Uhm, nope, that didn't work. "Wankhammer" or "cocksomething" are just as gendered as when the first syllables stand alone, and I don't think "fuckbonnet" lacks any of the implications of "fuck",...
The guide to the formula embedded above points to this aspect of the new swears, describing them as “non-gendered insults” that are better than problematic old standbys like “bitch.”
Uhm, nope, that didn't work. "Wankhammer" or "cocksomething" are just as gendered as when the first syllables stand alone, and I don't think "fuckbonnet" lacks any of the implications of "fuck", it only has a few more on top of it now, new, vague ones.
At the end of the day an insult is an insult, it is not an expletive aimed at no one, and thus it is bad because of its intention. Thus however it is modified, even if a completely unrelated word was used, if the intention is to insult, there is no way to hide it. "Fuckbonnet minions" are just as bad as "motherfucking midgets", just more stupidly so.
Do we really have to have nerds of everything, and abuse everthing into lameness? Can't we have some sophistication instead?
There are classic English language insults which don't necessarily impugn gender conformity, sexual prowess, class status, race or national origin. A truly apt insult heaps scorn on how the target...
Uhm, nope, that didn't work. "Wankhammer" or "cocksomething" are just as gendered as when the first syllables stand alone, and I don't think "fuckbonnet" lacks any of the implications of "fuck", it only has a few more on top of it now, new, vague ones.
There are classic English language insults which don't necessarily impugn gender conformity, sexual prowess, class status, race or national origin. A truly apt insult heaps scorn on how the target behaved, not something they are. Examples:
cack-handed
muckspout
lickspittle
gobshite
craven
Do we really have to have nerds of everything, and abuse everthing into lameness? Can't we have some sophistication instead?
We get nerds of everything because it's much cheaper and faster to write essays like this, than to perform actual journalism. I posted the article because I needed something lightweight.
I find The Outline frustrating because its writing is sometimes a neither-nor proposition. This piece is cultural criticism, but the critique meanders through real-life examples that don't...
I find The Outline frustrating because its writing is sometimes a neither-nor proposition. This piece is cultural criticism, but the critique meanders through real-life examples that don't necessarily support the premise, and I find the theme petty and trivial. The article is shared here mainly as humor and for those of us with an interest in esoteric corners of language.
I'm sticking with what I'd actually be willing to use, and wouldn't invoke lazy racist, sexist, etc. stereotypes. If I resort to ad hominem swearing, I'd like its relevance to the target to be...
I'm sticking with what I'd actually be willing to use, and wouldn't invoke lazy racist, sexist, etc. stereotypes. If I resort to ad hominem swearing, I'd like its relevance to the target to be personalized.
I'm partial to "asshat". Unlike some of the inventions in the article, it's a pithy, direct insult aimed at the intelligence and bad behavior of the recipient, combining suggestions of shit-headed...
I'm partial to "asshat". Unlike some of the inventions in the article, it's a pithy, direct insult aimed at the intelligence and bad behavior of the recipient, combining suggestions of shit-headed stupidity, assholery, and the blind obliviousness of having one's head inside one's ass. It's a metaphor and metonym, not a nonsensical construction.
Here are a few personal inventions, following the derided "swear plus two-syllable noun" format of the article, yet leaning towards meaningful insult:
clapfarmer
taintsniffer
jockgoblin
Feel free to critique, use, share, or contribute your own.
Really you could probably tack on almost anything to that one. Waste of ____. ...space ...air ...soylent green ...time ...shit ...carbon ...sperm ...words ...ear bandwidth ...pixels
Really you could probably tack on almost anything to that one.
I disagree with this, especially "must". I would have thought that self-described existentialists would recognize that words don't really mean anything and everything is made up. In my...
Coming up with insults that do not invoke gender or race or disability is good. The point of an insult is to hurt the person so insulted, not to deride an entire class. For this reason, though, the insult must describe or otherwise connect to its target.
I disagree with this, especially "must".
I would have thought that self-described existentialists would recognize that words don't really mean anything and everything is made up. In my perspective, these nonsense swears are not only fun to say but also reflect a recognition of the absurd notion that some words are entirely bad with an inherently tainted meaning. What matters isn't the dictionary definition of a word, so much as it is the intent behind it. If a word can convey that it is supposed to be a "bad word", then it is an effective swear.
The article links this to civility, but I don't think that's it. Making a swear fun seems to me as being cheeky with absurdity while still conveying that it's meant to be a level of insult. It's self indulgent wordplay that I'd argue is more tame than a right dressing down, even if it sounds profane to our ears.
I could tear a person to shreds without using profanity whatsoever, if they didn't walk away from my deconstruction of their character halfway through, and it would carry far more weight than all of Carlin's seven dirty words—shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, and tits—combined.
Uhm, nope, that didn't work. "Wankhammer" or "cocksomething" are just as gendered as when the first syllables stand alone, and I don't think "fuckbonnet" lacks any of the implications of "fuck", it only has a few more on top of it now, new, vague ones.
At the end of the day an insult is an insult, it is not an expletive aimed at no one, and thus it is bad because of its intention. Thus however it is modified, even if a completely unrelated word was used, if the intention is to insult, there is no way to hide it. "Fuckbonnet minions" are just as bad as "motherfucking midgets", just more stupidly so.
Do we really have to have nerds of everything, and abuse everthing into lameness? Can't we have some sophistication instead?
There are classic English language insults which don't necessarily impugn gender conformity, sexual prowess, class status, race or national origin. A truly apt insult heaps scorn on how the target behaved, not something they are. Examples:
cack-handed
muckspout
lickspittle
gobshite
craven
We get nerds of everything because it's much cheaper and faster to write essays like this, than to perform actual journalism. I posted the article because I needed something lightweight.
Essayism and journalism shouldn't be treated like an either-or proposition. They are two very, very different forms of writing with distinct goals.
I find The Outline frustrating because its writing is sometimes a neither-nor proposition. This piece is cultural criticism, but the critique meanders through real-life examples that don't necessarily support the premise, and I find the theme petty and trivial. The article is shared here mainly as humor and for those of us with an interest in esoteric corners of language.
I'm sticking with what I'd actually be willing to use, and wouldn't invoke lazy racist, sexist, etc. stereotypes. If I resort to ad hominem swearing, I'd like its relevance to the target to be personalized.
I'm partial to "asshat". Unlike some of the inventions in the article, it's a pithy, direct insult aimed at the intelligence and bad behavior of the recipient, combining suggestions of shit-headed stupidity, assholery, and the blind obliviousness of having one's head inside one's ass. It's a metaphor and metonym, not a nonsensical construction.
Here are a few personal inventions, following the derided "swear plus two-syllable noun" format of the article, yet leaning towards meaningful insult:
clapfarmer
taintsniffer
jockgoblin
Feel free to critique, use, share, or contribute your own.
How about "shitfountain"?
Spouse is fond of "shitspigot", which has a little more poetry.
I prefer "waste of ammo", myself. It is gender neutral, contains no profanity, and does a reasonable job of conveying my contempt.
"oxygen thief" is, imho, more workable because it doesn't carry an implicit threat of violence.
Really you could probably tack on almost anything to that one.
Waste of ____.
True, but "waste of ammo" suggests they live because they aren't worth killing.
I disagree with this, especially "must".
I would have thought that self-described existentialists would recognize that words don't really mean anything and everything is made up. In my perspective, these nonsense swears are not only fun to say but also reflect a recognition of the absurd notion that some words are entirely bad with an inherently tainted meaning. What matters isn't the dictionary definition of a word, so much as it is the intent behind it. If a word can convey that it is supposed to be a "bad word", then it is an effective swear.
The article links this to civility, but I don't think that's it. Making a swear fun seems to me as being cheeky with absurdity while still conveying that it's meant to be a level of insult. It's self indulgent wordplay that I'd argue is more tame than a right dressing down, even if it sounds profane to our ears.
I could tear a person to shreds without using profanity whatsoever, if they didn't walk away from my deconstruction of their character halfway through, and it would carry far more weight than all of Carlin's seven dirty words—shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, and tits—combined.