Feminists
Related: About this forumWhat words are allowed/not allowed on DU about women?
What words can we labeled as sexist without repercussions?
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NJCher
(37,094 posts)What derogatory words you can use for women?
Why bring gender into it? Just use a word that's applicable to either men or women. Like buffoon. Buffoon fits MTG very well
efhmc
(14,847 posts)i thought that was a given that one did not do here.
niyad
(117,641 posts)somebody disagreed with you? Am I understanding you correctly?
willamette
(182 posts)I usually chip in with my solution for all generalized derogatory words for women: "ball sack." My 30 something friend substitutes in "scrotum," or "scrotums" when answering inappropriate cat calls. As in, "Hey, scrotums!" If nothing else, this calls the inappropriateness glaringly into the spotlight. I haven't come up with a non-gender-reliant term yet, but I am always alert to possibilities.
So, I try (not always successfully) to show my preferred wording, rather than correcting theirs. I restate. A big problem is that some women feminists use "bitch" and other women-putdowns, in order to contest them, or to reclaim them, as has been done with "crone." It is an uphill battle, but one that is worth waging, I think.
It seems like several of the replies in these comments implied that you were trying to defend your use of the offensive term, rather than trying to curtail its use by someone else. I'm trying to retrain myself to say, "I find that offensive," rather than "That is offensive (don't use it)." Also a hard climb.
edit: grammar, parenthetical
efhmc
(14,847 posts)who said/wrote the word in question (and it was not me). I thank you for taking the time to digest and write a response. It is appreciated.
willamette
(182 posts)Did you know that "spinster" was the original independent woman? It was a woman who had income from spinning, and thus wasn't dependent on being married to survive. Funny (not) how it came to be derisive.
whathehell
(29,502 posts)the many here (mostly men) who use derogatory words for women instead of what you're describing as gender neutral insults..I agree with you completely by the way, but, as writer Katha Pollitt has observed:
"Misogyny is the last acceptable bigotry of the Left"
I find myself fighting it here a lot
onecaliberal
(34,932 posts)We are all irate.
whathehell
(29,502 posts)and I don't think it has anything to do with a general feeling of irritation..I've been on DU for over 15 years and it's always been an issue -- one that comes up regularly, but seems to remain unresolved
TwilightZone
(26,868 posts)EarlG
(22,371 posts)DU doesn't work like that. Any time you use a word to describe a woman that other people here might consider sexist, you run the risk of having that post removed by a Jury. There isn't a list of words you can use and a list of words you can't, so my advice would be to err on the side of caution and try to avoid any sexist language altogether. It's really shouldn't be hard to do.
efhmc
(14,847 posts)EmmaLee E
(181 posts)which I find loathsome.
When I said so, and asked why was used, I was greeted with the response "Welcome to DU"
MOMFUDSKI
(7,080 posts)you are on the wrong site. We are an accepting bunch here not looking for slights.
whathehell
(29,502 posts)sexist slurs like "bitch" and "slut"...Maybe it's you who are on the wrong site.
Response to efhmc (Original post)
TeamProg This message was self-deleted by its author.
penttbom
(16 posts)You're not allowed to say anything ABOUT women, unless it's how strong, brave and empowered they are in the face of historical and modern day oppression. Anything short of that is misogyny because everyone knows women are sugar and spice and everything nice. They never lie, nor at a loss for words - always strong capable and independent. Just ignore those Post-It notes on their bathroom mirrors. Don't say ANYTHING ever about the Post-It notes.
whathehell
(29,502 posts)One's allowed to say ANYTHING about a woman one would say about a man, provided it addresses her actions or character, things she's responsible for, rather than her gender, which she's not.
Like race, gender is a Condition of Birth. If we criticize a Black person, we don't call them the 'N word' do we? No. Similarly, if we dislike a Gay person, we don't call them the 'F word'.. The same principle applies to women.
If we don't like a woman's words or actions, we're free to call them "creeps", "idiots", or any other gender neutral insult.. We do NOT call them "bitches" "cunts" or any of the innumerable gender slurs to which women are subjected.