Ok so, how many people among us never used a single swear word? I wonder if there’s any.
And how many of them have actually thought that what are they telling? Plenty, I guess. Most of us have that one friend who become the wisest and purest soul whenever you pronounce a single swear word and come with the questions like, have you ever thought what’s the meaning of those! And it’s irritating, cause who thinks the meaning of swear words? It’s just a word which make up for our anger or irritation by just insulting… What? Insulting what?Someone’s mother? Sister? Or sometimes it’s just an equal meaning of if you are like or behaving like a girl, though I wonder how a girl behaves which a normal human doesn’t, then it’s an insult to you.
Yes, think about it. How much abusive words we actually know which insults that man directly? ‘Most of the curse words that are spoken in our daily lives are sexist and misogynist in nature;even if it’s a man who is at the receiving end of the abuse, it’s the women of their families who are slut shamed by the abuser’ – says Babita Rai, a feminist writer and activist.
If we use words like son of a b****, we’re suggesting that his mother is actually the one who is bad or slut, there’s of course no problem with him directly. It’s in his mother’s provision, that he is bad, otherwise there’s no issue with him.
We often used to see among the school goers specially, that the boys are abusing each other with a statement like ‘girly’ or whether it’s abusive or not, the elder ones often tells not to cry like a girl. Again if we recite the incident where a woman is abusing another woman, what’s she using? She is using those same words which ends up abusing women.
So, at last, it’s only the women who can have fault, who can be abused for the sake of others. In other words, it’s abusive even being a woman. Yes, that’s a typical thinking but unfortunately true. The etymology of these swear words are mostly reflect the patriarchal nature of the society. And while we’re preaching those words, we’re actually promoting these sexism, willingly or unwillingly. Language and the words reflect mirror image of the society, we’re living in. And these words have patriarchy deeply rooted in them to let a woman never forget how society expect to see a woman and what she’ll be if she denies those social norms.
According to Rai, it’s not only a reflection of patriarchy, it’s a preacher of the ‘man-saver’ theory. As we use the terms like ‘mother f*****’, we’re establishing the same thought. It’s believed to condemn the free sexuality and liberation of a woman, her honour is tied up with her family’s. If someone dishonor her, it’ll lead to the dishonor of that family members.
Again, the abusive words are embracing the sexual violence the same time. Rape threats are given so casually within the use of its that it’s leading sexual violence as a reality.
Swear words like sl**s are passively used to make a woman feel inferior and to control them.
So, it’s basically a gender-biased insulting only for women.
So, though it’ll be a unnatural request, but we should stop using these sexist words.stop promoting sexism.