I got 99 problems, and the word “bitch” is one

I hate the word bitch. Not just because it is crude, rude, or derogatory, but because I see this word, in particular, as a word of oppression. The word bitch, as I see in common use now, is most often applied to women that are, shall we say, strong willed. Strong-willed, independent, outspoken, uppity, uncompromising = bitch.

How did the word evolve? Glad you asked.

From the Online Etymology Dictionary:

“bitch

O.E. bicce, probably from O.N. bikkjuna "female of the dog" (also fox, wolf, and occasionally other beasts), of unknown origin. Grimm derives the O.N. word from Lapp pittja, but OED notes that "the converse is equally possible." As a term of contempt applied to women, it dates from c.1400; of a man, c.1500, playfully, in the sense of "dog." In modern (1990s, originally black English) slang, its use with ref. to a man is sexually contemptuous, from the "woman" insult.

"BITCH. A she dog, or doggess; the most offensive appellation that can be given to an English woman, even more provoking than that of whore." ["Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue," 1811]

The adj. bitchy "bad-tempered" (usually of females) is first attested 1925. The verb meaning "to complain" is at least from 1930, perhaps from the sense in bitchy, perhaps influenced by the verb meaning "to bungle, spoil," which is recorded from 1823. But bitched in this sense seems to echo M.E. bicched "cursed, bad," a general term of opprobrium (e.g. Chaucer's bicched bones "(unlucky) dice"), which despite the hesitation of OED, seems certainly to be a derivative of bitch. And cf. the mid-19th century U.S. blackface minstrel song verse about women's rights movement:

When woman's rights is stirred a bit

De first reform she bitches on

Is how she can wid least delay

Just draw a pair ob britches on.

Insult son of a bitch is O.N. bikkju-sonr. Slang bitchen "good" is first attested 1950s. Bitch-goddess coined 1906 by William James; the original one was success.”

One, please note the wonderful ode on the women’s rights movement. Two, the word is, in origin, comparing a woman to an animal (an untrained one at that), a curse, complaints, spoil, and of course something worse than a whore (nothing is worse than a whore that doesn’t listen).

Knowing all of this, why is the word “bitch” so acceptable is modern vocabulary (for example, bitch is not a FCC banned word.)? We are not as tolerant of other epithets that classify a gender, race, ethic group, religious group, etc. as animals. Why can we say bitch as many times as we want by FCC regulations, but not shit and not fuck. Why? Are we really saying that it is ok to demean women, particularly the strong-willed women, but we can’t talk about excrement?

I admit that I am unnerved by the lack of attention to the insidious nature of sexism in this country and throughout the world. To me, the word bitch symbolizes it all.

Politics and feminism

Chair
Originally uploaded by Nicole.Kelly

I don't normally allow politics to invade my blog, but I really feel like this article is an article that everyone should read (no matter who they are voting for in this election--or not voting at all).

I am a feminist who makes no apologies to anyone for my beliefs, and it makes me sad to think that there are women out there that are still too afraid to tell men--and other women--that they feel like sexism is still and a national and international problem. I can still vividly remember what made me into the feminist activist I am today. I still thank those powerful women and men in my life that exposed me to these philosophies and set me on the course of growing up proud to be a woman.

I hope one day my sisters (currently not even teenagers), will see a woman running for president and NOT hear people yelling for the candidate "iron my shirt", and not see people imply that a known wife batterer should have married the candidate (presumably to kill her or put her in place), or watch the media criticize her for her husband's indiscretions. Hillary may not be your candidate, but she is a brave woman who is going through what most of us go through in a day, week, month, and lifetime; she's just going through it on prime time.

I was 13 years old when I started on this journey. By the time I was 15, I experienced my first true act of misogyny. That's sad. I hope that the next generation of women never experience what I have, and certainly not so young.