Hunh. When you want to insult a man, you call him a slang term for his sexual organ.

[trof]

Same for women.
Why is that?
"He's such a dick."
"She's a real c... " (I just can't bring myself to write that word here.)

It just hit me that it's weird that it's considered to be an insult to call someone by the slang term for a body part involved in both elimination and sexual pleasure/reproduction.

Is this just in the U.S.?

[trof]

1. Nuthin', hunh? Maybe this is a GD thread?

[rug]

2. I'm just waiting for someone to bring up assholes.

[olddots]

3. no no I'm in

what"s really strange is how the British all call each other C_*&s and Americans call everyone dicks ( I too can not call someone a C word then turn around and call republicans names that are really vile.

[DinahMoeHum]

4. It's a worldwide thing. . .

Go to http://www.youswear.com

Pick any language on the left.

Have fun!!

[nolabear]

5. Because they're "bad" words. They cause visceral reactions. That's really all, imo.

It's not that way in all cultures, btw. Some Native American tribes are marvelously sexual and scatalogical in their humor and conversation, but you do NOT say say names of some sacred things. And in a lot of ways that's why we use those body parts too. Powerful totems, powerful taboos.

[Bucky]

16. Agreed. It'd be an easy thing to over think. It's mostly shock value.

Among apes that've been taught sign language, the word "dirty" is often used for insults, "dirty" being the sign language euphemism for feces. It's associative or transference in language. Something is bad, therefor if you're bad, you're that particular something.

A similar phenomenon can be found on GD and all around the internet. How many times have you heard Republicans referred to as Nazis? Republicans are many things, but only historical ignorance can justify calling them fascists. It's language used for shock value.

[nolabear]

20. Isn't it funny we don't have good body words for people?

He's a...good hand? She's one fine...okay I'm out.

[rurallib]

6. when I was younger i'd ask the men if they had to sprinkle

pepper on their groin and wait til it came out to sneeze before they could go pee.

[cliffordu]

7. Nice!!

[MiddleFingerMom]

9. JEEBUS!!! Where were YOU when I was looking for someone to talk dirty to me.

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if I still smoked, I'd need a cigarette about now.
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Hubba.
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Hubba.
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[Bunnahabhain]

8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenny_Bruce

[MiddleFingerMom]

10. Language EVOLVES, Grampa!!!

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A dick still means a penis.
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But for DECADES now, it's also been synonymous with jerk or asshole or, to be more precise... bumptious cretin.
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Just for this, NO punk needs to get off your damn lawn for the next month!!!
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[Bunnahabhain]

11. Language evolves

but interestingly enough curse and vulgar words tend to change very little over time. For example, the word "fart" is a very old word. It was used on two of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Benjamin Franklin wrote an essay on the phenomenon, and if you Google the "Parliament Fart" you will find an interesting political tidbit.

[MiddleFingerMom]

12. EHHHHHHNNNNNHHHH!!! ding-ding-ding... wrong.

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I give you case in point... "old fart" -- meaningless without its adjective (you never hear anyone
called a just-plain "fart&quot , it has taken a sideline into something having nothing to do with flatulence.
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Just as "dick" remains a term for a penis yet has evolved into meaning having NOTHING to do with
the original - "fart" has taken a parallel track.
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They have evolved.
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[Bunnahabhain]

13. Whatever you say

You are not the type of person I'm going to argue with as you are obviously for more educated, erudite, and intelligent than I am.

P.S. I did not say words to not evolve I merely gave a class of words that tend to change slowly. Slow change, of course, is still evolution.

Have a nice night.

[MiddleFingerMom]

14. Why the hell do so many people seem so damned GRIM in HERE of all places tonight...

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... and so defensive over some light-hearted teasing banter. I talked of "old fart" no need to
bring my erudition into play.
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It's all about the dicks and the pricks and the jerks and the bumptious cretins (I had to look
up "bumptious", by the way... to make sure it meant what I thought it might -- stick that in
your allegedly "less-educated" craw).
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If you've come to play in The Lounge, play in The Lounge and don't be so easily offended.
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If you come in here and make a serious pronouncement about the evolution of language,
you won't get verbally punched in the nose, but you MAY get slapped upside the haid with
a rubber chicken (or worse yet... a pig's bladder.)
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THERE. Now you can take offense at that.
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Or you can be Loungish and call me a "bumptious BUMPTIOUS cretin". Or slap ME upside
the haid (or, better yet... GOOSE me) with something equally worthy of a jester.
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I guarantee you that I wouldn't consider you "offensive" because of that.
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Nor very far off the mark, either.
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Yours truly,
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MFM, B.B.C.
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[nolabear]

21. He was demonstrating for the class.

[MiddleFingerMom]

22. Maybe that's why I'm so confused.

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"I got all the class of a duck."***
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*** Debra Winger in "Cannery Row"
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[hibbing]

15. hmm

Hey,
I don't know why, but I think the c word for a woman is much worse than calling a guy a dick.

Peace

[Bucky]

17. Agreed. I think that's about instilled social sexism, however.

I think in most contexts, a man is called a dick because he's over asserting his power. To be male is to be powerful. But the C-bomb has more the connotation of robbing a man of his power. It violates socially reinforced norms to be both female and powerful. So the insult carries a more dehumanizing oomph to it.

That's just a spot analysis; I'm open to persuasion here. But only, you know, by a man.

[In_The_Wind]

19. Perhaps, it's because Dick is also an acceptable real name.

You never see the c word in the phone book.

[trof]

18. Thanks, Loungers. Interesting points and references.