Thursday, April 06, 2006

Explicit Language

Josh writes:

Not sure if I've mentioned this here or not, but I don't say "cunt". I'll write it, but I don't say it -- partially because I figure you need to keep one swear word in reserve for when you really mean it, partially because it's the line in the sand I drew as a younger person to convince myself that I was still a Good Boy, partially just out of habit. Anyway, this isn't about searing insights into my innermost innerness (that's what LiveJournal's for). The point is that it seems I may have to rethink my habits if I'm to fit in with a changing world.

And the world is changing, make no mistake -- you can see it in the great cultural barometer of Hollywood films. It used to be that you could get away with saying "fuck" once in any blockbuster, either to put emphasis on a climactic moment (off the top of my head, Armageddon and Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion) or sometimes just as a throwaway (Army of Darkness springs to mind). Now it seems the "one fuck" rule has been replaced with the "one cunt" rule. Witness the likes of Blade 3, Domino and now Inside Man ("You really are a magnificent cunt" -- fabulous delivery) -- same phenomenon, different profanity.

"Cunt" is the new "fuck" -- what a time to be alive.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm waiting for the day when the L&P ad says "goes together like Fuck and Cunt."

--Hewligan

Unknown said...

I must admit to being slightly surprised to hear the word cunt while watching The Sopranos last night. I was even more slightly surprised to see it typed out in subtitles. They used it in its most offensive context too, calling a woman a cunt.

I'm not sure if this is progress or not.

Apathy Jack said...

I can't remember if I've mentioned this (I know I've never got around to writing the post about it that I was considering) but kids these days dont know what "cunt" mean.

Thye say it frequently, in front of teachers, but they don't know what it means.

I once had to explpain it to one of my third formers. That wasn't comfortable...

RSJS said...

I volunteer to explain it's meaning to your students Jack.

I'm sure it's a case of post-feminism, women are allowed to be cunts in their own right or some such. Certainly it's the only word I ever balked at saying, and still don't like the feel of (the word, not the orifice itself). I'm an old-fashioned "fuck" kinda cat.

What I'm waiting for is the evolution of the cunt. We now have "cunting" but where are the next step? We have motherfuckers, fucksticks, dgfuck, fuckity-fuck-fuck, but cunt is underused in extended insults as if it alone stands proud and pink and gaping for all to admire without flossying it up with prefixes of suffixes. Someone suffix my cunt!

Josh said...

Suffix your own -- there's plenty to choose from: cuntface, sad cunt, doss cunt, radge cunt, cock-juggling thundercunt.

Unfortunately, "cunthead" looks like it should be pronounced "cun theed". Actually, I think that sounds better -- cun theeeeed. I think I have a new favourite insult...