The 'c' word

[Terfing]

As in, the 4-letter word that refers to female genitalia.

I have started a thread in 'Site Stuff' asking them to ban the use of this word on Mumsnet. Personally, i find the word hugely offensive. It is shocking that one of the worst insults in the English language involves comparing someone to female genitalia. Even worse, I've seen it many times on the feminism boards.

What are other people's thoughts on this?

A feminist who wants to police women’s language on a predominantly female forum.

ODFOD.

‘You, Sir, are a cunt’ never fails to make me smile.

I don't like it and given its frequent use as an insult for both men and women I'm not convinced that it is empowering and has been reclaimed.

I don't use any swear words on here, and rarely in real life. On here I don't like swear words and I don't think they add anything to the strength of an argument. I find the made up ones childish and unfunny.

I hate the word "bitch". I think it is absolutely unacceptable to describe a woman as a bitch or bitchy but they make regular appearances on MN , even on FWR.

In Scotland, people just use it to mean ‘person’ half the time like ‘where’s that cunt Derek?’

Possibly some people in Scotland might do that. I don't know any who do.

Im not a fan of the word but honestly it’s used mostly on here for humour or to accurately describe someone nasty. If you don’t like it that’s ok but to ask that it’s removed? Isn’t the joy of mumsnet the fact we can swear etc?

I do not support the banning of any words and I think you're ridiculous to want to do so.

Personally, I'm ok with it & I want to be able to refer to my cunt should I need to.

I find the made up ones childish and unfunny.

I find them childish and funny! I most certainly have stunted development where swearing is concerned.

‘You, Sir, are a cunt’ never fails to make me smile.

One of my friends had a meme of that come up on her phone if I called her due, I think, to my overuse of the word and that phrase in particular...unless she was actually misgendering me & hating on me at the same time

Are you asking to ban all the words that refer to male genitalia aswell?

It's horrible. I hate it. In fact, it is not comparable to using words for men's genitalia. A word means what it has been used to mean, ie innocuous words become offensive, think cretin, spastic, etc. So, this word has been used as a vile insult, whereas dick just means a bit silly. Here is where the offence lies. I hate all the MN posts that pepper with this and the f-word. You should be able to formulate an argument without base level insults

I gave up smoking 13 years ago and I'll be fucked if I give up one of my only remaining pleasures which include swearing, grumping and coffee.

I don’t use it as an insult (I currently plump for the sex-nonspecific ‘asshat’) but it’s a good, historically meaningful word that I do sometime use to refer to my vagina/vulva in a non medical setting (hate ‘pussy’ and most other colloquial terms are either childish or have some kind of odd religious connotation).

Even if I didn’t like it I wouldn’t want it banned. Banning words is a slippery slope towards fascism and limiting other women’s language or tone is a non-feminist action (the patriarchy expects us to gender-police each other, while the men get on with the proper business of exploiting our sex class).

No, no banning words. You can tell a lot about a person by the language they use and how they use it. Cunt away I say. I like cunts btw.

Cunty cunty cunt.

Dh and i had a mutual friend at 17/18

Well more dh than me but i knew him

He swore a lot and one easter he decided that he was either going to give up saying fuck OR cunt for lent

Then he realised that he wouldnt be able to say his his favourite insult of 'fucking cunt' oh my goodness he was torn

He joined the police!! Sweary fucker!

I married into a London family and cunt is common parlance used as an insult to anyone, man or woman. It's used as the ultimate insult. I came from a family that discourages any swearing so this word was a surprise at first. I didn't just hear it within the family, I hear it a lot at work too (I run Tube stations). I don't like it, and I have told my husband and it family as such. It's misogynistic. They try not to use it. But I cannot change a language culture of millions of Londoners.

I hate its use as a swear word. It’s deeply misogynistic.

I haven’t read the thread, but I am sure somebody has already said that it’s widely regarded as a term of affection in Scotland. It isn’t.

Do you want it's use banned on MN though BertrandRussell?

Oh, and someone will have spectacularly missed the point by saying “it’s just the same a dick or prick- won’t somebody think of the poor men?”

“Do you want it's use banned on MN though BertrandRussell?”

I don’t believe in banning words. But I wish women, particularly women who are feminists, would rethink their use of it.

I prefer cunt to pussy.

Especially as in the past cunt was often softened to coney, and I’d rather have my body be compared to a rabbit than a cat.

I must admit I am not comfortable with it, especially as it is mostly used in an aggressive and insulting way.

I find using ‘pussy’ as an insult more demeaning because the connotation is ‘weakness’ when used to men. When women are referred to as ‘pussy’ it reduces them to their sex organs. I don’t feel that ‘cunt’ does this. It has a strength behind it, a viciousness. But ultimately has the same meaning.

I’d never refer to my cunt as ‘pussy’ - too porny. I think that matters too - pussy is a porn term.

‘Bitch’ however, I cannot stand. That’s a word I would ban on here. Along with ‘mummy’ or ‘mummies’ when referring to adults by other adults.