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Saturday, Nov 7, 2009
Are you trying to say that you would approve of the use of the word nigger used as an insult against Barack Obama? I haven't seen it yet, but should he continue to be politically successful at a national level, then I am sure it is coming from the bigoted, the ignorant, and the childish.
Will you be so cavalier about such insults then?
Have you ever seen those t-shirts alluding to President Bush?
no?!?
(I don't like Bush and I'm not crazy about hillary manically clawing at the throne either. But t-shirts are going to happen. I like Ohio State football. I bought a t-shirt for a dollar which says "Muck Fichigan". I don't necessarily feel that way, but it was really cold, I needed an extra layer, and it was kind of fun. I don't really mind people from Michigan, but I own a shirt which suggests otherwise. People dress up at halloween too!)
There is an insult for white men (or any man) and you know what it is.
It's the greatest insult to any man and it translates universally around the globe in every language. I asked a linguist on this point once and he agreed that as far as he knew, it was the greatest insult to a male in every language he could think of.
Also, I don't approve of insulting Mr. Obama. I'm a Hillary supporter but if he gets the nod, I'll totally back him.
I'm saying, we ladies can reclaim the word "cunt" just like African Americans reclaimed their word.
Men can't reclaim their nasty insult word. Or rather, I doubt they'd have the, um, cajones to do so. It would be awesome to see that can of worms get opened!
Yo! Cunt Lover!
Of course no one would make up a shirt for Obama using a similarly inflammatory word. That would mean a righteous ass-whupping.
-- Herself
First of all, it sorta depends on where you are. But then again, I've been called nigger and I've never been to the South! And, yes, I guess it was in the same place that someone called me a cunt (not by a "redneck" but by a progressive vegan "hippie".)
All of these attempts to create a gender vs. race war ends up hurting the very people (women and people of color) who are being forced to engage in the charade. Really, you can't talk about gender bias without talking about racism, and for that matter, classism. Until we acknowledge that all of these "isms" come from the same deep well, we're all sunk.
Finally, gender bias, while being inextricably linked to both racism and classism, is more upfront, which gives people allowance for these vile attacks on Hillary. I think after all of the ugly violence (not to mention slavery) done against blacks in this county by whites has made racism a more publically shameful affair, so white people are less likely to vocalize it. Doesn't mean it's not there. And to those that complain that broadsheet is relegated to the "pink ghetto," please examine your own actions and rhetoric and then think about that accusation.
--TB
"Let's keep the misogynist Hillary hate-wear coming! Send pics or links to broadsheet@salon.com."
Oh good. So whenever we find some loser who comes up with some crude and stupid way of insulting women and Hillary, we should give them as much publicity as possible.
To what purpose? Attention is what these assholes crave. Giving them publicity will only encourage more of this sort of behavior. In the case of CitizensUnitedNotIntimidated.org, publicity will actually make money for the dickhead behind it.
But Broadsheet wants more, more!
I'm afraid you'll need more than a few crude pottyshirts to make Hillary a sympathetic character. In the meantime, you're empowering a bunch of really vile characters.
Doesn't that make you feel proud?
Well I confess that I may not be the greatest expert on insult words. I don't know what you mean. Are you saying that Cunt Lover has been used as an insult for men in the same way that nigger lover has been used as an insult for white people? I didn't know. That would only work if you bought into the racist and sexist messages in the first place. I was called a nigger lover in high school because I supported civil rights. This was in Texas in the 60s. It didn't bother me at all. I knew civil rights were the only morally decent solution to prejudice.
As my mother used to say, "IT TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE!"
I agree with every word. And you even mention the most insidious ism of all: Classism.
There is a *huge* difference between expressing smugness towards a rival sports team, and calling a Senator, and presidential contender, a walking vagina.
Calling a woman a "c*nt" is denying her brain, her intellect, her personality, her personhood. It's telling her to shut up and lay down. And even though calling a man a "dick" does reduce him to his penis, somehow it doesn't seem to bother men (though please correct me if I'm wrong. I've just never seen a guy flinch at being called a "dick." Not even Tucker Carlson when Jon Stewart called him a dick on Crossfire. Which, God bless Jon Stewart, didn't really elevate the tone!)
A couple of years ago, I heard a story on npr about women in politics in France. Women have far greater representation in the French legislature than in America (well, almost every country does, but I digress). The reporter was stating that, even though women are participating in the French government, they are not always taken seriously. She used an example: as a female French legislator got up to speak on a reform bill, an elder statesman sighed and said "Ahhh, voici les vagines qui parlent." ("Oh look, it's the vaginas talking").
I remember thinking, "Well, at least our few women senators are not so disparaged by their peers."
Looks like I overestimated us again.
And look, everyone has the right to use ugly words to describe people they don't like. Fine. I have problems with people emblazoning such words on tshirts (words you don't want your child to repeat, or words you wouldn't repeat in front of your grandparents). And I have *huge* problems when "professional politicos" reduce themselves to this level. Words change worlds. So, when we think things are important, we should take extra care in choosing words. Calling HRC a "vagina" when what you really mean is "She's as pragmatic and ruthless as Catherine de Medicci" is really dumbing down the message, isn't it? And, sigh, it makes you look like .... well, a dick. (Kidding!)
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