This girl is the worst person alive

MrCalifornia · 2012-05-25T21:56:19.516294+00:00

Did you ever notice how most of recorded history is about the accomplishments of men? Stop acting like you're not convinced that sexism is a real thing. If you really require a citation before you'll believe that, you're being intentionally difficult.

As much as I wish I could teach you to think, you seem to be uninterested in learning, so it's time to discontinue this argument.

MrCalifornia · 2012-05-25T21:45:52.407308+00:00

Asshole is about as good as it gets for general purpose insults because everyone has one, and because it is filthy by nature. It is not as good as more specific language, like "ignoramus", but it's a big step up from words that demean the classes of people associated with the word.

MrCalifornia · 2012-05-25T21:30:22.719797+00:00

I did tell you later in that thread. Dick is also sexist.

Everyone has an asshole. Assholes emit shit. Assholes and shit are great for insults. For example, "shit for brains" is my favorite for describing someone who refuses to wrap their head around a simple concept.

MrCalifornia · 2012-05-25T21:17:20.681607+00:00

You're saying that "cunt" implies women as property and second-class citizens?

No. It is a vestige of a system of thought that treated women that way. Many men still see women as inferior, and using this word in that way reinforces that system of thought.

I realize that when you say "cunt", you don't intend to demean women. For you, it is just a word that means "bad person", but the way you understand the word evolved from the prior meanings of the word, which are ultimately rooted in sexism.

So again, it's not that I think you intend sexism when you say the word, it's that it has undertones of sexism due to history.

If that were true, then, wouldn't this also be true for the word "dick?

We weren't talking about that word, but yes, it's another example, but with a different history.

Ultimately, I don't care about either word. What I care about is the destruction of language.

MrCalifornia · 2012-05-25T20:53:11.495139+00:00

Glad to hear it. In truth, I'm less bothered by the sexism, and more by the destruction of language. Etymology is fascinating to me. I'm suddenly considering the purchase of Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology

MrCalifornia · 2012-05-25T20:41:30.741451+00:00

Out of curiosity, have you read 1984? This thread reminded me of Newspeak. Also, thought-terminating clichés.

MrCalifornia · 2012-05-25T20:29:52.307917+00:00

I'll break it down for you:

Women have been repressed since always. Treating the word "cunt" as a negative is part of a system of thought that at one point in history held women as property, and more recently, as second-class citizens. Since language evolves, the insult has transitioned from being overtly sexist to meaning something more generally evil, which I think is the disconnect between what you're saying and what I'm saying.

Even if you don't intentionally look down on women, using this word as an insult breaths new life into that system of thought that demeans women. If you do look down on women, then we'll have to agree to disagree.

MrCalifornia · 2012-05-25T20:19:09.019272+00:00

I can live with that.

shelly_11 · 2012-05-25T20:01:12.087151+00:00

Can we get a joke explainer up in here to ruin it?

MrCalifornia · 2012-05-25T19:56:03.651244+00:00

I can't answer that without proving your point, so I'll play dumb and make you repeat yourself, .

FTFY

iagox86 · 2012-05-25T18:54:45.749801+00:00

My account was compromised, and I'm fairly certain it wasn't phishing. My password sucked, so bruteforcing is certainly possible. Also, I share my account with my brother, so he could have fallen for a phishing attack. So... nevermind.

MrCalifornia · 2012-05-25T18:01:24.923095+00:00

Why do you think a slang word for vagina started to be used as an insult?

Bierrr · 2012-05-25T17:42:29.121844+00:00

Thanks! I ordered one.

MrCalifornia · 2012-05-25T16:57:30.421923+00:00

You're not understanding me. Why do you think the word "cunt" started to be used as an insult? What is the history of this word, and why do we save it for a despicable person?

MrCalifornia · 2012-05-25T16:09:02.536470+00:00

It attaches stigma to an organ that is specific to women, it characterizes the organ as cowardly and conniving, and it says "vaginas are shameful".

Or in reddit terms: http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3pg1s7/

MrCalifornia · 2012-05-25T15:54:20.489714+00:00

The problem is less with that word and more with depriving words of their meaning: thought-terminating cliché.

MrCalifornia · 2012-05-25T15:20:22.379196+00:00

To be totally honest, protecting equality is only a secondary concern in this argument. The primary concern is the integrity of language, and the role of language in thought. If you haven't ready 1984, I recommend it, as it is highly relevant to this argument. If you want something more succinct than that, I invite you to read a bit about thought-terminating clichés and Newspeak.

MrCalifornia · 2012-05-25T14:57:23.407470+00:00

The bigger problem here is the reprogramming of language so it becomes meaningless. You attach stigma to a word, and suddenly "liberal" or "communist" starts to get used as an insult without any thought for what it means. You can alienate a whole class of people without understanding them just because they fit a label. Equality is not the only reason to preserve the power of language, but it is relevant to this situation.

I'm not pulling this concern out of thin air. See Thought-terminating cliché and Newspeak.

MrCalifornia · 2012-05-25T14:46:55.702336+00:00

"Shit head" demeans only the person you target it towards, and has specific meaning: "shit for brains". "Cunt" demeans all women and means nothing. Have you not read 1984?

T1ggleBitt1es · 2012-05-25T00:46:02.434846+00:00

Even a surprisingly effective windscreen won't prevent shit from flying into your face, or your eyes from drying out. You need "effective", not "surprisingly effective".

MrCalifornia · 2012-05-25T00:31:00.802899+00:00

You don't get it. You say shit without even thinking about what it means or where it came from. Why should the word "cunt" be an insult? It is demeaning to women to use the word as an insult, same as it is demeaning to homosexuals to use the word "faggot" or "gay" as an insult, same as "bastard" for people born out of wedlock. These labels serve to lump people into categories that are easier to repress. When you misuse words like this, you diminish language, and by extension society. Stop being anti-intellectual.

Insult people. Call them pedantic elitist assholes, conniving psychopaths, or ignorant shit heads; just make it meaningful.

MrCalifornia · 2012-05-24T23:29:03.353061+00:00

high horse. n. Informal. A mood or attitude of stubborn arrogance or contempt

So it's the guys standing up for gender equality that are being stubbornly arrogant? You didn't think that one through did you?

MrCalifornia · 2012-05-24T23:08:43.860275+00:00

Apparently /r/sports is not a place for being politically correct. :(

I decided to unsubscribe.

T1ggleBitt1es · 1 day

No windscreen.

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