Is "whore" the N-word for women? - Joan Walsh
And I have to say, most women I know don’t think whore is anything like the N-word. The only word that I’d say comes close, with its power to demean and shock, is that nasty C-word. If Brown or an aide had [said] Whitman got her eBay job for trading sexual favors for power, that would be outrageous, whether or not they used the word whore. Suggesting she may be trading a political position for an endorsement and/or campaign cash is standard political speculation, and I can imagine a man accused of that being called a whore as easily as a woman.
If you want proof “whore” doesn’t pack the punch of the N-word, look at the way the debate is going down. People are using the euphemism “the N-word” while “whore” seems to roll off a lot of pundit’s tongues – and I don’t think it’s because they’re sexist assholes, or David Vitter. This is a made up controversy, and California deserves better. It got better Tuesday night, in a debate that had substance, but still we’re parsing the way Brown handled a staffer’s gaffe, rather than the way the two candidates would deal with taxes, education, pensions or public employee unions. That’s kinda sad.
