Ever since I was a kid, it has been common practice to say that something "sucks" if one wishes to speak negatively of it.
"That movie sucks."
"Jay Cutler sucks! No team will ever win with him at QB."
The phrase is clearly a reference to fellatio, the act of "sucking" the male organ. This is meant to be demeaning, as though such sucking makes one less worthy of dignity and respect.
Given that heterosexual men generally value a partner who literally sucks, is this not hypocritical and somewhat sexist? The ubiquity and tremendous popularity of erotic videos depicting the physical act of fellatio clearly demonstrate that men value sucking. And yet in their everyday speech, these men are willing to demean the women who perform this act of intimacy with them.
It can be argued that the phrase was chiefly a reference to one man "sucking" on another. But in the 21st century, is there room in our cultural wordbank for such a phrase? Why should two men in a consensual and fulfilling relationship have one of their most important acts of intimacy used as a slur to bash anything towards which the speaker intends to convey his disrespect?
Take, for example, a fan of the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls or Orlando Magic who says, "Chris Bosh sucks."
Does he? Are we sure about that? And even if he did, what would be so wrong with that? Can a man not engage in physical intimacy with another man without being demeaned by society on a daily basis?
Thoughts?
"That movie sucks."
"Jay Cutler sucks! No team will ever win with him at QB."
The phrase is clearly a reference to fellatio, the act of "sucking" the male organ. This is meant to be demeaning, as though such sucking makes one less worthy of dignity and respect.
Given that heterosexual men generally value a partner who literally sucks, is this not hypocritical and somewhat sexist? The ubiquity and tremendous popularity of erotic videos depicting the physical act of fellatio clearly demonstrate that men value sucking. And yet in their everyday speech, these men are willing to demean the women who perform this act of intimacy with them.
It can be argued that the phrase was chiefly a reference to one man "sucking" on another. But in the 21st century, is there room in our cultural wordbank for such a phrase? Why should two men in a consensual and fulfilling relationship have one of their most important acts of intimacy used as a slur to bash anything towards which the speaker intends to convey his disrespect?
Take, for example, a fan of the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls or Orlando Magic who says, "Chris Bosh sucks."
Does he? Are we sure about that? And even if he did, what would be so wrong with that? Can a man not engage in physical intimacy with another man without being demeaned by society on a daily basis?
Thoughts?
