"Bastard" Is A 'Gender Neutral' Term While "Bitch" Is Not

[matcom]

Poll question: "Bastard" Is A 'Gender Neutral' Term While "Bitch" Is Not

THAT is what I have been told. TRUE?

Main Entry: 1bas·tard
Pronunciation: 'bas-t&rd
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old Frisian bost marriage, Old English bindan to bind
1 : an illegitimate child
2 : something that is spurious, irregular, inferior, or of questionable origin
3 a : an offensive or disagreeable person -- used as a generalized term of abuse b : MAN, FELLOW
- bas·tard·ly adjective

[DS1]

1. Bastard is not gender-neutral

[matcom]

2. ahhhh, better back that up

for I have been 'told' this is the case :eyes:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1355870#1356034

[camero]

3. Bastard is a gender neutral term

But is only used in regards to men and not women so it's not the actual term that defines the usage but the usage that defines the term. If that makes sense. Bitch can also be the same.

[matcom]

4. ummmm......

:crazy:

sure :shrug:

[camero]

5. I voted no if that means anything

:) Both can be gender neutral.

[matcom]

6. just confused me that's all

but that ain't hard :P

good series so far btw :hi:

[camero]

8. Yeah it is

I wish the O's had deeper pitching. I think we may see a mid-season trade for pitching. Even though Pedro got shellacked the other night. Funny he usually starts fast but it was cold.

Schilling still has it.

[ScreamingMeemie]

38. I think it depends on which dictionary you look in.

Me, I have never thought of using it on one of the genders that you might be pertaining to. :hi: There, I tried to keep that neutral.

[Blue-Jay]

7. In Great Britain, even the C-Bomb has become

non-gender-specific. Who knows? Language evolves.

[Whitacre D_WI]

29. Blue-Jay:

You are a cunt.

[EstimatedProphet]

9. Certainly it's gender-neutral

Otherwise the sh*theaded bastards at FreeRepublic would all be male.

[ALago1]

10. I have never heard bastard used to refer to a female

Hence, I voted no.

[tnlefty]

11. Just don't call me a republican, dammit!!!!

Fighting word I tell ya.

Except I usually get called "damned librul bitch" among other things and that doesn't bother me. But just don't go trying to call me a puke, or an elephant-lover!

[curse10]

12. Other: both are now gender neutral

meanings of words change with the times. Bitch is no longer considerred as deragotry as it once was, and neither is bastard. Although each word has their basis in gender specificity, it's moot.

"Feminists" that get in an uproar about the term "bitch" need look at the big picture. There are way more important things, like equal pay.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

13. Matcom, think CARTMAN...

He calls everyone bitch, and a lot people bastard. I think this says it all. LMAO
Duckie

[Dufaeth]

14. It is neutral.

But is is offensive to those born out of wedlock and those who choose to have children outside of marriage. :p

[DS1]

15. If Bitches and Bastards, and Bastards are Bitches

doesn't that cancel out the offensive ways of both?

:wtf:

I'm gonna keep calling bitchy women bitches and dickhead men dickheads until I'm pushing up gender-neutral weeds from under my little tombstone.

[matcom]

16. Here Lies DS1....

He DS1'd Poorly :D

[curse10]

17. hmmmmm

don't be too logical on this issue. You might make people's head spin

[DS1]

18. What gender would those heads be?

I hope you're not talking about hot-swinging-basket-sex! :grr:

[curse10]

19. hot swinging basket sex is still a-okay!

:P

[notadmblnd]

37. What about Mulpas?

Thats what my mother used to call us. There were four of us girls growing up and I remember it like yesterday. She would be trying to get us to settle down and go to sleep at night and she would holler from the other room "Shut up you little mulpas. It never occured to us girls to ask her what it meant until we were in our 40's. She told us it was a polish word never said which one.

[Whitacre D_WI]

20. "Bastard," meaning an illegitimate child, is gender-neutral.

"Bitch," meaning a female dog, is not.


HOWEVER...


The usage of epithets is a bit different from technical definitions. Slang is far more quickly-evolving than standard English.

The evolution of language enables me to say "matcom is a bitch," and have that statement still make sense. I could even go so far as to say "matcom is MY bitch."

Likewise, I would not call Ann Coulter a "bastard," since she is (technically) female. But my God, is she a fucking bitch (and I sincerely hope nobody takes offense at my calling Ann Coulter a "bitch," since, well -- what would you call her?)

[kitkatrose]

21. Well yeah, but I think that you have to take into account

that 'bitch' (at least when most of the people I know use it) is refering to a set of behavior that would take a lot of words to describe. I use 'bitch' as gender neutral, but that's just me. But if someone tells me they're offended, I'd stop using it, cuz that's just polite. :)


On edit: Dammit! I promised myself I wouldn't reply on these threads. Lookit what you did!

[Whitacre D_WI]

22. I call my male friends "bitch" all the time.

Because they are bitches.

[matcom]

23. but I AM Whitacre's BITCH!!!

:D

[Whitacre D_WI]

24. And don't you forget it,

bitch.

[matcom]

25. OPPRESS ME SOME MORE MASTA!!!!!

:bounce:

:spank: me even! :P

[Whitacre D_WI]

26. You know you like it.

:spank::spank::spank::spank::spank::spank::spank::spank::spank::spank::spank::spank::spank::spank:

[DS1]

27. MASTA IS OFFENSIVE!!! BUURRRN HIM!!!

"Masta" has been replaced by "leader with indeterminate chromosonal configuration" and until you insensitive bastards learn some manners I'm gonna bitchslap you up and down the street!

[matcom]

28. don't be opressin' ME!!!!

i take offense to your use of 'chromosonal'

therefore, YOU should be BANNED DAMMIT!!! x(

[DS1]

30. Your chromosomes are unclean!!!! and I've got 2 extra

:P

[matcom]

31. so, you sayin' you are better than ME??????

THAT is misogynist!!!!!!! YOU are a Sexist, Humanist, Hateist and maybe, JUST MAYBE an Anti-MatcomIST!!!!! x(

you shall now be burnt at the tower of pizza :crazy:

[DS1]

32. Leave my gynecologist ALONE!!!

Your unfeeling remarks only show you to be a SEXIST INHUMANE DOUCHEBAG!!

[matcom]

33. BITCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and i mean that in the NICEST way :P

[DS1]

34. MOAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You touch me in my special places :7

[matcom]

36. What? You Ralph Wiggum?

:D

[ScreamingMeemie]

39. I am locking this thread...

Oh wait, I can't do that anymore. ;)

[SOteric]

40. *ROTL* - Knock it off you guys,

before I rupture a kidney or sumthin'

[Khephra]

35. "Bastard" Is A 'Gender Neutral'

NOT.

My mother married a wife-beater just because she didn't want me growing up with the name "bastard" after I was born.

Some people think times changed everywhere during the late 60's, but the name still had a major stigma in more rural areas into the 70's.

[patriotvoice]

41. Denotation vs. Connotation

Some terms
---start---
bastard:
1. A child born out of wedlock.
2. Something that is of irregular, inferior, or dubious origin.
3. Slang. A person, especially one who is held to be mean or disagreeable.

bitch:
1. A female canine animal, especially a dog.
2. Offensive.
a. A woman considered to be spiteful or overbearing.
b. A lewd woman.
c. A man considered to be weak or contemptible.
3. Slang. A complaint.
4. Slang. Something very unpleasant or difficult.

denote:
3. To signify directly; refer to specifically.

connote:
1. To suggest or imply in addition to literal meaning.

Usage Note: Denote and connote are often confused because both words have senses that entail signification. Denote means “to signify directly or literally” and describes the relation between the word and the thing it conventionally names. Connote means “to signify indirectly, suggest or imply” and describes the relation between the word and the images or associations it evokes. Thus, the word river denotes a moving body of water and may connote such things as the relentlessness of time and the changing nature of life.
----end----

"Bastard" denotes no particular gender; it connotes a man, in slang.
"Bitch" denotes both women (2a,2b) and men (2b); it connotes either, in slang, as well.

All definitions from dictionary.reference.com. No, it's not the OED, but it's close.