Poll and discussion: Is the word 'bitchslap' considered rude or offensive?

[Occulus]

Poll question: Poll and discussion: Is the word 'bitchslap' considered rude or offensive?

I only ask because Levin delivered what I was going to call a 'verbal bitchslap', and then the more I thought about it, the more I wondered.

I went to the Urban Dictionary website and did a search for the word 'bitchslap'. Here's what I found.

1. bitchslap


overpowering backhanded slaps to the face and body, delivered by a supposedly docile female to a supposedly dominant male.

Sarah Connor bitchslapped her way out of the heavily male-guarded sanitarium.

2. bitchslap


To slap someone (particularly but not necessarily female) who is being rude or nasty, perhaps screaming a lot (i.e., being a bitch). The idea is to get them to calm down and behave. It doesn't necessarily mean you really hit the person; there is such a thing as a verbal bitchslap.

Did you see how Rush Limbaugh stopped spewing that right-wing Nazi bullshit after Howard Zinn bitchslapped him on national television?

I trembled and I shook, and then I decided to ask all of you:

Do we, as liberals, progressives all, consider the word bitchslap to be rude and/or offensive?

:popcorn:

edit: sayin' something about it won't kill ya!

[Journeyman]

1. Why do you want to beat female dogs? . . .

?

[Occulus]

4. It's not just females only it applies to

Dogs or otherwise. I know plenty of men, gay and straight, who are regularly whiny and childish (read: bitchy).

[novalib]

38. Whiny and Childish Means ---------y?

Call me overly-sensitive, but I consider equating being whiny and childish with being like a FEMALE to be offensive in the EXTREME!

[uppityperson]

49. I agree that this is also misogynistic, comparison with "blackface"

Bitch is female. Bitching, bitchy, son of a bitch, all are insults which compare someone to a female, to a stereotypicalizing negative aspected female. And to say that men who are whiny and childish are acting like some stereotypical negativefemale is also insulting. Oh Luuuuuucccyyyyy! bah. Let's call someone a nigger because they act immature and childish like "blackface" actors did and see if people find that insulting.

[CanuckAmok]

42. fer bein' ugly.

[Selatius]

2. What do I think about it? I don't

In my mind, bitchslap is far less offensive than words such as nigger or kike or raghead. With the last one, I've heard some call Arabs "sand niggers."

[Occulus]

3. M'kay, then.

My dad was friends with a guy that would refer to Arabs of all stripes that way. I cringed every time he said it.

This man was a police officer in Detroit at the time, and this was at least ten years ago.

[Rowdyboy]

5. Many here apparently find it offensive...I don't see it but do what you

like. Whatever you do, someone will likely be offended so WTF.

[Occulus]

6. Isn't it the truth? n/t

[Rowdyboy]

10. Hey, sometimes it can be fun to watch people fume over supposed insults

Most people take themselves far too seriously. I know I've been known to. Sometimes DU helps me keep from getting pompous.

[Occulus]

11. Some people are motherfuckers.

2. motherfucker

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=motherfucker">Motherfucker (also contracted forms mother and mofo and, phonetically, in African-American vernacular speech, muthafucka) is a common insult and profanity in the English language and is widely considered obscene and inappropriate. By virtue of its history of usage, motherfucker generally is regarded as African-American in origin. Literally, it accuses one of violating, perhaps, the oldest taboo known to humankind, incest. However, as with most epithets, its use is pejorative, rather than literal. Historically, it was a vicious taunt, a damning insult -- and a veiled allusion to the destruction of black male familial hegemony under chattel slavery. The power of the word was that it attacked one's sense of manhood. Regardless of its historical or cultural context, however, many consider motherfucker the mother of all curse words. The cause of countless barroom brawls and streetfights, it is purported to have sparked at least one prison riot.

Motherfucker has taken on additional meanings through continued use, its evolution being shaped primarily by, again, the African-American community. It has come to mean a formidable or inexorable force, as in the threat: "Payback is a bitch, but revenge is a muthafucka." It is also an expression of disgust or contempt: "Now, ain't that a muthafucka!" Motherfucker also has come to be used in some circles as a general pronoun.

The initials M.F. became a common, more polite substitute for motherfucker, as did the term Maryland farmer in the 1960s and 1970s. The result is an oft-recounted, if somewhat apocryphal, tale of the clueless Maryland Farmers Association writing a letter of protest to a prominent African-American in the news. It seems he called a Capitol Hill politician a "jive Maryland farmer," and the association's members were mightily offended.

The growing use of motherfucker in American popular culture may mean the term through time has become less offensive to some, but some see its increasing ubiquity as a sign of the general coarsening of American society.

:evilgrin:

[Rowdyboy]

14. My advisor last two years of college (1974-1976) wrote "Eve's Seed" an..

analysis of sexual history. One whole chapter deals with what we mean by "Fuck you".

"Why has misogyny been so entrenched throughout history? McElvaine, chair of history at Millsaps College, traces it to the invention of agriculture. The cultivation of crops, he says, devalued males' social role as hunters and, at the same time, gave rise to the "conception misconception," which held that males alone possessed reproductive power while females were merely empty ground in which men sowed their seed. McElvaine argues that from this essential error arose hierarchies, dualistic thinking, competition, war, slavery, racism, individualism, consumerism and, of course, sexism."

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071400281/104-2352074-5887163?v=glance&n=283155

Check it out.

[Occulus]

17. I'm familiar with the idea, if not that particular work

Question for you: if a word traditionally (perhaps a better word is originally) applied to one sex via popular use becomes applied to member of both sexes, does the word in question lose its sexually-offensive sting?

Take your time; I'm actually being serious for a moment. :D

[Rowdyboy]

23. A very interesting question and I have a 35 year old story that fits but

I want to sleep on it before giving a serious response.

[diamondsndust]

16. i never took motherfucker as a sexual term, implying incest ..

I always considered it as a lowdown scumbag, someone who would fuck his own mother over in a heartbeat to make a dime.

[Occulus]

18. Doesn't that imply incest? n/t

[diamondsndust]

22. No... fucking someone over on a deal has *nothing* to do with

sex. If you think it does, please explain how. :shrug:

[Occulus]

25. I'm sorry, I saw

"fuck his own mother" and I kind of stopped reading. I was like, "WELL, then."

My neurons collapsed. I'm sorry.

[diamondsndust]

28. No problem...

I was just expressing my own personal take on it.. I know others view it differently. It's just how I choose to view or use the word.

:toast:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

7. I never found it offensive.

I've said it and I've done it before. However, I'm more likely to just punch someone than bitchslap them.

[itzamirakul]

8. If being "verbally bitchslapped" shut Rush Limbaugh up then

it MUST BE GOOD!

[JI7]

9. i never viewed it in male/female terms

i often use it to describe men "bitchslapping" other men. i usually see it as a great ass kicking where the person who is "bitchslapped" ends up looking like a fool.

[silverojo]

12. Of course it's offensive!

And delightfully so! Why do you think it's used? It's like if you call * a motherfucker...the word is SUPPOSED to be offensive, that's why you use it in terms of something you dislike. For instance, I'd like to bitch-slap Ann "The Man" Coulter. :D

[Whoa_Nelly]

13. It's derogatory and demeaning toward women

I find it offensive. Just more language that is aimed at debasing women by the words used. Thanks to Constantine, and then the birth of the Catholic Church, women have been demeaned, debased and categorically characterized as bad, wicked, dumb and just plain worthless.

...and we, as women, are still fighting for social equality...

[Occulus]

19. Okay, fair enough, *if* it's being used toward a woman

but what if it's being used toward a man? What if it's the woman doing the slapping?

edit: What if it's being used toward a man... by another man?

[Whoa_Nelly]

31. It's still a derogatory term regarding women no matter who uses it

It's not the person saying it. It's about the term itself. And, IMO, if women use it, they are basically putting themselves down whether they realize it or not.

[man4allcats]

15. Personally, I think it promotes bias

even if in a very subjective way, and to me at least that which promotes bias is inherently offensive. Though born in New York, I was raised in the south (Texas) by parents who were also born in New York. I remember many people of my family's acquaintance who routinely used the word "nigger." I would never have used it myself, and if I had my parents would have "bitchslapped" me for doing so. Many of the people we knew who used that word were good people. They just didn't know any better. Nevertheless, their ignorance was no excuse for their language. By the same token, I do not feel "bitchslap" is an acceptable term. The fact that many famous people (or notorious as may be the case with Limbaugh) use it and that it appears in certain dictionaries does not necessarily make it acceptable. As decent people first and Democrats second, we must be able to think for ourselves and above the level of the horde. We are American society's conscience, and as such we must not pander to the elements of society that are both banal and profane. Their vulgarity is their own; not ours.

[Occulus]

Thanks for the thoughtful post

Honestly, I can think of terms much more offensive than bitchslap. Truly, though, it's a term that very concisely describes a certain form of (today, mostly) verbal action. One exception I cant think of would be any martial-arts film; those are chock-full of bitchslaps. Another exception I can think of would be video games, especially fighting games; in those, the bitchslap is a time-honored tradition.

My snarkiness aside, the word does conjure a mental image of a woman being slapped. This has to do with the common historial usage of the word 'bitch', historically a pejorative directed toward women but more recently used as a word to describe excessive whining.

I guess I'm trying to figure out whether certain more mild vulgarities are becoming more accepted in general use among the public. Yes, yes... it's a late-night stunt. :D

[Viva_La_Revolution]

26. I see it as exactly the opposite

and I think it is because of the ways I have heard it used.

To me, it conjures up the image of the "weaker" slapping the "stronger".

It's complicated, but after hearing women referred to as 'bitches' (derogatory term, obviously) the image of the 'weaker' slapping down the 'stronger' is quite attractive.

[Occulus]

29. I can accept that too

Sarah Connor did bitchslap her way out of there. And Lara Croft is a queen of bitchslaps.

So Is Ripley of Alien fame.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

20. it's offensive to the bitch-slapee

I happen to be a great fan of verbal bitch-slaps.

"Did you see how Rush Limbaugh stopped spewing that right-wing Nazi bullshit after Howard Zinn bitchslapped him on national television?"

:rofl:

[Occulus]

24. I know, that made me giggle too n/t

[fujiyama]

21. LOL this again?

I guess threads debating the use of the word describing a female dog make the rounds every few months.

[rucky]

27. Not offensive, but not particularly clever, either. n/t

[Warren DeMontague]

30. I don't think I would use it.

And I've been accused of verbal insensitivity before. It kind of rubs me the wrong way; aside from the heavy distaste of implied toughguy male-on-female abuse (which I do think is there) it just smacks of low-IQ bully talk.

As opposed to the high IQ bully talk I prefer. For instance, I would have no problem saying "Last night, when Howard Zinn put his rhetorical boot up Rush Limbaugh's ass on national television-".

So, maybe I'm a hypocrite. But one sounds better to me than ther other.

[Skidmore]

32. I guess it depends on if you've ever been on the receiving end of an

abusive relationship. I cringe when I hear it, but I've also had the experience of being physically and verbally abused for several years. Using this word is beyond rude or offensive, and certainly reflects no understanding of the dynamics of abuse. It is one of those throwaway phrases we have in this society, meant to be chic and kitchy, but is callous and unthinking and implies that people who receive abuse are deserving of it and those meting it out are entitled to do so with impunity. No human being deserves to be abused.

[Mandate My Ass]

40. It is callous. And I have been there too

and if it makes one person cringe, and it certainly makes more than that number of people cringe of either gender, it's offensive IMHO. Your analysis of the term is way more sensitive and articulate than anything I could add to this debate.

Why use it when there is the very real chance of offending someone when other, less loaded, terms will suffice? I just never understood this rationale that "I think it's funny, therefore other people should just get over it." :shrug:

[Warren Stupidity]

33. OK, I'm amazed at those who do not find this offensive.

And I am usually on the wrong side of theses sorts of things.

[Dark]

34. WTF?! Actually, I've always found it a funny term. n/t

[kedrys]

35. In polite company, I usually use "troutslap" instead

If anyone asks, I refer them to Monty Python's Fish-Slapping Dance.

I don't think bitchslap is offensive per se, though.

[ronnykmarshall]

41. Fish hater!

[CanuckAmok]

44. but that's how you keep them in their plaice.

[kedrys]

47. Excellent smilie!

:rofl: Hope you don't mind if I, er, borrow that? :hi:

[uppityperson]

36. I do. I find it sexist and offensive. How 'bout Arnie's famous line?

There are better terms to use that aren't so misogyistic. Is "throws like a girl" and insult, or how about Arnie's famous line "girlie men"? Are either of these offensive? They are also misogynistic, showing hatred towards women. I find "bitch slap" sexist and offensive and think that anyone with an imagination could find better terms.

[CanuckAmok]

43. One doesn't need an imagination to find offense everywhere. n/t

[uppityperson]

48. Yes, but some are more obviously obnoxious than others.

trying to come up with a comparison and I couldn't find a good one. Oh well.

[novalib]

37. It's HIGHLY Offensive

I canNOT believe that anyone would consider such a term to be anything other than HIGHLY OFFENSIVE!

[Lars39]

39. When I was growing up, the only definition of 'bitchslap' I knew

was #3:
bitchslap
A slap administered by a pimp to his prostitute to keep her in line or punish her

[omega minimo]

45. The Urban Dictionary apparently doesn't include Olde English roots

:eyes: Kinda shifts the whole rationale, don't it?

[omega minimo]

46. I used "wheelchair-bound" in an OP and was informed it's offensive

by two people on the thread. That's good enough for me. I don't need a rationale, an explanation, a justification-- or to understand any more than that. It is offensive to people who find it derogatory. I don't need to say "I didn't mean it like that. I don't think you should be offended." I apologized, I learned something. It's a simple thing to have enough self-respect to respect other people.

Although "bitchslap" has become so common (in more ways than one) that your Urban Dictionary doesn't even include the Pimp/Whore origins of the term, it really doesn't belong on DU for the reason above. This has already been battled out on DU and discouraged by Admods.

There are some really good comments on your thread, which I will echo by saying that when someone uses crude language, how are strangers on the board to know whether or not they're a dummy, bigot or a troll?

I find "bitch slap" sexist and offensive and think that anyone with an imagination could find better terms. --uppityperson

“...aside from the heavy distaste of implied toughguy male-on-female abuse (which I do think is there) it just smacks of low-IQ bully talk. --impeachdubya

“...and if it makes one person cringe, and it certainly makes more than that number of people cringe of either gender, it's offensive IMHO.... Why use it when there is the very real chance of offending someone when other, less loaded, terms will suffice? I just never understood this rationale that "I think it's funny, therefore other people should just get over it."” --Mandate My Ass


I posted on why a term like that can really throw a wrench in a thread and got a surprising reply.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2695955&mesg_id=2696262



I'd also like to say here that the Mods over recent months have been doing a great job. :applause:

[lonestarnot]

50. If people would do a bunch less cringing and get to the point, we

wouldn't have any wrenches in a thread.

[omega minimo]

51. It seems you got to the point but didn't make the point........

:shrug:

[lonestarnot]

52. Saying whatever is a risk one takes daily. I will only not say something

if it becomes offensive to me. So dat is my point. Bitchslap is mild for me. I'm a real bitch when it comes to my curse words. Everyone can just fuck off. :rofl:

[omega minimo]

54. It's a simple thing to have enough self-respect to respect other people.

Strange as it seems, there's more power in that than in being a selfish jerk

[lonestarnot]

55. You are not calling me a selfish jerk or saying that I have no self

respect are you? Because if you are fuck you! And your sister too. I have plenty of respect for myself to go around, and enough to share with others. Mine is different than yours and does not make me a repuke no goodfor nutt'n piece of shit.

[omega minimo]

56. Thank you. No I'm not. The first statement stands on its own. Simple

The second if your comment represented for people who don't care who they offend as long as it doesn't offend THEM, other people are gonna consider that "selfish jerk." And not the most effective way to communicate.

:hi:

[lonestarnot]

57. Ok then. Peace! LOL

:rofl: :hi:

[datasuspect]

53. don't make me bring out my pimp hand

because that's what i use to do all my bitchslapping with.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

58. Considered? Probably By Some. Is It? Not To Me It Isn't. Not By A Long

shot.

But that's me. To each their own.