I've heard the word commonly used for the last 3 decades especially in Glasgow (where my late husband was from) and in London. I think there's a generational difference in perception between us (I'm 63).
To be fair, I'm also guilty of double-standards. While the C word is no worse to me than using male genitalia as an insult (why should female genitalia be considered more insulting?), I get particularly riled at the expression 'douche bag' which I think is far worse than any other term. I will therefore try and bear this in mind when writing on the Glinner as I would not want you to be turned off it because of my language.
Yes there are definitely generational differences: swearing using sex words now seems far more common than it used to be, starting with children. I think it started and has since gathered pace since 1961 with the publication of "Lady Chatterley's Lover" and its publisher Penguin winning a court case against accusations of breaching obscenity law.
"Cunt" was one of the offending words named.
And there seem to be class differences too: with the middle classes now far more likely to use "earthy" language formerly more associated with the working class (while the upper classes always said whatever they pleased).
Yes terms for male genitalia are often used as insults for men, but I think the difference remains the implicit power relations between men and women. Using women's genitalia as insulting terms for men is always going to insult women too: because men's worst insult for other men is to call them "women" to assert a power relation of male dominance too. This is especially so using terms for female genitalia that dehumanise women too.
Whereas referring to men by their own genitalia is simply to insult men.
Yes "douche bag" is particularly unpleasant, as it implies "receptacle for something unclean" as well as "female".
I lived in Edinburgh for eight years.
I've heard the word commonly used for the last 3 decades especially in Glasgow (where my late husband was from) and in London. I think there's a generational difference in perception between us (I'm 63).
To be fair, I'm also guilty of double-standards. While the C word is no worse to me than using male genitalia as an insult (why should female genitalia be considered more insulting?), I get particularly riled at the expression 'douche bag' which I think is far worse than any other term. I will therefore try and bear this in mind when writing on the Glinner as I would not want you to be turned off it because of my language.
Yes there are definitely generational differences: swearing using sex words now seems far more common than it used to be, starting with children. I think it started and has since gathered pace since 1961 with the publication of "Lady Chatterley's Lover" and its publisher Penguin winning a court case against accusations of breaching obscenity law.
"Cunt" was one of the offending words named.
And there seem to be class differences too: with the middle classes now far more likely to use "earthy" language formerly more associated with the working class (while the upper classes always said whatever they pleased).
Yes terms for male genitalia are often used as insults for men, but I think the difference remains the implicit power relations between men and women. Using women's genitalia as insulting terms for men is always going to insult women too: because men's worst insult for other men is to call them "women" to assert a power relation of male dominance too. This is especially so using terms for female genitalia that dehumanise women too.
Whereas referring to men by their own genitalia is simply to insult men.
Yes "douche bag" is particularly unpleasant, as it implies "receptacle for something unclean" as well as "female".