On “Cunt”

I’ve never spoken the word. At least not unless the word itself was the subject of my sentence and, even then, I usually opt for the much safer “C-Word” substitute. I can be an awfully foul mouthed individual, but I don’t say that, not ever. While I’m sure this is mostly do to a somewhat civilized upbringing, there’s something magical and holy about helping to keep an unspeakable word, unspoken. Fuck, Shit, and Ass can nowadays be said in the most polite company without raising an eyebrow; writers and musicians can use them and, for better or worse, produce no effect; but Americans young and old still blink at this one. It still has the power. To hurt. To offend. To shock. And so a recent, but unexplained, spike of it’s use in my presence both online and offline has been quite noticeable and, like the child who hears a noise at night–I’m checking under the bed.

The word itself, which dates back to Old English and beyond, was then, is now, a term for the Female genitalia and, like most English vulgarisms, it finds it’s origins in a fairly unoffensive Old Norse word that referred to that same area (whether the front or the back, etymologists still can’t agree). Throughout the British Isles there were streets known as ‘Gropecunt Lane’, which meant exactly what it sounds like it means and was the Medieval version of a red-light district. So–and this is just my guess–the word became associated with sex-out-of-marriage and, therefore, the English Language banished it to the realm of the unspeakable.

But like anything, to really find the word’s power of offense, we must examine it’s users. The recent incidences I’ve observed have all come from the same type: Those whose sexual frustrations seem to be the Sun around which all their other planets revolve. Their fights, their beliefs, their problems, their confusions; all seem to be the fault of the woman standing closest to them because she’s vain and unkind, or weak and fickle, or stupid and arrogant. And like the appeal of a gun, a word with an aurora of power gives strength to the powerless. The ignored get attention. The insignificant, in some sense, become significant to the receiver. She looks up. She says “how dare you!”, she gets angry or upset. Essentially, she talks to you.

So, is the word misogynistic? Well, it’s negative use does make the female body part into something ugly and dirty. But this phenomenon doesn’t effect woman alone. In our language an unkind man is a “Dick” or a “Prick” or a “Cock”, a really antagonistic one is a “Jerk-Off” or–for my English friends–a “Wanker”. And all of us, regardless of gender, both have and can be “Assholes”. No, I don’t think we have an issue with one particular sex, I think we have issues with sex (oh, do we!). If we’re going to accuse words alone of being sexist, we’d have to revamp the entire English dictionary.

So, where does that leave us? Should the word now be spoken freely? I doubt it. Like I said, it’s one of the last meaningful vulgarities in English; I’m not sure why we chose this word to be so off-limits, but we did and now it’s all we have. Any overuse of it right now, for purely novel effects, would be a shame. There may be a time when it’s strength could serve a functional purpose: Imagine, though it hasn’t happened yet, that a female Hitler were to arise. On that day, I’ll stand before her and say “You’re a giant C-word!” and the world will hear it and they’ll say “Gee, he must be really serious”. Until that day, it’s not passing these lips. Because quite frankly, my Mother would kill me.

Sorry, no exclamation points only question marks.