Should the term "bitch" be forbidden on DU in certain circumstances? [View All]

[Skinner]

PLEASE READ THIS THREAD CLOSELY; THE TEXT HAS CHANGED.

We have posted a poll on this issue, which is currently pinned to the top of the General Discussion forum. Because of the likelihood that the poll thread would get extremely long, we have decided to forbid discussion in that thread. If you wish to discuss this issue, you may do so here. We will open additional threads, if necessary.

On Democratic Underground, should we forbid the use of the term "bitch" when used as an insult against our political opponents, and should we forbid the phrase "bitch slap"?

Please be aware that we are not going to forbid the use of the term "bitch" as a synonym for "complain bitterly," nor will we forbid the term "bitch" to mean "female dog." Those issues are not up for discussion. Also, to be clear... personal attacks against other members of Democratic Underground are not permitted, so it is already against the rules to call another member of DU a bitch.

I know that this is a highly-charged issue for many people, which is related to deeply-held progressive values including opposition to sexism, and support for free and open expression. However, we believe that it is possible to have this discussion without resorting to personal attacks and incivility, and we hope everyone will make an effort to participate in the spirit of mutual respect.

This topic has been discussed in a number of threads already. Here are links to Thread #1, Thread #2, Thread #3, Thread #4, Thread #5, Thread #6, Thread #7, and Thread #8.

If you wish to vote in our poll, please click here.