[Language warning] The C word.

[Asmodean]

(apart from when Tank called me a cunt - that was really hurtful...)

Yes, that pesky Tank and his hurtful remarks. There ought to be a law... 

Actually, and on a serious note, why is "cunt" such a bad thing to be called? Is it not just slang for vagina? "You are a vagina." "No, I'm not. I'm a penis. Attached to a guy."

...I just don't get it. I understand how being called stupid, fat, ginger or other insecurity-related things might hurt, but being called something you obviously are not..? A lesson in psychology for The Asmo, anyone?

[OldGit]

There is not necessarily any connection between the literal meaning of a word and its emotional charge.  On Fooplegloop it is a serious insult to call a fellow Whoople a boopoople, which literally means only the nozzle of an antenna sprayer.

[Asmodean]

Well, obviously...

I guess I should have spent more words formulating that thing. My question goes to the emotional charge of the slang word for vagina as much as to the percieved offensiveness of its literal meaning.

Basically, I'm looking for an answer to the following:

...I just don't get it. I understand how being called stupid, fat, ginger or other insecurity-related things might hurt, but being called something you obviously are not..? A lesson in psychology for The Asmo, anyone?

...from whatever angle you may pick.

[Sandra Craft]

Why is being a ginger an insult?  Seriously don't get that one. 

As for cunt, if you call a woman that you're calling her a bad woman and if you call a guy that you're calling him a bad woman.  Generally, the most insulting thing to be compared to is a woman tho to my thinking that too should be a compliment.

[Asmodean]

Why is being a ginger an insult?  Seriously don't get that one.

Witch trials or some such, I guess... I have no idea, just know that some people are insecure about the redness of their hair. My point is, if you are ginger, you may be called that in a derogatory manner. After all, is that not the basis of all bigotry? Calling people what they are only in a way that implies that there is a problem with that?

As for cunt, if you call a woman that you're calling her a bad woman and if you call a guy that you're calling him a bad woman.  Generally, the most insulting thing to be compared to is a woman tho to my thinking that too should be a compliment.

As far as my understanding of finer points of linguistics goes, there is an ocean of difference between "You're like a cunt" (comparative statement) and "You are a cunt" ("flat fact")

To use our ginger example; you can call me ginger until you're hoarse. I just am not. So, in one ear, out the other. Notice how that has nothing to do with whether or not I'm secure in the hair color I DO have and indeed I might react differently about whatever-the-fuck-it's-called being used against me in a derogatory way. Well, I would not bat an eyelid, so assume that the I here is impersonal.

[Guardian85]

As for cunt, if you call a woman that you're calling her a bad woman and if you call a guy that you're calling him a bad woman.  Generally, the most insulting thing to be compared to is a woman tho to my thinking that too should be a compliment.

But there are derogatory references to male anatomy as well (dick and prick comes to mind) and people are much less offended about the use of these descriptions of men. Why do women take it as so much more of an insult to be called a cunt then a man does to being called a dickhead?

And correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't cunt more insulting in the US then in other English speaking countries?

[Asmodean]

I think in some cases wanker can come close to cunt in its offensive power. However, the comparison is not applicable to the question I raised because everyone wanks off, so that term is more in the ginger-example-category. (Relating to personal insecurities)

...Do women get called dick and such? Because you can call a guy a cunt. 

[Firebird]

Why do women take it as so much more of an insult to be called a cunt then a man does to being called a dickhead?

Men seem to take more offense over cunt than dick too. As a point of comparison, calling a guy a "pussy" is considered insulting them too, albeit without the same shock value, but you wouldn't call a woman a pussy, that would come off as weird.  Why one is worse than the other I can't say

[Asmodean]

calling a guy a "pussy" is considered insulting them too

=coward though, no? Because that would take it back to "ginger-class" insult.

[Crow]

It isn't, it can be used affectionately: "You marvellous cunt".

Nor is it just a term to return to a vagina, it is a bit like fuck. Its origin may by that but rarely used in that way, maybe if someone enjoys dirty talk then cunt will be used in that fashion similar to how people use fuck when talking about sex but outside of that usage it becomes a flexible word to add impact.

[Recusant]

It's viewed differently in the US and Canada than it is in the UK and Australia.

[Ecurb Noselrub]

Part of it may be the harsh sound that cunt has.  Pussy is softer sounding, thus it's use for a "soft" man is easy to understand.  That eliminates it for use against a woman, since it's been co-opted for use against men.  Cunt is available and sounds harsher, more brutal, nastier, more condescending - a hard "c" beginning, a single syllable, and ending with a consonant helps.  A bit of onomatopoeia, perhaps, as well - it sounds like what you are intending to convey.   

[Bad Penny II]

http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/t/tim_minchin/prejudice.html

Only a ginger can call another ginger, ginger

Well obviously, logically only a ginger can be another ginger so only a ginger can do anything with another ginger, they're probably the only ones that would want to anyway.

I suspect there's a bit of misogyny mixed up in the use of "cunt," for some anyway.

[Pasta Chick]

It's viewed differently in the US and Canada than it is in the UK and Australia.

This. We've had this conversation on HAF before, years ago.

You UK/Aus seem to use it as a catch-all insult without much real meaning attached.

In the US anyway, it's an insult with a misogynist sting, because you shouldn't want to be acting like a woman.

[Asmodean]

In the US anyway, it's an insult with a misogynist sting, because you shouldn't want to be acting like a woman.

Interesting... Also, a bit... Well, archaic.