It all started with this:
It began on 24 January this year, when policeman Michael Sanguinetti walked into the Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, to tell women how to avoid sexual violence. "I've been told I'm not supposed to say this," Sanguinetti said. "However, women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimised."
Guardian, 6/7/11
Which led to this:
"SlutWalking" is attracting thousands of people to take to the streets to put an end to what they believe is a culture in which it is considered acceptable to blame the victim. Further SlutWalksare planned in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin. Guardian, 5/6/11
Today I read this which I found very interesting:
Historically ‘slut’ has been used as a judgemental and damaging slur designed to shame women and men who enjoy sex, whether it’s for work or pleasure (or both). Its etymology also points to its past usage as a word meaning ‘dirty’ or ‘slovenly’. SlutWalkers are standing up to say that they’re not ashamed of their sexuality or liking sex, and that being a slut should not invite judgement or violence. There’s been much debate online and offline about what it means to call yourself (or others) a slut, and about whether it’s possible to entirely reclaim a word and strip its negative or malicious intent and control.
The process of language reappropriation is one where a word was at one time a pejorative used to malign, control or victimise, is brought into acceptable (or even preferable) usage. Superlinguo, 6/5/11
My father once told me "words are power." To this day I am not sure if I agree or disagree. I think words CAN have power. However, I would like to think that words have power because we give it to them; because we allow them to have power.
If a society has given a word power that it later grows to resent can it then (consciously or unconsciously) take that power away? If we can, should we? What does this mean? What does embracing a word that has been thought of as "negative" in the past change, really?
I have thought a lot about this in the past regarding the word bitch. This is one of my least favorite words, in spite of it being the title of one of my favorite magazines. Some women have "reclaimed" bitch as a word to describe a strong woman - a woman who is not afraid to express her thoughts and opinions. One who will not be pushed around or belittled. A woman to be reckoned with. Someone who may have to act in ways perceived as undesirable to have needs met or get what she wants. Is this helpful?
While I think the intention is good, I wonder about the wisdom of embracing bitch, slut and other gendered "slurs." There is an element of "taking power back" by the redefining of a word. But I think I would rather see it become antiquated from lack of use. The perceived societal NEED for the word is the issue, not the word itself. I think we forget this. I am not sure that recirculating the word with some sort of edified meaning really is the most desirable response. Gendered insults and questionable ways to refer to people is so last century. Right?
Come with me into a world where an individual's qualities are independent of gender. In this world, when we get frustrated with someone, we do not resort to gender-specific words as critical fodder. There is no need for the word bitch if a society views women as equal participants and does not begrudge them the same "strength" in voice. The perception would change. And this is what we need.
I do not want to be referred to as a bitch, slut, or, Goddess forbid, the dreaded "C" word. I am happy for and supportive of people who choose to identify with these words in a positive way. If it is a term of empowerment or a part of play in the bedroom/alternative lifestyle in a mutually desired and created power dynamic, I say "good for you." But as a society could we just work on the functional disuse of genderfied negativity? I am a strong person. I love sex. This means I am a man or a woman. A human being. Not a bitch, slut or cunt.
