Terminology

When i was at university, i directed the first edition of The Vagina Monologues that had happened there (remember i'm in the prudish UK hee hee). It was a truly wonderful experience but there was one bit i, to be honest, always had trouble with - here it is

HOWEVER, SHE ALSO TOLD ME IN THE COURSE OF OUR CONVERSATION

THAT I HAD SAI D SOMETHING NEGATIVE

ABOUT A PARTICULAR WORD.

A PEJORATIVE WORD,

A WORD THAT'S BEEN USE D TO DECLAIM THE VAGINA,

AND SHE NEEDED TO HELP ME RECONCEIVE THIS WORD.

SO, FOR THE NEXT HOUR,

SHE TALKED TO ME ABOUT THIS WORD,

AND WHEN SHE WAS DONE,

I WAS A CONVERT.

. I WROTE THIS FOR HER..

I CALL IT...

CUNT.

I'VE RECLAIMED IT.

CUNT.

I REALLY LIKE IT.

CUNT,

JUST LISTEN TO IT, LISTEN TO IT.

CUNT.

CA...

CA...

CAVERN,

CACKLE, CLIT, CUTE, COME-CLOSED C,

CLOSED INSIDE, INSIDE CA...

CA...

THEN U...

THEN CU...

THEN CURVY, INVITING SHARKSKIN, U...

UNIFORM,

UNDER,

UP,

URGE,

OOH, OOH, U...

. THEN N, THEN CUN..

CUN...

SNUG LETTERS FITTING PERFECTLY TOGETHER.

N...

NEST, NOW,

NEXUS, NICE,

ALWAYS DEPTH, ALWAYS ROUND IN UPPERCASE,

CUN, CUN... !

A JAGGED WICKE D ELECTRICAL PULSE.

N..., N...

THEN SOFT N, WARM N...

CUN, CUN.

THEN T, THEN T...

THEN SHARP CERTAIN TANGY T...

TEXTURE, TAKE,

TIGHT, TENT,

TANTALIZING,

TENSING,

TASTE,

TENDRILS,

TIME,

TACTILE,

TELL ME !

TELL ME, CUNT !

CUNT !

SAY IT !

TELL ME, COME ON !

CUNT.

CUNT.

CUNT !

WHOO !

. LOVE THAT WORD

I CAN'T SAY IT ENOUGH.

I CAN'T STOP SAYING IT.

FEELING A LITTLE IRRITATED IN THE AIRPORT,

JUST SAY "CUNT", EVERYTHING CHANGES.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY ?"

I SAID, "CUNT, THAT'S RIGHT, CUNT, CUNT, CUNT, CUNT."

IT FEELS GOOD.

TRY IT, GO AHEAD, GO AHEAD.

CUNT.

CUNT.

CUNT.

CUNT.

. CUNT, CUNT

CUNT.

. CUNT, CUNT

CUNT !

( together ) CUNT, CUNT, CUNT... !

I'M A CUNT !

MY MOTHER'S GONNA SEE THIS, I CAN'T.

CUNT.

THIS IS BETTER THAN THERAPY.

TURNS THE DAY AROUND, I PROMISE YOU.

Even thought i was directing this, and i really believed in the sentiment, i still had trouble with the word- the connotations were just too strong for me. i was not brought up like that. Ha.

Since starting TTWD my feelings about 'it' have transformed. BDSM or D/s or whatever you want to call it turns so many things on their heads. In the context of being submissive, derogatory terms like this suddenly are more potent BECAUSE they are derogatory. There's something about the taboo-ness in popular culture that seems to make them MORE appropriate. i guess it's the same as wearing a collar, or being made to crawl - the connotations in other contexts are bad, are negative, are full of loaded history but when it's used like this that history is used in a different way, for effect - the use of words is not really any different is it?

Somehow it makes the relationship exchange more special, deeper, because we both know what we mean, that we've transmuted the connotations from the accepted norm. If we know what we mean, then what does it matter if others don't 'get it'? They're always welcome to ask (respectfully) of course, and if they don't respect our answer then who's problem really is that?