There is a bit of a debate ranging in the parts of the blogosphere over a the use of the term big girl to describe a male senator from Kansas. The break down is this- the guy that wrote it is a gay democrat and defends his use of the word because it's part of the gay vernacular. When confronted with the fact that people find it offensive- he thinks that there are bigger problems in the world and we should concentrate on those instead of fighting over the use of sexist insults.
What he doesn't get, and what his defenders don't get is that this is the basic fight. Everything else is just gravy. You either think that each individual person should be judged on their own merit, or you believe that there are special groups that are more deserving of consideration than others. While you may not consciously subscribe to the second group- every time you disparage someone based on their sex or race or who they have sex with, or every time you use a group based on their sex or race or who they have sex with to insult someone- you are showing yourself to be someone who thinks that people do not all have the same basic human value.
Next time you go to throw an insult at someone- think about what you are really trying to say. Are you trying to call someone a coward- try spineless, gutless wonder or milquetoast (one of my faves) instead of calling them a pussy. Want to call someone weak- how about jelly fish, sad sac, or big baby instead of calling them a girl.
Or you can just use generic insults with modifiers. Two of my personal favorites are asswipe and fuckwad. I think belching fuckwad works great for someone with a big mouth and no sense. Itchy asswipe is good for people who are just annoying.
