My friend Deb shared the following story via email:
"I was in a North Taranaki pub with my mate Pete & his mates & another visiting mate of mine, Jane. We were a few jugs in when the youngest bloke's language began to get very slightly challenging, judging by his mates' glances. All was ok, but he warmed to his grievance, whatever it was, & eventually uttered the inevitable c u n t. Which was ok amongst all of them, but not with 2 Sheilas, they wanted the evening to remain harmonious. Not sure what to do. Weight shifting to the other boot. Pete was staring a reflective hole in the table. Someone looked at the unknown visitor, Jane, perfectly capable with nice jeans, glasses & very long hair.
'Aw,' she said, 'I dunno. Cunt. Yeh. I've got one & it's really nice, eh.'
Dear Rosie, I enjoy your writing, especially if I read it before bed and it sits with me like a rich pudding all night.
It's the word that sometimes refers to female genitalia that got me up at 4 am that is so interesting. I don't feel comfortable using it in public and especially with women, but if this is an academic discussion between the two of us I guess it's OK. I don't have much respect for calling it c**t either, by the way.
That's the conditioning I suppose, from instinctively knowing that use of the word would guarantee a thrashing, when I was of a thrashing age, but then it came as a shock at 15 to hear an adult use it, and a teacher at that.
Of course, as kids it had extensive use and there were good cunts and bad cunts and even evil cunts. Dumb cunts and lucky cunts. But if you call someone a fucken cunt you had better be ready to trade blows. These days I reserve it for cats that walk on wet concrete, or wood that splits or the rabbit that ate the leaves and bark from a lemon tree just planted. I wouldn't use it on a dog because they are way too sensitive.
Sometimes you have to use cunt because if for example you called an ugly cunt an ugly man, you'd get labelled a queer cunt.
So here we are, Friday 13th and a full moon (ish, I didn't look it up), I expect some prissy cunt is going to be offended.
Hahaha yes indeed. It's interesting that as you describe, it's a word most New Zealanders will happily use in private, but not in public (so as not to offend imagined others, but maybe everyone's using it in private?) I jest, I know many people find it extremely offensive, which is why I added the content warning. Like you though I disike redacting words, everyone knows what you're saying so call a spade a spade!
The moon is on the wane-- it was full a few days ago-- but it was very pretty last night.
One time a friend of mine got properly angry & called someone a 'little cunt'. It turned out afterwards that most people were in agreement, like an ex-priest said "I've been wanting to call him that for years!"-- but one guy goes "I can't believe you called him 'little!"
This was a lovely little read, it made me feel nostalgic for the city I live in, and for a time when I did a lot more wandering of the streets
Ah Wizard Phil! Thank you! I hope all is well, wherever you are.
My friend Deb shared the following story via email:
"I was in a North Taranaki pub with my mate Pete & his mates & another visiting mate of mine, Jane. We were a few jugs in when the youngest bloke's language began to get very slightly challenging, judging by his mates' glances. All was ok, but he warmed to his grievance, whatever it was, & eventually uttered the inevitable c u n t. Which was ok amongst all of them, but not with 2 Sheilas, they wanted the evening to remain harmonious. Not sure what to do. Weight shifting to the other boot. Pete was staring a reflective hole in the table. Someone looked at the unknown visitor, Jane, perfectly capable with nice jeans, glasses & very long hair.
'Aw,' she said, 'I dunno. Cunt. Yeh. I've got one & it's really nice, eh.'
Seemed to solve it."
I like it. Have to be a Kiwi to understand most of it, but thats its charm. Thanks Rosie. Refreshing.
Dear Rosie, I enjoy your writing, especially if I read it before bed and it sits with me like a rich pudding all night.
It's the word that sometimes refers to female genitalia that got me up at 4 am that is so interesting. I don't feel comfortable using it in public and especially with women, but if this is an academic discussion between the two of us I guess it's OK. I don't have much respect for calling it c**t either, by the way.
That's the conditioning I suppose, from instinctively knowing that use of the word would guarantee a thrashing, when I was of a thrashing age, but then it came as a shock at 15 to hear an adult use it, and a teacher at that.
Of course, as kids it had extensive use and there were good cunts and bad cunts and even evil cunts. Dumb cunts and lucky cunts. But if you call someone a fucken cunt you had better be ready to trade blows. These days I reserve it for cats that walk on wet concrete, or wood that splits or the rabbit that ate the leaves and bark from a lemon tree just planted. I wouldn't use it on a dog because they are way too sensitive.
Sometimes you have to use cunt because if for example you called an ugly cunt an ugly man, you'd get labelled a queer cunt.
So here we are, Friday 13th and a full moon (ish, I didn't look it up), I expect some prissy cunt is going to be offended.
Hahaha yes indeed. It's interesting that as you describe, it's a word most New Zealanders will happily use in private, but not in public (so as not to offend imagined others, but maybe everyone's using it in private?) I jest, I know many people find it extremely offensive, which is why I added the content warning. Like you though I disike redacting words, everyone knows what you're saying so call a spade a spade!
The moon is on the wane-- it was full a few days ago-- but it was very pretty last night.
One time a friend of mine got properly angry & called someone a 'little cunt'. It turned out afterwards that most people were in agreement, like an ex-priest said "I've been wanting to call him that for years!"-- but one guy goes "I can't believe you called him 'little!"
One of my favourite words, too.
And I feel for you (and with you), those omen-feelings.
Also: free icecream!
Thanks, as always, for your writing.
Things change in a matter of days, these days...