Witch

Heard the phrase "son of a bitch" today, and it's a swear phrase that repels me. Much because my father used it on me (which is ridiculous) and used it all the time, which is irritating. It's one I've never used. It doesn't offend me, as such. But just as I dislike the smell of coffee, probably because my father used to pour hot coffee on shredded wheat, which smells like wet dog, I likewise am repulsed by the words he used. I don't use "brat" or "rude" either. Nor do I accuse others of lying. Because I have so often found that those most guilty of bad behaviour, use those words to accuse others of their own sins.

The words most women find offensive, maybe because I didn't learn them until I was older, and never really heard them much, don't bother me at all. Twat and Cunt are nearly novel, ones that I take as my right to use. But call me a "nag" and the cold will descend as I walk away. When I was in college, I was warned never to call a black girl a bitch, a prohibition that seems to have faded, but I internalized the idea. I'll use bitch as a verb, but will not use it for myself, nor accept it even in jest from another.

Shit, and Fuck, especially in creative combinations, are my go-to swears. Fucktard is my current one for cell-phone drivers, implies idiocy and jerkishness together.

We all have our hot button words, loaded with stories, history, associations, pain. Important, I think, to know what they are, and why. Accept their power, without automatically reacting to them. Just words, albeit ones to use with care.