How do we feel about the c-word?

[JustineMumsnet]

Generally, as you know, we take a fairly relaxed view about swearing on MN but we do in our Talk Policy promise to remove postings that are obscene.

We've had a complaint about the c-word as posted here and are rather torn as to whether to leave it or not - it's not a personal attack so were it your average term of abuse, we'd usually let it stand. But some people hate the c-word and view it as much worse than traditional forms of abuse - beyond the pale as it were, others argue that it should be reclaimed...we're somewhere on the fence and it's not comfortable

Would be good to garner your thoughts, so we can jump off one way or t'other?

UQD - quite often do a doubletake when I see City University of New York, so the N'cl poly would have been hilarious. Can you imagine the meeting where that discussion took place - lots of people weeping silent tears of laughter, waiting for the penny to drop?

You know what Spidermama, that doesn't bother me. It makes me think that the vagina carries real power, which it does. Compare cunt and dick. Cunt is very strong and people hate it and fear it and use it in extremis. Dick means someone kind of pathetic and crap and pitiful.

Cunt can also be very, very funny and perhaps it is actually now getting slightly less offensive because it has been used deliberately to shock and to be funny. I can imagine a friend or DP calling me a cunt for eating the last yoghurt or whatever and it would be affectionate and silly - though of course it cam also be used as a proper insult as in that thread. Dick could actually be more hurtful and always an insult.

roffle at tweat.
Don't ban it. It is a vile usage of a not-so-bad word but I am a free speech type.

mm I swear quite a lot in RL (trying very hard not to in front of dd though for a while she went around chanting bugger bugger bugger) and don't consider myself unintelligent

there are times when nothing but swearing will do

Blu, Issy - do you hate twat as well? Just wondering why this isn't debated if the reference is the issue.

I don't like it. I don't use it. I wouldn't ban it, except in thread titles.

The particular usage that you have linked to is just really lazy, unnecessary and unimaginative and if someone has complained about it I don't see why you shouldn't delete the post - it's not as if it adds much to the debate on the thread!

Most Guardian cunts are left-leaning I understand, policywonk.

In most towns there used to be a Gropecunt Lane, as that's what used to ha[[en there

These streets are probably called something twee like The Gables or Neil Armstroing St or something now.

I like cunt. Sometimes no other word will do

i used to think twat was just a slightly different form of twit

oops

Once you start banning some words because some people find them offensive where do you draw the line?

How is using a swearword any lazier than saying say "idiot", or "nasty man"? I'll grant you it's lazier than thinking up a good and complex unique insult, but other than that it's just another word out of the common lexicon in terms of effort expended.

lol sheik

btw, i have only just 'got' your name

By the way, don't you all think you get get a really good run up to saying "twat"?

Twwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwat!!!!! Most satisfying

LOL at Neil Armstrong Street

Kind of a backhanded compliment isn't it
"What can we change Gropecunt Lane to.... um Tony Blair Avenue?"

I like "cunty bollocks"

It's a one-size-fits-all curse, esp when I have a mishap in the kitchen

Gropecunt Lane in Oxford was renamed Magpie Lane, wasn't it? Perhaps we couldall agree to call our bits 'magpies' rather than 'cunts'.

I like "cuntflaps!" Is that allowed?

cunty bollocks is a fave here too, that or cockandbollocks

lol at cunty-bollocks - very jolly

Oops this thread is in danger of becoming somewhat unladylike!

i dont like it but other words were used to describe driver that could also offend,to me its not a word i use but just as bad as any other word imo.

now you see in 'cuntflaps' it's the 'flaps' bit that makes me wince

and thick

Hm...not a favourite word of mine, but unless used in a personal way of attack to me aor a fellow mn'er etc...I think it's unecessary to remove it from a thread...(in the context that it is written in)....