fapp and phallologocentrism

Thu Sep 11 20:21:37 UTC 2014

For no particularly good reason, I always presumed that 'jack' was somehow short for 'ejaculate' and 'jerk' referenced a particularity of the movement, neither being really applicable to female masturbation.

It's funny - my children regard these emails as high-minded and nerdy. I have to start hiding them in a brown paper bag.

--
Kate

On Sep 11, 2014, at 5:15 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: fapp and phallologocentrism
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> To "jill off" went nowhere.
> 
> Female masturbation is widely known as "masturbation."
> 
> Are we sure that "jack off" is used only of males?  Why should it be?
> 
> What about "jerk off"? That certainly seems appropriate to many cultural
> theorists of either sex.
> 
> "Whack off" "Wank"?
> 
> Unlike men, women apparently wish to retain their dignity in these matters.
> 
> JL
> 
> On Thu, Sep 11, 2014 at 7:47 AM, Amy West <medievalist at w-sts.com> wrote:
> 
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Amy West <medievalist at W-STS.COM>
>> Subject:      fapp and phallologocentrism
>> 
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> 
>> This is not something I've followed up with any research, yet. (And I
>> regret opening a rather prurient line of thinking.)
>> 
>> But yesterday it was striking me that "fapp," being onomatopoeic in
>> origin, originates from referring to *male* masturbation. "Jack off" is
>> similar. And then the feminist critical theory buried under detritus in
>> my mind started bubbling up and pointed out the exclusion of female
>> masturbation from those terms and the corollary of denial of female
>> sexuality, etc., etc. Not that I really want to know, but likely there
>> are terms for female masturbation out there (and probably easily
>> findable on Urban Dictionary, if I really want to follow this line of
>> thinking), but I'm betting that they're not onomatopoeic.
>> 
>> (So, I think I am once again pointing out the obvious. My work here is
>> done.)
>> 
>> ---Amy West
>> 
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>> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
> 
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