Slut in the New York Times

NYT featured a riveting article about the gentrification of the word slut. Apparently, slut has become one of those generally applicable words like dude, but has its journey out of the closet sapped it of its venom?

I tend to think it is taboo that gives many words (and ideas) their power so, theoretically, overuse or the ability to couple the word with a more benign meaning should remove its power. As a thought experiment a few years ago (okay, and my own fun), I started using the dreaded "c" word a lot - you know the one - it's the word you can't call your girlfriend even if she's okay with the word bitch. Same page now?

So I'm spewing this word all over the place and sure enough, it stops sounding terrible to me, which in and of itself was a problem because my internal sensor forgot to block it sometimes... like when I'm talking to my sister... and she almost falls over from the shock that the "c" word was used in her house... even though she too has a vocabulary that would make punk rockers blush...

Still, as the NYT article discusses, I'm not so sure that society is yet equipped to relegate slut to the former-insults category. It's a gender equality thing, certain gender-based expectations preclude slut from mellowing, not least of which is the expectation that women are still, in 2006, expected to use sex as a bargaining tool in romantic relationships and not for enjoyment. And, let’s be honest, we’re a far cry from accepting the same sexual proclivities in women that we allow in men.

It’s the same reason the “n” word continues to be so powerful. (I know you know which word I mean now…) Persistent racial inequality won’t allow that word to mellow, no matter how often people use it in a casual way or how precisely the final “r” is sheered to try and round it into a smoother shape (the way I believe motherf- becomes a term of endearment worthy of my sweet husband when said muthafucka).