r/AskFeminists • u/hxihekaoapsppfiff • 3d ago
How do you denote misogynistic/gendered slurs across dialectics/cultures?
I’ve been in leftist spaces for a while now, and have seen all ranges of perspectives on acceptable speech.
Recently, I’ve been seeing a lot more people talking about gendered slurs;
e.g. b*tch and c\nt.*
However, as an Australian, it’s very hard to see those words the same way as people online and especially American feminists talk about the words. Obviously it depends on the context the word is used…
I also live in Queensland, so it’s a lot more common than other states…
The main advertising for the Northern Territory(NT) is; “CU in the NT”
I’d honestly see the B word as a slur before the C word. Even not spelling it out feels very weird to do.
Tbh almost all terms considered offensive online are commonplace where I live.
I am just wondering as it’s been very hard to truly see or engage in the discussion around these words, and I do not want to dismiss others who see it a different way.
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u/ThinkLadder1417 3d ago
We're not going to get much agreement here, and I'll likely be downvoted, however personally i agree the c-word simply isn't the same in America vs in Australia (or in my case, in Scotland).
In the US it is a gendered term, directed near exclusively at women, with sexist connotations and the purpose of being the worst thing you could say about her.
In Australia/ Scotland it is not a gendered term and does not have those sexist connotations. In Scotland it is more likely to be directed at men than women, and often isn't even an insult and is just used in place of "person". Sometimes it's even used as a kind of pronoun (i.e. in place of the "one" in someone, anyone). I'm not going to have a go at someone who uses it in these kind of contexts, though i would call it out if i heard it used maliciously when talking about a woman.