Scunt

[poliphilo]

George Orwell believed that words come before ideas- that, for example, in order to form the concept "tiger" we first have to form the word "tiger". I don't know if this is true or not- I don't suppose anybody does-  but I think it's plausible.

As does Stephen Fry, who develops it in his blog, suggesting that the quality of a word affects the quality of the concept it designates. If the word is weak our grasp of the concept will be fuzzy.  He writes about encountering a huge graffito in London (by Banksy, I believe) which fills the side of a house with the slogan One Nation under CCTV- and feeling that its impact is undermined by the feebleness of the final word (if it is a word). How can you get indignant at such a playful, internally rhyming acronym?  (Seeseeteevee- it could be the name of a character from a CBeebies show) .  Maybe, he suggests, we'd be less placid under continual suveillance if we had an angrier, more visceral word for it. He suggests "scunt".  As in, "I passed three scunts on my way to the office" or "I just got scunted" or One nation under scunt.

I think he's onto something. And I'm adopting the word. From now on, as far as I'm concerned, a CCTV camera is a "scunt". Pass it on.

Comments

[arielstarshadow.livejournal.com]

George Orwell believed that words come before ideas- that, for example, in order to form the concept "tiger" we first have to form the word "tiger". I don't know if this is true or not- I don't suppose anybody does- but I think it's plausible.

Unless I'm missing something in his explanation, I disagree. It sounds as though he's saying the tiger doesn't exist until we created the word, which is most certainly not accurate. I'd say it's just the opposite - we have to sense something, somehow - even such abstract things as ideas and emotions. We have to see the flower before we can name it, we have to feel love before we can create the word, we have to taste salt, smell death, we have to watch justice in action before we can create the words.

[veronica-milvus.livejournal.com]

I think the danger here is that something hideous and creepy might get confused with something joyous and wonderful.

[nostoi.livejournal.com]

I think his suggestion is a bit crap! Obviously scunt is similar to cunt, which will put off a lot of people in the first place. And secondly, it only serves to reinforce the negative connotations that the word cunt already has. I love cunt as a word, and fuck and prick. They're direct and sexy. Funny how it's the female word which has the worst connotations, though...

Which is why scunt is such a bloody awful word - honestly, Stephen, you're a genius or thereabouts, come up with something half-decent please!