Massachusetts Representative Daniel Hunt of Dorchester filed a bill earlier this year proposing a $200 fine for using the word “bitch” in a derogatory manner. He did so on behalf of a constituent that suggested the legislation under citizens’ “right to free petition.”
Seriously, is this the hill feminists should be dying on? Let’s outlaw wage gaps and punish abusers before we whine about a harmless term.
There are more serious words in the world that are widely used, legally, in much more offensive ways than a word women use to describe their best friends. “Bitch” may have an unfortunate history but it is not a slur and even if it were would not be under the government’s discretion to criminalize.
You can say bitch on public radio. You can say bitch on TV. You can even say bitch in a newspaper.
The word itself is not the problem; it is the use of the word and its incorporation in misogynistic comments and harassment that are the problem. Instead of wasting lawmakers’ time on one person’s absurd request, let’s pass legislation that matters.
Clearly, a system where anyone and everyone can force legislators to debate their random ideas is flawed. Perhaps a process where someone must have more than their own support to propose a bill would do the state some good.
After all, what is a world without Rihanna’s “Bitch Better Have My Money?”
Quite the sad article. Your criticism on banning a word due to it being a tasteless slang you choose to use when referring to your best “women” friends clearly shows your lack of knowledge on how a word’s legality or illegality can terribly affect the opressed when used by people, especially men, in regards to women’s history and the continuing torment that they endure in societies so heteronormative they seldom hear their needs. Instead of complaining about the banning of a word, think of why it got banned in the first place. We often need to hear more than talk.