Why are you so offended?

Strong language often involves naming things you desire but aren’t supposed to desire, like fuck. But fuck is one of the most versatile words in existence.

We give certain words a lot of power. But these formulations of sounds are culturally and historically relative. What is offensive in one culture is not in another. In Japanese, you can insult someone badly by using an inappropriate form of ‘you’. Words for genitalia are often a preferred form of strong language. In Italy, if someone cuts you off in traffic, you shout “che cazzo”, which could be translated as “What the cock!” But the word for the female organ is usually the more forbidden one. Saying cunt in the USA is highly offensive, whereas saying it in England or Australia can be hurtful but is often used in an endearing way.

Often how powerful a word is determined by the dominating societal power and control structure attached to it. Take the word nigger. Why is it so offensive? Is it because it brings up 100s of years of oppression? In the 1980s the word “wog” was used in Australia for people from Italy, Greece or other European ancestry. But then an interesting thing happened. Wogs started calling themselves wogs. I remember a comedy show called “Wogs out of work” which became super popular. It was wogs taking the piss out of themselves. And it took all the power out of the word. It used to be that calling someone a wog was as offensive and inflammatory as what it is to call a black person nigger in the USA. Now Black people have taken over the use of the word nigger. But white people have to say “the N word” instead. Ironically, putting the sound “nigger” in everyone’s head while “not” using it.

So how do you take the power out of these offensive words? You use them and use them and use them, and through desensitisation they lose all their power.

So my cunty niggers, fucken get to it.

Fuck, Cunt & Nigger NSFW