I’d like to talk about bad words, if I may.

Since around the time I hit puberty I noticed that so many of the expletives in English (I’d love to hear from speakers of other languages on this) are based on sex. Sex is typically consider a desirable or positive thing, so why is our strongest swear word “fuck”? Why do we say something disagreeable “sucks”? A hang-over from sex negativity? Excrement-based curse words make sense to me, but there are far fewer of them than the sex and genital-based ones.

Some of these have received pushback recently. In the 90’s and 00’s it was common for kids to casually use “gay” as a synonym for “bad” and “pussy” for “coward”. Maybe it’s because I’m an adult now, but I just don’t hear this anymore. Even if people use these terms negatively they mean their literal referents. I think we came to a place culturally that recognizes this isn’t acceptable (what right-wing weirdos call “political correctness”).

Most female-specific terms are no longer acceptable. “Bitch” has been effectively reclaimed by third wave feminists. “Cunt” is unacceptable in the US and its days in other English-speaking countries may be numbered. “Twat” sounds downright old-fashioned. “Slut” shaming is sure to draw approbation. Disparaging terms for sex workers are all off the table. And that’s great! But then why is the very opposite thing happening for male-specific terms?

“Dick,” “jerk, and “wanker” have been used to describe unpleasant people for decades. Now “bellend” and “scrote” are joining their ranks. We have often used fellatio as a metaphor for something disagreeable (“suck”) but there isn’t a comparable word for cunnilingus. And although it’s unacceptable to criticize a woman for having a relatively active sex life, it’s become more and more common to see men insulted for their putative lack of sex. And it doesn’t even need to be literal. If someone calls someone else an “incel” or “virgin” online they obviously don’t actually know anything about their sex life.

Expletives are an important part of language. Sometimes we need these blunt instruments to properly express our anger. But let’s move away from all sex-negative, and demographic-based cusses.

  • Pons_Aelius@kbin.social
    4·
    1 year ago

    “Cunt” is unacceptable in the US and its days in other English-speaking countries may be numbered.

    I assume you have never spent much time in Aus, Ireland, Scotland or England, because the use of cunt is far, far from the taboo it is in the states.

    But let’s move away from all sex-negative, and demographic-based cusses.

    And replace them with what?

    Swearing’s whole point is verbal transgressions to convey a level of emotion.

    We have often used fellatio as a metaphor for something disagreeable (“suck”)

    Something sucking has never had any sexual connotations in my country. It is simply that suck = not good.

    All in all, I feel you are talking from a very personal perspective and that is fine, but you then use it to create generalisations that do not apply as widely as you claim.

  • Cruxifux@lemmy.world
    3·
    1 year ago

    Dude, no. Some of you take this whole language policing thing to ridiculous extremes.

    There are some words, like dropping N bombs, that were used for HORRIFIC levels of oppression and are taboo for good reasons.

    But words like fuck? Yeah you can pry that one from my cold dead lips bro.

  • Infiltrated_ad8271@kbin.social
    1·
    1 year ago

    Even if vulgarity could be removed from language, it cannot be removed from people, it is a futile struggle as language is constantly evolving. At worst it would be counterproductive by being boycotted, at best it would just be another step in the euphemism treadmill.

    Appealing to origins doesn’t work very well either. People use those words with a clear concrete meaning and all their listeners understand it perfectly well, intentionally misrepresenting it because of its etymology will only get hostility.