So many new things can be learned as an AU freshman - how to balance class assignments with a myriad of social activities, how to live in harmony with a stranger, and how to keep loud noises down in respect of dorm neighbors who sleep all day and stay up all night. But what about the quiet noises, the ones not everyone can hear? The ones that hurt. The ones that reveal what some really think about their on-campus female counterparts?
I came to AU with knowledge of four languages besides the English language but have expanded my vocabulary even more since coming to this fine campus by learning new terms for women: cum dumpsters. Putting the "N" word aside as old news and ignoring the fact that for years now songs about bitches and hoes have been so popular, a particular vulgarity amongst young scholars at AU is still disturbing. Women have advanced in society from "broads" to "bitches" to "cum dumpsters." This form of misogyny and degradation of the female sex comes from what?
On the Web site My Sistahs (A Project from Advocates for Youth), it is pointed out that misogynistic terms in hip-hop, for example, "disrespects, dehumanizes and dishonors women." They propose that men who are feeling pain and lack respect for themselves may be projecting that to women through their derogatory speech.
In Dr. Daniel Sonkin's "Defining Psychological Maltreatment in Domestic Violence Perpetrator Treatment Programs: Multiple Perspectives," he said "verbal degradation is another common behavior that men use to cope with their fears, control their partners, and deal with their own sense of worthlessness." Misogyny is a form of emotional/psychological abuse. According to George Washington University's University Counseling Center, this type of abuse "can be the most difficult to recover from" and "it is the systematic destruction of an individual's self-esteem." For those who find the degrading terms for women cute or funny, it needs to be clear that there are more far-reaching consequences than simple amusement.
I am sure some will criticize me for writing an opinion column on a subject about which dissertations and books have been written when I am not a psychology major or history major. But the point of this column is to make women on campus aware that misogyny is indeed alive and should not be taken lightly. One forum on our campus is through derogatory descriptions of women.
For those who want more statistics and facts on numbers of males who refer to women with the above named terms, feel free to design a campus study and see for yourself. Some may even label me with misandry for writing about this subject. The fact is, I feel confident it is only a small fraction of the male population on our great campus that uses such language in reference to women. Yes, women have degrading terms for men also and those should be repudiated. Then, there is the argument about First Amendment rights and free speech, which is whole other issue and column.
In the Princeton University Center for Human Values article "Liberty and Degradation," Arizona State University professor Peter de Marneffe defines degradation as something "lowered in quality or value." Those who chose to use such vulgar language not only degrade a large portion of the student body on campus but also lower the overall quality of AU's community life.
Rachel Lincoln is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences and the women's issues columnist for The Eagle. You can reach her at edpage@theeagleonline.com.
