"Ho" & "Bitch" to be banned in NYC?

[Jonathan Lighter]

Charlie's comment in the "profound language" thread has me thinking.  I now suspect that the attention the B-word has gotten in the media may make it somewhat more profound among undergrads than the C-word.

  I say "may."  In some radical feminist circles, the C-word is regarded as a word of strength while the B-word is just, you know, a sexist insult.  I rarely here people refer to "bitching" anymore. The more traditional "whining" seems to be making a big comeback.

  Somebody out there, survey your students and find out.

  Oh, yeah, before I forget. The /w-/ vs. /hw-/ business.  Around 1989 Tracey Ullman did a skit in which (or "inwhich") she was on vacation with her husband, played by Homer "Dan Castellenata" Simpson.  They were discussing heatedly where to go next, and the Tracey character said, "I want to see the Wine Country!"  And the Homer ("Dan") character said,
  "Wherever _you_ are, it _is_ the Whine Country!"

  Dig, the joke is that he said /w-/ not /hw-/.

  JL

Bapopik at AOL.COM wrote:
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Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Bapopik at AOL.COM
Subject: "Ho" & "Bitch" to be banned in NYC?
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Personally, I think they should ban "New York City Council" and "$112,500" =20
(annual salary). That's obscene!
...
... =20
_http://www.nysun.com/article/59489/_ (http://www.nysun.com/article/59489/)=20
=20
Council Bill Would Ban Two More Slurs
By _GRACE RAUH_ (http://www.nysun.com/authors/Grace+Rauh)=20
Staff Reporter of the Sun
July 31, 2007=20
...
=20
The City Council is considering a symbolic ban on the words "ho" and "b=E2=
=80=94ch," =20
five months after it approved a similar ban on the "n-word" that garnered =20
national attention.=20
...=20
The resolution, which would ban two words widely considered sexist and =20
insulting when used to describe women, already has support from 22 council =20
members, its sponsor, _Council Member Darlene Mealy_=20
(http://www.nysun.com/related_results.php?term=3DDarlene+Mealy) of _Brookly=
n_=20
(http://www.nysun.com/related_results.php?term=3DBrooklyn) , said yesterday.=
"I feel this should be it, these=20
three and no more," Ms. Mealy said, referring to the words covered by her =20
resolution and the slur successfully targeted earlier this year by a council=
=20
member of Queens, _Leroy Comrie_=20
(http://www.nysun.com/related_results.php?term=3DLeroy+Comrie) . "We should=20=
be burying these three."=20
...=20
Ms. Mealy said she is concerned that her resolution's two words are featured=
=20
prominently in popular music and have become less likely to trigger outrage=20
when used in conversation. If approved, her resolution likely would be used=
to=20
pressure the music industry to remove the words from lyrics and to encourag=
e=20
people to strike them from their speech.=20
...=20
In April, talk show host Don Imus called members of the Rutgers University =20
women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos," prompting a national discussion=20=
=20
about the word.=20
...=20
Mr. Comrie, who has become something of a national spokesman against the =20
n-word, said he supports Ms. Mealy's proposal.=20
...=20
"You know, we have to keep the assault on hate speech," he said. "I think th=
e=20
challenge for all of us now is to understand we can stand up and speak=20
against things that are demeaning to us and other people."



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