Reclamation & Opposition
Cunt is a word
that has had both positive and negative connotations over the years. Now the
word is largely considered taboo; a word better left unsaid rather than defined
at all. But now people are trying to redefine it. Women who have heard the word
flung at them with all the negativity and hatred that it can carry have taken a
stand, not against the word itself, but against the meaning that their
oppressors have given it. Similar reclamations of hate words have happened in
other subcultures. For instance African Americans as a culture have been
reclaiming the n-word for a while now and, though they don’t all agree that it
is a positive word, many of them do accept it as a positive term.
Some Feminist thinkers have not only reclaimed the word but already begun the process of redefining it. Jane Air, who has taught literature, film, and cultural studies at Yale and Parsons, has said that for her the word means “bitch's nastier big sister. Bitch implies bitchy, which in turn implies all those "feminine" ways of getting even. Cunt, on the other hand, is direct; it's unafraid to be just what it is” (Air). To Air cunt is a word of empowerment that not only supports women and their sexuality but one that boldly does so, elbowing and jabbing until it establishes its dominance. For her the word is really a “tough” word, one that you fear because you should. It is not a “feminine” word, as the term is traditionally considered. She thinks that it is a word that women should use even though some women still think that “Cunt is just going too far” (Air).
Others however oppose this view point. Chris Jones in an article in Esquire magazine in 1996 discussed his opinions on the subject. It was his bias that the word cunt should stay a bad word because it made language more exciting: “A world without cunt is like a world without exclamation points. And only a cunt would want every sentence to end with a period” (Jones). His opinion comes through in this quote and the only reason that I used this one specifically was because it was the least venomous part. Jones finds it hard to accept the fact that people other than men would take the word cunt and turn it into something different than an abusive word. He finds it to be rather disturbing as he sees this reclamation as a negative process. Jones revels in the profane aspects of the word and expresses himself vividly, presumably to illustrate his point, throughout the article (Jones).
In an article on the website Jezebel Katie J.M. Baker takes a sort of third approach to the word. Drawing on personal experience she writes about how the word is used against women in many ways. She goes on to say however that she personally doesn’t understand why the word is really all that bad. Baker knows the history of the word and mentions a few things that are mentioned on this very site, but still she doesn’t see the point. To her the word cunt “conveys purposeful sexual power, not submission. It's mature. Women get called cunts when they reject sexual advances and assert themselves in the workplace; in other words, when they don't play nice” (Baker). Further she goes onto say that “the solution isn't to be afraid of the word and therefore scared to admit we have cunts — and are capable of acting like cunts, if the situation calls for it.” She doesn’t go on to say what the solution is but she seems to be saying something of the lines of “just go with it”. Whether this a declarative statement of opinion or just someone trying to say what they see around them Baker has some strong opinions on the word cunt.
Some Feminist thinkers have not only reclaimed the word but already begun the process of redefining it. Jane Air, who has taught literature, film, and cultural studies at Yale and Parsons, has said that for her the word means “bitch's nastier big sister. Bitch implies bitchy, which in turn implies all those "feminine" ways of getting even. Cunt, on the other hand, is direct; it's unafraid to be just what it is” (Air). To Air cunt is a word of empowerment that not only supports women and their sexuality but one that boldly does so, elbowing and jabbing until it establishes its dominance. For her the word is really a “tough” word, one that you fear because you should. It is not a “feminine” word, as the term is traditionally considered. She thinks that it is a word that women should use even though some women still think that “Cunt is just going too far” (Air).
Others however oppose this view point. Chris Jones in an article in Esquire magazine in 1996 discussed his opinions on the subject. It was his bias that the word cunt should stay a bad word because it made language more exciting: “A world without cunt is like a world without exclamation points. And only a cunt would want every sentence to end with a period” (Jones). His opinion comes through in this quote and the only reason that I used this one specifically was because it was the least venomous part. Jones finds it hard to accept the fact that people other than men would take the word cunt and turn it into something different than an abusive word. He finds it to be rather disturbing as he sees this reclamation as a negative process. Jones revels in the profane aspects of the word and expresses himself vividly, presumably to illustrate his point, throughout the article (Jones).
In an article on the website Jezebel Katie J.M. Baker takes a sort of third approach to the word. Drawing on personal experience she writes about how the word is used against women in many ways. She goes on to say however that she personally doesn’t understand why the word is really all that bad. Baker knows the history of the word and mentions a few things that are mentioned on this very site, but still she doesn’t see the point. To her the word cunt “conveys purposeful sexual power, not submission. It's mature. Women get called cunts when they reject sexual advances and assert themselves in the workplace; in other words, when they don't play nice” (Baker). Further she goes onto say that “the solution isn't to be afraid of the word and therefore scared to admit we have cunts — and are capable of acting like cunts, if the situation calls for it.” She doesn’t go on to say what the solution is but she seems to be saying something of the lines of “just go with it”. Whether this a declarative statement of opinion or just someone trying to say what they see around them Baker has some strong opinions on the word cunt.