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Originally posted by September


I know this thread is over, but I'd still like to address this.

I think people are offended by being called a cunt not because of it's link to the part of female anatomy, but instead what is behind the word. When someone is called a cunt, it is usually in a derogitory way, an attempt to insult someone. And the only reason it has power is because a large number of people (though not a majority) give it that power.

Calling someone a toenail is not really an insult, because no one gives it power. Calling someone a wetback is only an insult because enough people view it as an insult, and, more importantly, beleive the things that go hand in hand with the name.

Calling someone a vagina is not an insult. But calling someone a cunt can be, because of what is intended behind the words. It has nothing to do with what a cunt actually is. But when you call someone a cunt, you are usually not imply that that person is a vagina. Instead, you are insulting that person, you are calling upon all the people who believe a cunt does imply what you are meaning it to imply.

Wow, that sounds really convoluted. SUmmary: An insult only has worth because of what is behind it. We could say that calling a child from virgina an apricot implied that the child was ugly, mentally deficient, and likely to grow up to be a child molestor or rapist. But, until enough people gave that word power, it wouldn't be much of an insult.

So, a word like cunt or bitch or spic is only an insult because people have given it power, because people believe that women are less worthy, that hispanic people are dirty or what have you.

You're talking Theory of Communication 101. Signifier & Signified.

As in the word/gesture/body language is the signifier but depending upon the culture it can signify somethign entirely different from the meaning. Feel free to look up more info on the topic. I forget who came up with this theory.