Thursday, April 24, 2014

Autumn of the Shmoks



There are a lots of men and women who are offended by the words pussy or cunt and they don’t like snatch either. Prick and Dick don’t seem to be as bothersome to those who toil in the mines  of political incorrectitude. A schmuck is a jerk and the word derives from the Yiddish shmok, which mean penis, but calling someone a schmuck or shmok is not a reason to dial L-A-N-G-U-A-G-E 911. Is this sexism? Obviously there are those who feel that the use of the words “cunt” or “pussy” shape our attitudes towards females more than dick, prick or schmuck affect how we think of men. Maybe those fighting for cleaner and more upstanding uses of language need work harder to make urban slang for male bodily parts more grating on the ear. What is a bad word for a man who suffers from Peyronie’s Disease which is a curvature of the penis? What is nefarious word for a swordsman or someone who has a reputation for conquest? Transsexuals are called trannies, but no one seems to mind even if the word seems a bit dismissive sounding. If you are asking for anal sex, you want it Greek,  but even the Greeks don’t seem to mind. Cunnilingus is associated with downtown and no one in Soho or Tribecas seems to be offended while analingus is referred to harmlessly as rimming which sounds like a trimming, something which you just need a little of. However, back to body parts which seem to be the root of the problem. You’d think that an asshole would cause rage among the people who don’t like cunt or pussy. In certain circles there is nothing more demeaning than calling Alice a cunt, particularly if she is behaving like a pussy and thank God for Pussy Riot--which has done more to legitimize pussy than a thousand George Carlins.  But if you say Alice is behaving like an asshole, it doesn’t raise an eyebrow. It’s no worse than being stuck in traffic and joining in on the honking. Why then are cunt and pussy singled out for opprobrium when they are both bona fide words and not illegal neologisms that ought to be deported by the language police?

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