Do you think Slut is a bad word?

B.A._Baracus · 13-12-2021 04:57PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058222600/do-you-think-slut-is-a-bad-word

It's an insult so yeah it is a bad word. But who cares.

13-12-2021 05:01PM

What if she likes being called a slut?

🤷‍♂️

*Some* women do...

Loafing Oaf · 13-12-2021 05:12PM

If you want the word to have positive connotations seemingly you'll have to go back in time. Here's Samuel Pepys tweeting his praise for one of his servants

https://twitter.com/samuelpepys/status/834255236013359108

Feisar · 13-12-2021 05:16PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118315867#Comment_118315867

God be with the days one could hump the help!

Wibbs · 13-12-2021 05:51PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118315750#Comment_118315750

I can clearly remember the same thing as a teen back in the 1980's. Nothing new there.

FunLover18 · 13-12-2021 06:27PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118315657#Comment_118315657

That's a fair point and I really did mean yours was interesting, I wasn't trying to accuse you of anything. I think you're right in that I maybe am revealing some of my own biases, when I think about "player" I am picturing a cliche toxic male whose view of women leads a lot to be desired which is a massive generalisation on my part. Perhaps you're right and there is some jealousy at play but I also think there's just plain double standards and perhaps I'm guilty of it myself as above.

Apologies if you think I'm being dishonest about or doing the Magdalene laundries, that was not my intention, but those institutions represent certain attitudes (especially towards women) for a lot of people they were only one generation ago, yes Ireland has progressed massively but those attitudes don't just disappear and I don't think you can analyse Irish society today without considering what happened in the past to shape it. Thankfully it is a small minority and I'm not trying to paint it as anything bigger but it is there and from my experience slut is often utilised when it does arise.

13-12-2021 08:37PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118316254#Comment_118316254

when I think about "player" I am picturing a cliche toxic male whose view of women leads a lot to be desired which is a massive generalisation on my part.

That's understandable because the phrase "player" tends to come from the creepy PUA style of dating.. same with the greasy Italian or Spanish players at the hotel resorts. Although, then again, I know many men/women in their 40s who are single, and are definitely players, but it's lightyears different from the stereotype. It's just that the stereotype is far more widely promoted especially in the women's romantic novels. It's no secret that many women fantasize about men being bastards... sexy bastards, but bastards nonetheless.

Perhaps you're right and there is some jealousy at play but I also think there's just plain double standards and perhaps I'm guilty of it myself as above

Oh you're right, there are double standards. I'd say that the use of double standards is extremely common for both men and women..

Apologies if you think I'm being dishonest about or doing the Magdalene laundries, that was not my intention, but those institutions represent certain attitudes (especially towards women) for a lot of people they were only one generation ago, yes Ireland has progressed massively but those attitudes don't just disappear and I don't think you can analyse Irish society today without considering what happened in the past to shape it.

Some basic logic... the people who placed/forced those women into the Magdalene, were all adults, probably in their late 20s or older considering the nature of Irish society at the time. Young people would have had no say in the matter... and as they grew up they embraced a very different culture absent the domineering force of the Church and traditional hidebound values.

It's important to acknowledge our history, but not to embrace it, because Irish society has changed considerably over the last 40 years. It didn't change immediately but in spurts. I can remember when I was a young teen knowing just how dangerous it was for a man to be gay in my hometown.. and those who were openly gay received all manner of physical abuse. That's mostly changed now except for the odd bunch of idiots... and Irish society has always been more against homosexuality than just about anything else. The point being that our culture and society has changed. It's good to know our history, but it's equally important to recognise just how much it's changed... and it's changed enormously when it comes to women's rights and their position in society.

Thankfully it is a small minority and I'm not trying to paint it as anything bigger but it is there and from my experience slut is often utilised when it does arise.

TBH I've used the word slut before, and I likely will again, should I have the same experience of having a partner who cheats and has sex with other people. That to me is a slut... although, I would use it equally for a man or a woman (I'm bisexual).

But a woman who has sex while she's single? More power to her if she's happy with that kind of lifestyle.

13-12-2021 09:30PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118315889#Comment_118315889

Tally Hoe!

Wombatman · 13-12-2021 09:40PM

It's a bad word. Jezebel, wench and harlot are better words.

13-12-2021 09:59PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118313844#Comment_118313844

This is probably evolutionary. Women's access to sex was historically for the purpose of producing fit, healthy babies. So they needed to be very strict about who they slept with. It needed to be the highest quality mate, biologically possible. It would have been very wrong for a woman to sleep with anyone and everyone. It would have dangerous and reckless. Men, by contrast, needed to spread their seed far and wide.

Another analogy would be that women are like locks, and men are like keys. If you have key that opens lots of locks, it's a really great key. But if you have a lock that opens for many keys, that's a terrible lock.

13-12-2021 11:22PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118317241#Comment_118317241

That doesn't really bear out when you look at history though, especially when you consider the place of women (in relation to sex) in cultures such as Rome, Egypt or a variety of other eras. If anything there was a far greater emphasis on women being sexual due to the pagan beliefs in fertility. It's only really in the Eastern regions (M.East/Central Asia) were you see that restrictive attitudes towards women.

I suspect it's mostly due to religion, and the western religions tended to focus heavily on restricting the influence of women in society, probably to counter the more important roles they played in pagan religions. The same can be seen in Judaism, and later Islam.