Hey Devo, I'd like your input on 'bitch' as an insult.
Up until recently I took it as the female equivalent of all manner of insults that are typically reserved for males (despite being gender-neutral on the face of it) ie. asshole, bastard, dick etc. So it's okay to call a woman a bitch if she is, in fact, being a bitch - because there isn't much left (tho if you have any other suggestions, I'm all ears). Not ok: Calling a woman a bitch when she's not being a bitch, referring to women as bitches in general, calling a man a bitch when he exhibits certain behaviours (such as a lack of courage or a tendency to complain - negative stereotypes associated with women because the people who make up stereotypes are dicks).
But then I got to thinking that maybe it's not like that - that maybe it's more like 'distinguished black fellow' or 'taco'. You have probably seen that Louis CK bit on the word taco. I think it's a funny bit, but I don't subscribe to the argument he presented - calling somebody a taco because you don't like them or because they're being a shit is bad. It's basically saying that offensive slang for gay is a substitute for anyone that's pissing you off, like being gay is just that bad.
Now, I don't think bitch is equivalent to those, except when applied to a non-bitchy woman, but I'm wondering if I should think about changing my stance.
So do you think I should maybe just start referring to women as dicks and assholes and bastards, or am I ok with keeping bitch as an acceptable gender-specific insult?
