Reply #135: Wrong. [View All]

[Shandris]

'Homophone' doesn't even phonetically begin the same as homosexual; while Homo Sapiens does, most people are aware of what it means. Watch people's reactions when a Brit comes to America and asks for a fag, though. There's a reason they pick up usage of the word 'cigarette' really quick.

Volvo? Using brand names is pretty silly, since brand names tend to imprint over most other knowledge. If I say Joseph Kellog, I'm willing to bet the first thing that comes to mind is Corn Flakes or something similar. Same with Ralph Keebler. If you think a Volvo is going to be related to a vulva (which, again, isn't even phonetically pronounced the same), well, suffice to say your mind works far differently than mine.

Take a more effective example: Cocksure isn't removed from the language. Neither is the South Carolina Gamecocks. Or Cockfighting. Why? Because 'cock' isn't universally known as ONLY having usage as a pejorative. Start making a bunch of posts with 'bitch' in it, though, and see how long it takes you to catch hell (and rightfully so) from other DU'ers.