My wife has often complained that a woman can be called a bitch, but there’s no equivalent word in English for men. It seems that “bitch” is a particularly nasty word to apply to women, and I can’t deny the truth of this. Here goes:
“You Bitch!”
See how it kind of explodes on the lips? The tone is important – you gotta put all your effort in the “bi” part and mix it with appropriate scorn and loathing. The end result is something that is unique, remarkably pejorative, and when appropriately applied, dare I say it, deeply satisfying?
It’s kind of unfair to men that no similar word exists in the lexicon for them. What can you call a guy? An asshole? A dick? Faggot? The last one is pretty nasty, but unfortunately I end up judging the person who uses it rather than the person it’s aimed at. None of these words really encompasses the full impact. Let’s say that one more time:
“Bitch!”
I’ve heard some women on TV call men “You Rat” with quite good effect. But it seems you need to have the right personality to pull it off. I can’t imagine a quiet but effective “You rat.” But if you want to use “Bitch,” the possibilities are endless.
So those of you who haven’t faced this problem, educate the rest of us. What do you use for swearing at men with the same effectiveness as “Bitch?”
Hmmm, what about “Brat”, my american girlfriend uses that a lot. lol
lol in the hood bitch is not as bad because it is understood that its said out of anger. plus i have had this conversation with many of men and women. when women get mad. they do more then call names they tend to want to aim more towards a mans pride, his self esteem, his goals and dreams, tearing a man down to his deepest depths of his soul. (hell has no furry like a woman’s scorn)while i find that even the most womanizer of men is still not capable of doing that. i my self find calling a woman a bitch is a less then fair but acceptable trade while in the mist of a heated argument
I think the right word from where i came from is “a lay-about’ or’ a super lay-about’ or a bastard
the
MF-er word would be the closest because it is closest to an insult since such a word is actually something a guy could not be proud of in any context. In some instance, many argue that it’s a much more derogatory word but oh well…use it sparingly (if not at all)?
call a bloke ‘dog’ in australia, you’ll get your throat cut.
just tellin’
For me I call a man whose being a (Bitch) a “Bitch, I will address them in the Female by calling them (her or she), ie ” I don’t know what her problem is, or She is being a Bitch”. I use (Bitch) universally, as it should be. Men are bigger (Bitches) and I’ve run into my share…. lol
In my hood the L.E.S. we use to say when dude acts like a bitch he is down with b.a.n.
Bitch Ass Niggas or that you are a bitch ass nigga. But now some people say you are a Mitch
The language used by some straight ‘men’, and the High School mean girls, when it comes to discussing women’s physical attractiveness or perceived lack of it, can be scarily identical. If it’s a ‘man’ talking, just imagine the voice raised a tone or two; throw in the odd hair flip, and there you have it: stereotypical bitch. Also when it comes to having a hissy fit or being nasty to someone/bullying someone for no good reason. Just because it’s a straight ‘man’ doing it, doesn’t mean it’s not being a hysterical/nasty bitch. A lot of straight ‘men’ can and do act horribly like the worst aspects of cliquey, image-obsessed teenage girls (or boys).
So: if the original name fits, I say – use it. And don’t let perceived straight maleness put you off. Someone acting like a bitch should be called it. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck ….(!)
Of course there’s a male equivalent to “bitch”. You even said it yourself: “asshole”
When you call a woman a bitch you’re no more suggesting she is a female canine than you’re suggesting a man is an anus when calling him an asshole. You merely find their actions and/or demeanor unpleasant.
Why is this even a discussion?
just call a man a bitch, its unfair to women that they cant call a man a bitch in your story