I apologize for my use of the "B word"

[KathieG]

I hear it used to frequently and casually directed at both genders in jest that I sometimes forget that many find it offensive because of it's sexist connotations. My hubby works in a prison so this doesn't help...you tend to become desensitized. My humblest apologies to all that were offended. :hi:

My husband just pointed out that he played the new Godsmack song "crying like a b**ch" for me 5 minutes before I posted that...now he is teasing me LOL. Nice.

[Don Caballero]

1. Never been a fan of the word or those who choose to use it

But your explanation is well thought out. Just don't do it again. Thanks.

[NoFace]

2. Personally I think the whole thing is...

:eyes:
It means female dog right? Who wants to be a female dog???
"On behalf of female dogs everywhere I am OFFENDED!!"


Edit: As in really not as big a deal as people make it out to be.

People attack the words but fail to register the intent.


Same thing with the term 'retarded'...you can call people 'challenged' (until that starts getting used as an insult) or whatever the new term is but it's the intent behind what people say that's important to me.

Plus, etc etc etc

[Mike 03]

3. Please don't apologize, you are foregiven. You would not be the first person here at DU to get

passionate enough to use a term you regretted.

[KathieG]

6. Thanks for that. As I was watching the Ed Show...my fingers moved before my brain fully engaged.

I do recognize that I need to dial myself back a little and think about how much I've been desensitized to certain words. I work in an environment where most of my co-workers are under the age of 24...they let almost anything fly out of their mouths. That combined with a husband (and his friends) that work for the Department Of Corrections...you hear it all, and you hear it frequently. I am usually pretty good though, so I'm not going to beat myself up too much.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

4. Ain't that a stitch... works better... could be overheard in surgery. n'/t

[Warpy]

5. I use it very sparingly

and usually when no other pejorative will suffice.

[mitchum]

7. Bichon? Barbeque? Bassplayer? Bartender?

I have no problem with any of those
don't sweat it

[Bucky]

19. This is a clever reference to my earlier thread "Who threw the bich on the barbecue?The bassplayer?"

I don't know where the hell you got that "bartender" shit from, however. You're probably a DINO.

[Quantess]

8. Mostly I mutter it under my breath about others

and hopefully no one hears it.

I have been called it, myself, and the world didn't come crashing to a halt. Being called a bitch generally isn't exactly a life shattering event. :shrug:

[Fire1]

9. Don't apologize. Sometimes it's quite apropos. n/t

[Whisp]

10. I had some unlearning to do as well.

good for you - you are trying to improve your vocabulary along with upsetting less people, thats all good ;).

I still swear like a sailor (o no, what will sailors think) but realy try to not do the gender/gay/trans insult/swear thing. altho I am imperfect and may slip up now and then (overcoming years of 'accepted cruelties' does take some effort) I am much better and more senstive than I have been in the past.

[KathieG]

11. It's tough sometimes...

My elderly mother will use the B word, but if she hears me drop an F bomb I still get popped (and I'm 38 years old) lol. I think most people that use profanity use it so loosely that they forget the meanings...they are simply words to "spice up" their conversation, argument etc. On it's face, the F word sounds worse (has more impact) than the B word to me, which is why I rarely use it when I post, and I know that some do not like it's overuse. In "real life" I will admit that I'm a bit of a potty mouth, however I generally do know when to keep it clean.

[Whisp]

12. I don't swear near as much in real life now.

Used to be just awful and I wish more people had kindly pointed that out to me, but have retrained myself since. Now I do about 99% of my cursing online and am slightly even using less as time goes on. but of course there are major flare ups once in a while.

Maybe I lose a word a year or so, slow progress but thats all I can do.
Garp
arp
rp
p

heh

[Quantess]

20. What's Garp?

Is that your replacement for a swear word?

Having worked around kids, I have kept the habit of saying "oh, puppies" when I might normally be saying "oh, shit", or worse.

But, I've never cursed loudly or in front of people anyway, so instead I'm quietly saying "oh, puppies!" I'm sure it seems odd. LOL!

[Bucky]

13. I also want you to apologize for typing "it's" instead of "its".

[KathieG]

15. This is why most of my posts here consist of one word answers and extremely short sentences.

:(

[Bucky]

18. Ha! I'm just joshin' you. We're all Democrats here, so we're all cool

Never quit posting. Your voice matters.

[omega minimo]

14. Read the Rules

:hi:

[NoFace]

17. Okay, I just did.

"People who are easily offended, or who are not accustomed to having their opinions (including deeply personal convictions) challenged may not feel entirely comfortable here. A thick skin is necessary to participate on this or any other discussion forum."

:patriot:

[Maru Kitteh]

21. All me to help you finish.

"While specific words are not automatically forbidden, members should avoid using racist, sexist, homophobic, or otherwise bigoted terminology. This includes gender-specific terms such as "cunt," "whore," "slut," "skank," or "pussy," and terms with homophobic derivation, such as "cocksucker," which are often inflammatory and inappropriate. A common exception that is permitted is the use of words like "whore" or "prostitute" in cases where public figures or the media do favors. (For example: "Fox News is whoring for the GOP again" or "Tom DeLay is a prostitute for corporate interests.")

Special note with regard to the word "bitch": The word "bitch" has been the source of a great deal of controversy on this website, because some of our members consider it to be a bigoted slur against all women, while others do not consider it bigoted. For a while we actively deleted posts which included this word, in an effort to keep the peace. This effort helped to keep discussions on track, but it resulted in many deleted posts that were otherwise perfectly fine as well as many confused people. Futhermore, the moderators themselves were ambivalent about removing the word. For this reason, we no longer automatically remove the word "bitch." However, we strongly urge members to voluntarily avoid using the word if they wish to keep their own discussions from going off-topic, and we reserve the right to take disciplinary action if we think someone is deliberately using the word in an effort to disrupt or cause trouble."

[jotsy]

16. I have a saying...

It is not my first inclination to break out my bitchy bone. Should you insist on seeing it, I have one to show you.

I think a lot depends on the context, but if you feel better about you in apologizing, have at. I didn't see the original discussion, but we hard pressed to think it a grand infraction unless it were hurled in a direct and derogatory manner.