Cindy McCain is admired for her startlingly perfect hair and sophisticated style. But according to recent allegations, her husband, Republican presidential nominee John McCain, had a bit of a problem with her heavy makeup. What he allegedly didn't have a problem with was calling her the c-word.
If you're confused as to which word I'm referring to, it rhymes with punt and starts with C. If you need another clue, it's cunt. John McCain allegedly used the word against his wife at the end of a long day. Democratic strategist Cliff Schecter reports on the name-calling in his book The Real McCain, due to be released next month. Here's the now oft-quoted passage from the book:
In his 1992 Senate bid
McCain was joined on the campaign trail by his wife Cindy G? At one point Cindy playfully twirled McCain's hair and said
'You're getting a little thin up there.' McCain's face reddened
and he responded
'At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop
you cunt.'
Whether one is terrified of John McCain or an admirer of his straight talk, it is important to keep in mind that Schecter is hardly unbiased. He is also using three anonymous Arizona journalists as his sources in this rather well-timed book, and McCain's campaign has flatly denied the story. Before we dismiss it as trash journalism
though, it is worth remembering that McCain's temper has led him to use some choice words with both colleagues and opponents when angry. It's also understandable that reporters would want to remain anonymous on this, at least until after the election. The mere fact that this story is plausible is enough to warrant a discussion of what it would mean if it were true.
The word cunt means different things to different people, most of them negative. But the history of the word is long and varied, and it didn't acquire its vulgar and obscene connotation until a few centuries ago, when it became associated with disgust and a sense of shame of the female genitalia. I don't really have a problem with the word itself when it only means the female genitalia ' there are certainly male equivalents such as dick and cock. So why would it matter that McCain used it, even 16 years ago?
We should know that separate but equal does not always mean equal, and the word cunt now has considerably more baggage than those male equivalents. When used negatively, it can become a weapon of hate and contempt. The word alone doesn't bother me, but I would certainly hate for a man or woman who doesn't respect me to call me one. If the allegations of what happened in 1992 are true, it would indicate a profound lack of respect that transcends a short temper.
There's a filtering process that most of us have when it comes to such words. No matter how much they might anger me, I would never call my Jewish friends a certain four-letter word, nor would I call my African-American friends the n-word, and so on. It's not a matter of knowing that it would offend them ' it's more automatic than that. It's knowing that hearing it would offend me as well.
The fact that John McCain is supposed to have said this in front of aides and reporters doesn't just indicate that he has a short temper ' it indicates some sort of acceptance of that type of insult. It's possible that the exchange is just a fun little joke in the McCain house (he did use the word trollop
after all). And it's notable that we haven't heard anything about Cindy McCain's reaction, because whether she laughed or cried makes a difference ' context is important. It's also possible John McCain was trying to take back the word
in solidarity with Germaine Greer and Inga Muscio. But that explanation seems unlikely.
However hokey it sounds, I do believe in reclaiming words. Because that's all they are ' words. It's the meaning behind them, the attitudes and the intentions the speaker wants to convey that give the words force. What frightens me most about this exchange if it is true is the fact that some of those attitudes are so entrenched in our society that we wouldn't just be reclaiming it from isolated groups of misogynists. We would be taking it back from a man who could be our next president.Amanda Teuscher is a senior journalism and political science major. Send her an e-mail at at156604@ohiou.edu.
