IGX

When I was growing up, the only thing that would get me struck in the face by my mother was that word. Knowing this, I never said it until I was describing my cousin after my grandmother passed ~15 years ago. I'm 37 now. I don't think I've said it typed it more than 5 times in my life.

The thing is, I probably hear it at least once a week from a variety of sources and in different settings.

Has this lost its taboo status recently, or did I just grow up in a weird bible and you cretins were always using it?

In England and Australia it has a completely different connotation. English people will say it to a guy who is being a pissy bitch, but it's not nearly as pejorative as in the US. Courtney Barnett (Australian) tells a story of how she once referred to the previous act onstage as a bunch of "sick c--ts", the way Americans might say approvingly "he's a bad m-----f-----", and was amazed that people got mad.

There's a part in Horace and Pete where one of the regulars at a bar is telling a story about Sodom, and he's using every bad word and being as un PC as possible, and then he says the word about Lot's wife and Sylvia (one of the owners of the bar) goes off on him. Which is illustrative of your point. My experience has been similar to yours -- I have uncorked rants, no problem so far, and then had someone blow up at me for saying it. I had not noticed that that's changed. I offer the above in case the sources you mention weren't American.

I remember Aussies when I was hostelling in Canada years ago would drop it like no big deal. We figured out pretty quickly there was a difference of culture. We wouldn't have been offended anyway, but it was surprising to see this absolutely gorgeous girl drop it after a few pints.

Think she was from Perth, if my memory is correct.

In my house cunt was just not even considered as a word that could be said. Cocksucker was only used by my father and it was a warning that violence may be near at hand. It was his angriest word.

Motherfucker was the top offensive word. But, it was OK in the black community and became very acceptable among white youths like myself. I think if blacks ever adopt cunt that it'll be come immediately accepted by the broader culture.

The worst I ever heard growing up was goddmanit

Interesting responses. So, are we all old?

It's weird to see such a drastic change in what feels like a very short period of time.

To reiterate, I don't really find anything offensive without context, but there are certain things where I can feel my mother's hand upside the back of my head.

Along the same lines I'm surprised at the redefinition of the term douchebag. In the 1970s it meant an annoying person, but one who was also weak or inadequate. In the last decade or so it's become much more frequently used, and simply synonymous with "asshole". I don't know when that changed. I suspect it has to do with declining linguistic standards, with sloppy or lazy word choices and phrasings being much more common.

baffled wrote: ↑Fri Nov 06, 2020 3:36 am I remember Aussies when I was hostelling in Canada years ago would drop it like no big deal. We figured out pretty quickly there was a difference of culture. We wouldn't have been offended anyway, but it was surprising to see this absolutely gorgeous girl drop it after a few pints.

Think she was from Perth, if my memory is correct.

People from Perth are c-word people...

What the fuck, people? Few years ago calling someone a cunt was an ordinary thing here. Is Freides the moderator here now?

An ordinary thing here, but not in society in general.

Sangoma wrote: ↑Sat Nov 07, 2020 7:18 am

baffled wrote: ↑Fri Nov 06, 2020 3:36 am I remember Aussies when I was hostelling in Canada years ago would drop it like no big deal. We figured out pretty quickly there was a difference of culture. We wouldn't have been offended anyway, but it was surprising to see this absolutely gorgeous girl drop it after a few pints.

Think she was from Perth, if my memory is correct.

People from Perth are c-word people...

What the fuck, people? Few years ago calling someone a cunt was an ordinary thing here. Is Freides the moderator here now?

Yeah, one of our roommates was from Melbourne and I remember him saying the girls where he was from "wouldn't talk like that in front of blokes." Or whatever.

I'm not commenting on this place, but everyday life. The appeal of this place has always been the free flow of diverse viewpoints, racial epithets and homophobia.

Save that Orwellian neologism for your friends at the vegetarian, gluten free, nothing stronger than wine cooler allowed, no gender pronouns PTA potluck. Stop using the language and thought patterns of your oppressors. Hating faggots is not a phobia, and it isn't abnormal or even unusual, it's what most people feel instinctively.

motherjuggs&speed wrote: ↑Sat Nov 07, 2020 11:11 am Hating faggots is not a phobia, and it isn't abnormal or even unusual, it's what most people feel instinctively.

Just the latent homos suppressing their feelings.

motherjuggs&speed wrote: ↑Sat Nov 07, 2020 11:11 am Save that Orwellian neologism for your friends at the vegetarian, gluten free, nothing stronger than wine cooler allowed, no gender pronouns PTA potluck. Stop using the language and thought patterns of your oppressors. Hating faggots is not a phobia, and it isn't abnormal or even unusual, it's what most people feel instinctively.

That's the spirit.

We always need taboos to violate. Keep the C word a sacred violation. Otherwise what else is there?

I mean, it's always weird to hear. I tend to be in the George Carlin "Seven Dirty Words" camp, but cunt is always going to be weird and a little jarring for me to hear, read and write.

Maybe it goes to show the effectiveness of an intolerable consequence on behavior over the long term. Even the threat of that consequence, my mother cracking me, is enough.

Of course, if my dad threatened to pop me after the age of 15 or so, it would have been a fist fight in the living room.

Cunt is widely used in England.

Thanks for contributing new information and perspective to the conversation.

Edit: JFC, my phone's autocorrect won't even let me talk mild shit

Gav wrote: ↑Sun Nov 08, 2020 9:37 pm Cunt is widely used in England.

There’s a lot of them there

nafod wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 1:38 am

Gav wrote: ↑Sun Nov 08, 2020 9:37 pm Cunt is widely used in England.

There’s a lot of them there

You’ll need to change change that mentality now. Hating is out in the States, uniting is in

Sangoma wrote: ↑Sat Nov 07, 2020 7:18 am People from Perth are c-word people...

Fuck you carnt. Fucken dog carnt.

https://youtu.be/JmoG4JY_T58

How us Brits use the word