Jane Fonda Chastized For Really Stupid Reason

On Thursday, Jane Fonda was on the Today Show with Eve Ensler talking about V-Day and The Vagina Monologues. In the interview, she used the word "cunt" in passing. And the world flipped out. It's Janet Jackson's nipple all over again. Meridith Viera came on the air and apologized for Fonda. I kind of wonder if Jane Fonda even wants to apologize, or if the network just put it up to avoid getting fined by the fascist FCC.

Here's the deal. Certain words, when used in a derogatory manner, are incredibly insulting and demeaning toward women. Even violent. When this oh-so-scary word is used in that context, yes, that's a problem. But in that case the issue is the intent and not necessarily the individual word. You could replace it with any other word and if the message is the same it would still be offensive and hateful.

However, when we're referring to the title of a monologue, as Fonda was, or a part of our own anatomy, I don't get why we're so up in arms about it.

If this was reversed, and someone had used a slang for male anatomy, there wouldn't be a problem. How many times do words like "dick" make it on TV? How many apologies have been issued over it? Exactly. So why is female slang offensive?

Apparently, because we're icky.

It's annoying that every news article I could find about this referred to "cunt" as "vulgar slang." I hate the word vulgar, it's judgmental. Yet it's used in news articles.

I think this calls for another vagina emoticon. ({})