Cunt. (n.) ˈkənt
“You lesbian cunts!” He's clearly drunk, intoxicated beyond belief but the words hit me with the force of a punch. I continue to ignore him, ignoring the words he's shouting at my friend and I. The vile taste of seething anger fills my mouth and I try to focus on the pavement ahead of me and get away as fast as possible. The words and insults float into a common swirl of hatred, but the single word stays in my mind. A woman across the street shoots us a sympathetic look.
The word could not be any clearer or more direct. It is a body part, as clear and simple as 'arm' or 'face'. Yet, the single word carries a connotation and societal implication far beyond that of a simple body part. It symbolizes the oppression of women and the deliberate intent to shame and assault women.
Evelyn Couch in Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe feels this when a teenager, without reason, knocks her down and calls her a cunt. In her own situation, she feels victimized by the world around her and attacked without any real reason or provocation. Despite her effort to avoid being called names such as 'slut' or 'bossy', she is still called a cunt, not because of her actions but rather because of her gender. (Flagg 233). No matter how hard she works to avoid the harsh double-standards and judgements of the patriarchal society, she cannot act or adjust in a way that negates her gender. She is left entirely defenseless against the attack since there is no real retaliation or equivalent of the word. There is no response to such an open attack.
Though the word 'cunt' has a variety of origins in various languages, one of the oldest origins is from the ancient country of Sumeria where Iraq currently resides. The women documen...
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... of our gender and battle the sexist ideals of our world. In history, many other words, particularly racial slurs, such as chicano have been reclaimed by the people it was intended to oppress and stripped the word of its power over them. Many racial slurs have been condemned and frowned upon by our modern society, yet the words directed at women are trivialized and ignored despite their harmful intentions and effects. We must reclaim the word cunt from its negative connotations and strive to replace the double standards and shame directed at women for their gender.
Works Cited
"Celebrating the Word "Cunt"" Origins of the Word "Cunt" N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
"The Etymology of Slang Sexual Terms." The Etymology of Sexual Slang. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
Flagg, Fannie. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle-Stop Cafe. New York: Random House, 1987. Print.
Sexism is a highly talked about issue read about online, seen in the news, and experienced in the day to day lives of many. The importance of this issue can be found in many writings. Authors such as Sandra Cisneros, Linda Hasselstrom, and Judy Brady have all discussed the topic of sexism in writings and how they affected their lives. Although each writer addresses the issue of sexism, each author confronts a different type of sexism; the kind we are born into, the kind we learn growing up, and the kind that is accepted by society at the end of the day.
Sexism can have many negative impacts on the way women view themselves, research was conducted and it showed that when exposed to modern sexism, women expressed negative self-directed emotions. Modern sexism exposure also resulted in stereotypical self-presentation, where in contrast, women who were exposed to old-fashioned sexism displayed less self-defeating behavior. This research concluded that women were more likely to stand up and defend themselves against the old-fashioned gender stereotypes, but let the modern day expectations defeat them (Ellemers & Barreto, 2009).
... have arisen. This paper has taught me a tremendous amount about the word burn. I found it really fascinating to study the definitions. I discovered new meanings from eight hundred which still apply today, for example, a stream. It fascinates me how words never truly change their meaning but do evolve from the slang we use.
"The Meanings and Origins of Sayings and Phrases." RSS. Gary Martin, 1996. Web. 21 May 2014.
The word “cunt” used in modern language carries a heavy offensive potency in just one syllable. Saying phrases such as “You’re a cunt!” “Stop being such a cunt” or “You fucking cunt” for those with more gusto for its use, reveals the misogyny that the word possesses. After all, “cunt” is another, albeit derogatory, word for vagina and (most) females have a vagina; and the vagina is the central powerful symbol for femininity. What does it mean then to essentially be a “vagina” (read cunt)? Furthermore, as a woman, what does it mean to have such a pejorative word aimed towards you with the intent to offend, harm, and essentially oppress one’s own femininity? Yet, as British journalist Zoe Williams states, the word “vagina” is not used to insult women; however, cunt” is. To be called a “cunt,” then, suggests that the offender is attempting to dishonor this very symbol of womanhood, by scandalizing the word in attempt to claim and perpetuate its pejorative power, thus diminishing the woman, and inadvertently her power.
... that occurs by men upon women is neither stopped nor prevented because our society has yet to decide whether it is within gender roles for a man to act this way or whether this violence must be changed. In society today, violence is accepted by some people, as a way to maintain control, which is why men still believe that sexism is the right way to act like the ideal man.
need to know the history behind the word so that when they hear it on the playground
Murray, J. A., & Burchfield, R. W. (1933). The Oxford English Dictionary (Vol. 1): Clarendon Press Oxford.
"What MISTERROOSEVELT Is Saying." : The Suprising Origins of the Word "Thug" N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
The most related terms when women’s right is brought up are feminism and feminist. A feminist, by definition, is someone the fights for feminism. The definition of feminism, one the other hand, is very complex. Throughout history, the word has continuously had bad images and connotations thrown its wa...
...rms of power and source of pride in society. Emphasizing sexism in language and rising the concern with words can be a vital feminist strategy to provoke social change (Weatherall, 2002). Language can produce a false imagination and represents women and men unequally, as if members of one sex were somehow less wholly human, less complex, and has fewer rights than members of the other sex. Sexist language also characterizes serotypes of women and men, sometimes to the disadvantage of both, but more often to the disadvantage of women. (Wareing & Thomas, 2012). As a result, it is necessary that individuals have the right to define, and to redefine as their lives unfold, their own gender identities, without regard to genitalia, assigned birth sex, or initial gender role. Language about women is not a nonaligned or an insignificant issue but profoundly a political one.
Misogyny is a major obstacle that Sara must overcome on her journey to justice. According to Webster’s new world college dictionary, misogyny is the “hatred of women”. In fact, ...
...ut so are their male counterparts. Husbands are affected, sons are affected, and friends are affected. The idea of Sexism is not enforced by the opposite sex, men, but is cultured by those who accept and abide by society’s expectations of a woman’s reality. As Kathleen Hanna once said, “While sexism hurts women most intimately, it also damages men severely.” Every human has their own mind, their own decisions; if we let other people command us and make choices for us, we lose our sense of individuality and uniqueness. Sexism is a choice, a way of thinking that we can choose to accept, or deny. It affects the self and the community as a whole, and should not exist. As we can accept that the world is filled with tribulations such as sexism, it is not a concept that cannot go extinct, rather, should be used as a counter example of how we should behave in society.
For the past few weeks in class we have been focusing on the topic of gender and sexism. Gender is what traits an individual identifies with. Sexism is prejudice, stereotyping or discrimination that is typically against women. Through the films Boys Don’t Cry and Courage under Fire we explored how gender and sexism can be a reality and struggle for some every day. The films did a respectable job of showing different versions of sexism. In Boys Don’t Cry we saw sexism against an individual who is transgender and in Courage under Fire we saw a female officer in the military that experienced sexism.
criticizes on the fact that women are considered inferior just because of the label of ‘women’