John McCain and the C-word

Originally submitted by: Sandy Bottoms On Language

Well, it just doesn't get much worse than that. John McCain reportedly said to his wife "Well, at least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollope, you c____." This was after a remark made at a press conference. The C-word is the worst one there is. And I don't mean "Conservative". There is no situation in which you can use the C-word appropriately. There is no person in the world whom you can call this name, and not become the bad guy. The name is dirty, derogatory, and inflamatory. The word has become the hot topic of dicussion over modern profanity. When used as an insult, the word is understood to be so derogatory, so demeaning to women, that it will some day be buried in Detroit. It is the equivalent of the worst racial slur. A website and anti-Clinton organization was named after the horrifying C-word and used it as an anagram. I happen to know some people, women included, who find the word so filthy that it is actually a turn-on. No fooling. There is the danger that this word will get more widespread use throughout our culture. Like many bad words, it becomes bad because of the sound of the word itself. Like the f-word, the mf-word, and the b-word, the plosive and percussive consonant sounds make it an ugly and offensive word to anyone. But this one is especially bad. It sounds bad. It looks bad. And so it must be bad. I am not saying that it is grounds for divorce, but if I were a woman and my husband called me such names, I would have an issue. Now imagine a president using such words against a first lady. President McC-word. And his First Lady, or rather, First C-word, Mrs. McC-word. That's potentially very bad for the party.