4 ms·

The English language is deep in a crisis of lacking effective profanity. We neutered "fuck" by using it too much, Aussies use "cunt" as an adverb at the dinner

by mbg721 4y ago

The English language is deep in a crisis of lacking effective profanity. We neutered "fuck" by using it too much, Aussies use "cunt" as an adverb at the dinner table, all we're left with is ethnic slurs.

Cthulhu_ 4y ago
And yet, it's still censored and frowned upon in a lot of discourse.
- mbg721 4y ago
  Yes, I'm reassured every time I try to file a financial statement at work and the accountants send it back with "You can't say 'cunting dollars'."
colpabar 4y ago
Try using the word "cunt" in america - it still has a lot of power here.
- mbg721 4y ago
  What one can learn by doing that is that the abrupt "stop the record" noise still exists even though records aren't a thing. Like the "save" icon.
aidenn0 4y ago
My teenagers consider "retard" to be far more offensive than either of those words.
- mbg721 4y ago
  That's interesting to me, since teenagers were really the only ones who ever used it. It's not just the subtext, since everybody says "idiot" and "moron". But I have a hard time imagining an f-bomb-throwing 50-year-old casually saying "retard" after a meeting or something like that.
- coredog64 4y ago
  “Retarded” was initially a professional term used to describe certain mental disabilities. As it entered common usage, it then transitioned to the slur that it is today. I would expect that whatever the current professional terminology is today will be considered a slur in 5-10 years.
- googlryas 4y ago
  Which is a shame. It should go the way of dumb, idiot, moron, and be wrong to apply medically but ok to say casually. As Michael Scott said, "you don't call retarded people retarded, you call your friends retarded that are acting retarded"
  - mbg721 4y ago
    When the reaction to a slur is pure confusion, then you've won.
LanceH 4y ago
Somewhere in Liverpool scientists are working on a breakthrough that will get us out of this mess.
- mbg721 4y ago
  "We've got it! Quit walking alone! Brilliant!"

by mbg721 4y ago

Cthulhu_ 4y ago

And yet, it's still censored and frowned upon in a lot of discourse.

mbg721 4y ago
Yes, I'm reassured every time I try to file a financial statement at work and the accountants send it back with "You can't say 'cunting dollars'."

colpabar 4y ago

Try using the word "cunt" in america - it still has a lot of power here.

mbg721 4y ago
What one can learn by doing that is that the abrupt "stop the record" noise still exists even though records aren't a thing. Like the "save" icon.

aidenn0 4y ago

My teenagers consider "retard" to be far more offensive than either of those words.

mbg721 4y ago
That's interesting to me, since teenagers were really the only ones who ever used it. It's not just the subtext, since everybody says "idiot" and "moron". But I have a hard time imagining an f-bomb-throwing 50-year-old casually saying "retard" after a meeting or something like that.
coredog64 4y ago
“Retarded” was initially a professional term used to describe certain mental disabilities. As it entered common usage, it then transitioned to the slur that it is today. I would expect that whatever the current professional terminology is today will be considered a slur in 5-10 years.
googlryas 4y ago
Which is a shame. It should go the way of dumb, idiot, moron, and be wrong to apply medically but ok to say casually. As Michael Scott said, "you don't call retarded people retarded, you call your friends retarded that are acting retarded"
- mbg721 4y ago
  When the reaction to a slur is pure confusion, then you've won.

LanceH 4y ago

Somewhere in Liverpool scientists are working on a breakthrough that will get us out of this mess.

mbg721 4y ago
"We've got it! Quit walking alone! Brilliant!"