Looking like a Doll & Swearing like a Sailor.

Most people who know me are aware of my working class habit of swearing like a cockney sailor, but there are of course certain curse words I prefer over others. Allow me to tell you my favourite:

Cunt.

Yes, we're all very shocked, aren't we? It's considered the single vilest word in the English language.

But why?

Why should I find a word which only refers to the female reproductive organs offensive? And furthermore, why should I let others treat it as offensive? Frankly, I'd rather embrace it. What does strike me as offensive is the fact that foulest word in the English language refers to female genitalia. What exactly is so evil about a woman's cunt and what makes it worse than say, a penis? The latter has certainly caused more strife throughout history.

I've heard boys at school talk about how much they loathe a girl using that word: cunt. Why? Why shouldn't I say it? They're allowed to say it, and they don't even have one! Sexism, people, blatant sexism.

Naturally, discussing my favourite swear word also leads to discussing my least favourite:

Bitch.

Bitch, in my opinion, is the single most dismissive insult in the English language. Again, its origins are feminine, and whenever a girl speaks her mind or acts in any way unlike the chauvinistic stereotype she's perceived to be, she's immediately disregarded with a single word:

Bitch.

She's just a bitch, don't listen to her. She's just a bitch, who cares?

A bitch, a dog, a subhuman creature. It makes my blood boil. At least when someone calls me a cunt (which has happened relatively few times in my life, thankfully) I know that they're taking me seriously enough to pull out the biggest insult they know. But when they call me a bitch, they've decided that I'm barely worth their time, they're going to ignore me; I'm just a bitch.

What I'm attempting to say is that certain words should be embraced, reclaimed, if you will. Cunt, which has no demeaning origins other than those we ascribe it, is one of those words. On the other hand, bitch, which stems from misogynistic beliefs about the subservience of women (a dog obeys its master, etc., etc.) should be stamped out, or at least treated with the abhorrence it deserves.

Can you tell I've been re-reading The Female Eunuch?