Fashionistas you have arrived 3-25-03 - 10-3-03

[leagleaze]

Originally posted by carp
Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines douche bag (ca. 1963) as an unattractive or offensive person. My question is, have you ever known a male to be called a douche bag?

No, but once when I was watching a douche commercial, and my dad was in the room, and we were silently looking at the tv, both thinking why the hell do they have douche commercials, I said to him, "Dad, do you ever get that not so fresh feeling?"

But I don't think that is the same thing.

[taxwonk]

Originally posted by sebastian_dangerfield
Does anyone know chicks who shorten words because they think it sounds cool? My wife has some friends who like to cut pieces off words during conversations and it drives me up a wall. For example, they'll say "Mary and I had a convo the other day" meaning "Mary and I had a conversation the other day". Another I heard was the use of the term "vag" for vagina - they seem to think that sounds cute. The worst is when they shorten "whatever" to "whatev" - I can barely hold my tongue when they speak like that to me. I really feel the need to say "Your slang makes you sound like you're challenged, my dear... its not cute". Just an FYI - if you do this word shortening thing, people probably ask each other what the hell is the matter with you behind your back.

Mrs. Wonk thinks its just "fabu."

I think I'm going to start fooling around behind her back.

[Anne Elk]

Originally posted by carp
Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines douche bag (ca. 1963) as an unattractive or offensive person. My question is, have you ever known a male to be called a douche bag?

No, and I haven't used that term in years. If I recall correctly putz was the male equivalent. At camp I once knew a kid with the last name Putz. I felt sorry for him, he already had so many strikes against him and was saddled with a lat name like that. Luckily his first name was not Dick.

[greatwhitenorthchick]

Originally posted by Bad_Rich_Chic

BR(don't get particularly worked up about "cunt" myself, but I understand why the historical baggage makes it quite different from "dick," or even "prick," which I consider roughly equivalent to "twat"; I agree with Lester that "slut" should be forcibly reappropriated as a compliment, rather as "bitch" has among some female groups)C

I don't get where use of cunt went off the rails. Back in Chaucer's time, it was acceptable slang, no? (which I learned when some dork in my English class asked the prof how you pronounce "queinte" and why did that guy grab the Miller's wife there).

[evenodds]

Originally posted by sebastian_dangerfield
I sometimes think that the "violence" you see in cunt is actually its reinforcing a primordial "fucker/fuckee" power dynamic.

I don't think that power dynamic exists any more or should exist - fot that reason, women complaining about cunt is a double standard.

The c-word is offensive because it defines a woman solely as a receptacle for ejaculate. The proper parallel to "dick" would be calling a woman a clit, but that's not offensive enough because it does not convey the proper level of powerlessness.

We drew this distinction in our discussions about rape. The only way a man can understand the true power dynamic of nonconsensual sex is male-on-male rape. The physiology of sex means that, while in our "modern" world women have become more sexually aggressive and true partners in a sexual relationship, the act of intercourse is a power dynamic in which the man is powerful and the woman is powerless.

The c-word depends on this shading for its power.

[taxwonk]

Originally posted by leagleaze
God no. That's stup.

Actually, Leagl, it's "schtup."


Oh, wait. You were shortening stupid. nevemind.

[taxwonk]

Originally posted by greatwhitenorthchick
I think one of the arguments is that when you dehumanize someone by reducing them to a body part, it is a grave insult. When you dehumanize them by reducing them to a sexual body part, it is an even worse insult. When you dehumanize them by reducing them to a (gasp) female sexual body part, it is the absolute worst (because in the traditional heirarchy of things, women are below men).

Oh, don't be such a tit.

[taxwonk]

Originally posted by carp
Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines douche bag (ca. 1963) as an unattractive or offensive person. My question is, have you ever known a male to be called a douche bag?

When I was in HS, it was the number one insult used among males. Of course, back then a slut was a girl who would fuck anyone and a cunt was a girl who would fuck anyone but you. So apparently the language has changed.

[notcasesensitive]

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Just because we have the right to swear here, doesn't mean we have to turn the derivation of swear words into the longest most overdone topic of all time.

n(fuckin dicks)cs

[evenodds]

Baskin-Robbins is offering free ice cream tonight . . .

http://www.baskinrobbins.com/new/

[Mister_Ruysbroeck]

Originally posted by sebastian_dangerfield
Does anyone know chicks who shorten words because they think it sounds cool? My wife has some friends who like to cut pieces off words during conversations and it drives me up a wall. For example, they'll say "Mary and I had a convo the other day" meaning "Mary and I had a conversation the other day". Another I heard was the use of the term "vag" for vagina - they seem to think that sounds cute. The worst is when they shorten "whatever" to "whatev" - I can barely hold my tongue when they speak like that to me. I really feel the need to say "Your slang makes you sound like you're challenged, my dear... its not cute". Just an FYI - if you do this word shortening thing, people probably ask each other what the hell is the matter with you behind your back.

If I didn't know better, I'd say your wife and my wife are friends. Her college roommates (all 7 of them) do this shit all the time when they are together. It's so fucking annoying.

[ThurgreedMarshall]

Originally posted by purse junkie
Sure they do. Yes, they are both insults technically referring to genitalia. No, they are not used remotely in the same way. Calling a guy a dick doesn't imply any judgement in particular about his sexuality--as say, "pencil dick" would. I have never, ever heard the word "cunt" used in a way that did not imply something negative about a woman sexually--usually, that she had stepped out her place and was acting like a guy--and with respect to women, sexual terms implying insult or potential harm are often used to put her back there.

It's like the n-word/cracker distinction Not Bob made--refer to an analogous thing, but has completely different history, meaning and implications.

So nice of you to incorporate Not Bob's argument into yours after the fact.

Unfortunately, we still disagree on this:

"I have never, ever heard the word "cunt" used in a way that did not imply something negative about a woman sexually--usually, that she had stepped out her place and was acting like a guy--and with respect to women, sexual terms implying insult or potential harm are often used to put her back there."

Bullshit. Either you're putting too much meaning onto the word or you frequently imagine things.

Every time a woman is called out on her behavior is not an attempt to tell her she has stepped out of her place or is acting like a guy. That's insane. On the whole, when a woman acts like an ass, she gets treated like one, just like everyone else (including black people). The worse she acts, the harsher the insult.

Calling a woman a cunt doesn't necessarily imply "potential harm" and it doesn't refer to a woman's sexual activities. If I call you a cunt (I actually don't use that word, but let's assume I do), I'm not trying to put you back in your place and I don't think you're acting like a guy. I think you're acting like a complete asshole and the gender-specific term (a la "dick") for that is "cunt."

Now, I think in some cases, people who use the term intend to bring up the charged meaning of the word (GWNC/Not Bob's argument). But mere usage of the word does not go as far in my opinion as you think it does. Usage plus overt intent gets you there. And although the analogy Not Bob used (relating it to the word "nigger") is helpful in seeing how it might be used in some cases, it's not the same. "Nigger" is designed and used specifically to reference a certain part of our history. The intent is incorporated into the word. I don't think that's the case with the word "cunt."

TM

[purse junkie]

Originally posted by notcasesensitive
Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Just because we have the right to swear here, doesn't mean we have to turn the derivation of swear words into the longest most overdone topic of all time.

n(fuckin dicks)cs

Okay. I propose a charity drive to raise funds to help Anna Nicole Smith buy the proper underwire support garments (or get the appropriate implant-deflating surgery) to support her enormous rack that is causing her such terrible back pain, thereby helping to alleviate her cleavage-induced Vicodin addiction. We could call it The BOOBS (Breasts On Overdrive Breaking Spine) Foundation.

p(feelin' her pain)j

[dtb]

Originally posted by sebastian_dangerfield
Does anyone know chicks who shorten words because they think it sounds cool? My wife has some friends who like to cut pieces off words during conversations and it drives me up a wall. For example, they'll say "Mary and I had a convo the other day" meaning "Mary and I had a conversation the other day". Another I heard was the use of the term "vag" for vagina - they seem to think that sounds cute. The worst is when they shorten "whatever" to "whatev" - I can barely hold my tongue when they speak like that to me. I really feel the need to say "Your slang makes you sound like you're challenged, my dear... its not cute". Just an FYI - if you do this word shortening thing, people probably ask each other what the hell is the matter with you behind your back.

True confession time, my best friend in college and I would do this all the time (never "vag" or "whatev" though -- those are weird! and we were NOT, I repeat NOT weird! I do, however, admit to using "convo"), and we thought we were so hip -- in fact, I think we thought we invented the whole concept. Hmmm.

Anyhoo -- my friend was explaining to her boyfriend about our charming conversational convention (about how we lopped off syllables from words), and his response was, "Hmm, that's interesting, but what if it's only one syllable, like 'lame'?" She actually started to answer for a second. I think it was shortly thereafter that we seriously curtailed our use of this convention.

One remnant remains, however. And that is the word "natch" -- used only ironically, of course (sort of like "classy").

(If that doesn't call out plf, I don't know what will. I think he's scared of my princess dog.) What a pussy!

[Bad_Rich_Chic]

Originally posted by greatwhitenorthchick
I don't get where use of cunt went off the rails. Back in Chaucer's time, it was acceptable slang, no? (which I learned when some dork in my English class asked the prof how you pronounce "queinte" and why did that guy grab the Miller's wife there).

I would not take my cues for "acceptable" medieval slang from the Miller's tale (and I believe it was a reeve's wife getting the feel-up of her parts where the long hair hangs all adoun - a miller's wife and daughters were getting diddled by reeves in the Reeve's travelers-bed-swapping-tale). Chaucer was by all accounts a lovely man, but he could have a dirty mouth on him.

The main point of the Miller's tale was that it was so vulgar, obscene and unacceptable, both in language and subject, that the other pilgrims were horrified (amused, but horrified) and shut him up so the Knight could tell one that was prissy and chivalric but also disturbingly wrong. Also, the Miller told the tale to specifically insult the Reeve by calling his wife an unclean ho with a hot cunt that needed to be filled by many young men. (The characters hated each other.)

However, in a more general sense, the medievals were much less prudish about addressing sex, genitalia, shit, farting, vomit, bad breath, supperating pustules, the pleasures of drunkeness, the inability to keep erections (or get rid of them), the lack of satisfaction to be obtained from small cocks and other "vulgar," "obscene" or otherwise unacceptable things directly. We're still recovering from the damage done by Reformation and Victorian morals.