Biological “Bad” Words

Bitch, pussy, and dick feel really good to say…just like most curse words. They can be funny, help me get my point across, or the emphasis they add can more accurately convey the passion or intensity I feel on the subject. But lately the rule we have for our kids has caused me to reconsider these three in particular. The rule is “fully understand a word and the way it will affect people before you use it.”

It started with me realizing that the way I used bitch was almost always negative towards women. In fact, I couldn’t think of a way to use bitch that was positive. I found, and was uncomfortable with the fact, that I was using a gender as an insult. This felt like a weird thought because bitch is allowed on broadcast TV and, in my experience, is one of the “softer” curse words in American English.

In considering other words I found that pussy, when referring to someone being scared or weak, was also insulting a biological state. Women seem to have gotten the short end of the cursing stick, but men aren’t completely left out. When calling someone a jerk or rude I think dick feels the same.

I still sometimes reflexively use these words, but they have become increasingly rare in my vocabulary. I’ll probably never stop updating my vocabulary, but this is where I am right now as far as using words that are associated with a gender or some part of our biology in a derogatory way.