely would have come over as such no matter which words he used.

I much prefer it to pussy. ick

I don't find it offensive as a word but in my workplace we're a sweary lot so it takes a lot to offend me. Bit if someone called me a cunt in the middle of an argument and clearly meant it as an insult I would be offended just as I would be if they called me a bitch.

I'm not offended by cunt. It's entirely personal though. There are still people (mainly American christians) who are horrified by the word damn.

Actually I find the fact that we are so offended by it sort of misogynistic in itself. Why is cunt, for example, seen as being so much ruder than cock or willy or dick? It's an arrangement of letters at the end of the day, one which sounds sort of gutteral and unpleasant (so is perhaps more effective when used to express a negative emotion), but personally I don't see why it should be so terrible unless we're saying a vagina or vulva or whatever is somehow more taboo than a penis.

A lad at work was given a verbal warning for using it (about a colleague - male as it happens). Yet many of my colleagues say F*ck etc on a hourly basis.

At any rate I would write the man off as a vile thug, verbally speaking.

It’s not a word I’d ever use, and TBH I’m often surprised at MNers, who presumably would call themselves feminists, using a word meaning female genitalia as a term of extreme abuse.

Cuntish behaviour

It's quite unimaginative isn't it really. I'd find it much more hurtful if a comment was made in the heat of the moment about me personally, I.e, the way I am as a person. Swearing doesn't bother me generally.

I was fairly used to hearing it used affectionately where I used to live (not saying where as sure as eggs is eggs, a rash of posters from said area will promptly rush on and beat to death with pitchforks whilst chanting 'That word is NEVER used in XXX").

However, that's entirely different to a man screaming it at a woman (presume you're a woman?) during an argument. Sounds horrible. I hope this isn't your partner?

Were the other women really young?

Yet “twat” is considered to be one of the much milder swear words…

There's research to suggest that actually, swearing is associated with higher intelligence and larger vocabulary.

What's important is having the social intelligence of when it's appropriate to swear.

I often call Alexa a cunt. She does my absolute head in when she won’t play BBC Radio 2. She gives zero shits and it further enrages me.

I might tell a friend (depending on who that friend is) if I thought someone had behaved in a cunty way towards me or them.

I wouldn’t use in front of my parents but we are liberal with ‘fuck’.

I find the idea of ‘cunt’ being ‘the most offensive word’ problematic. I don’t want vagina / vulva to be on a pedestal - we use ‘dick’ and ‘cock’ pretty freely - but equally, piss off thinking the most imitate part of a woman is the ultimate offensive word.

If anyone is able to unpick that conundrum, I’d be most grateful!

Maybe some women want to reclaim it.

😂

Bollocks (see!), meant to add - I’ve never called someone a cunt to their face and doubt I would.

@coralgeo , I think you’ve missed my point.

I’m ok, thanks @PAFMO, he was a stranger I probably won’t see again.

I think I’m trying to work out if it was ‘horrific verbal abuse’ or not by considering how his language came across and how others interpret it. If everyone thought, for example, that it was equivalent to calling me ‘dude’ then I probably would be unreasonable to feel abused by it?