Blow me: fuck you.

[Chris Burford <cburford@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Lisa:
-----

If I were to engage in verbal assault, I would prefer a gender neutral
term - you've got to admit, "fuck you" does not have quite the same
cachet when a woman says it to a man.  An insult should not come across
as an invitation.


David Klepser Patterson
-----------------------

Jesus. Is this America On-Line?  I cannot goddamn believe it.

On Tue, 30 May 1995 glevy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> The tone of several contributions recently (without mentioning names)
> seem to approach the "fuck you" standard of sophistication.  I would hope
> that when we are engaged in discussing and debating important topics, we
> should strive for a tone that furthers our understanding and communication.
>
> In addition to what Lisa has said, "fuck you" (and other expletives) are
> often the last refuge for poorly conceived and organized arguments.
>
> Jerry
>
>
>      --- from list marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ---





Chris B
-------

This is actually a path breaking and very learned discussion which
properly should belong in either the department of democratic conflict
management in the faculty of sociology, or in the department
of proletarian gender studies in the linguistics section, of any of
our more progressive academic instituions. But you heard it first
on the Marxism list because the academic papers on this very basic
communication have not been published yet for reasons of lingering
hegemonic bourgois class prejudice.

Without suitably coded conflict, this list is dead boring and without
life or onward movement, even sterile, if I trespass on a sex-related
metaphor. The problem is that certain participants and new comers are
totally insensitive to the subtle codes by which conflict is mediated.
That potentially happens in all groups.

Secondly as Lisa's comments show, what might be a dramatic invitation
to have an intense sexual experience is strikingly said and heard
differently according to your gender. Maybe this is where the
linguists can help. Is "fuck you" in fact a sort of reflexive
imperative or a subjunctive? Is it "fuck yourself", or "may you be
fucked"? It is interesting that as soon as anger is involved it is
about power not pleasure, and instead of being a benediction it is an
insulting expression of hope that you be raped - especially if you
are a man that hears it?

There are cultural aspects too. I think that in England
you would be more likely to hear "fuck off". The only parallel I can
think of to "fuck you" is "blow me".

But in England this means "well I'll be blowed", not "may I be given
a blow job" - thought I had better just spell that out in case it
was misunderstood on the other side of the Atlantic.


Philologically yours,


Chris B, London.



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