I completely agree. There is huge power in taking words back. Cunt is one of my absolute favirites, and I have used it my books both as a succinct and sexy word for “pink parts” (awesome term, btw), and as a slur. I frequently use fuck in both its positive and negative permutations. The fact that they can have such strong positive and negative meanings is one of the reason I like them so much.

The insult is completely in the intent. Although I think people have the right to dislike certain words based on their own personal experiences, or be offended by them, that doesn’t mean they can ascribe an intent to a word’s usage that simply doesn’t exist.

And that is why I’m not offended by the title of barbara’s book. It’s not a title I like much though, for other reasons.

Heh, on a purely aesthetic level, I’m not a fan of the word cocksucker. To my ears, it’s…inelegant. But that inelegance may be one of the reasons the title was chosen in the first place, and why some (not all) gay men might use it during sex. Or *gasp* other people may see the word in a completely different light than I do, and that’s okay.

Bottom line, and I’ve said this before: words have as much power as we give them. If a word is used with no intent to insult, and insult is still felt, it’s the affronted who have given that word its negative power. They have a right to feel the way they do, but others have the right to disagree.

Now hold on there I thought you wrote some books if I remember correctly.

Which is why there’s power in taking those words back. Because as far as I’m concerned a cunt is a cunt as in pink parts. I don’t use it as a gender slur in my books.

I think it’s all about context – I’ve been called a cunt a time or forty. I’m an opinionated woman – it comes with the territory. But you know, being referred to as a “housewife from Iowa” in a certain context has the same intent as men who’d call me a cunt – the intent is to belittle the person by devaluing it.

And that is why I’m not offended by the title of barbara’s book. It’s not a title I like much though, for other reasons. But when we’re dealing with intent (and words are so much about intent and context) – and talking about offense, that’s the crux for me. Certainly other people can disagree, even a simple housewife like me can allow for a difference of perspective here.

(mwahmwahmwah)

Well, since I turned HIV+ and in the Navy no less (Talk about some interesting discussions with the CO.) I was part of the GP-160 study group.
I walked those hallowed halls of Bethesda many many years.
Let me tell you getting those spinal taps for research purposes will give you a high pain threshold.