The “cuntroversy” is that satirical “newspaper” The Onion finds itself in hot water because of one of its tweets sent out during the 2013 Oscars lambasting 9 yr. old actress Quvenzhané Wallis. Countless people are disappointed in the publication for the “insensitive” and “derogatory” comment mostly because it was directed at a child. I, too, am disappointed in The Onion…
…disappointed that they’ve since apologized.
I found the joke quite harmless and funny because of how absolutely ludicrous it is. Well, maybe she is a cunt.
I find the argument, much like comedy, is subjective. I am personally not offended by the word “cunt” itself. Why is the term “cunt” so offensive? Cunts are beautiful, strong, complex, and make life possible, and quite frankly worth living. I believe the joke is funny because it makes no sense. It is the complete lack of restraint when referring to what is obviously a sweet and innocent girl that makes calling her a cunt funny. Although admittedly it is a lazy joke on the surface, it actually contained a great satirical depth. I think The Onion had nothing to apologize for.
Their tweet was directed not at Quvenzhané Wallis, but at the sort of snarky, nasty blogger who might post something crude like this and think they were somehow being brave for doing so. Meta-humor, if you will, which The Onion traffics in. It’s still less offensive than MSNBC and FOX News.
Comedian Dave Anthony, on his own blog says it well:
“…that tweet was brilliant satire of our culture. You hated it? Don’t watch TMZ. That’s all they do. Rip people to shreds. Don’t watch E! They attack like dogs. Are you enjoying the people attacking someone for wearing a not so good dress? Kudos. Feel good about yourself. That poor son of a bitch wore the wrong thing. Laugh at Joan Rivers for making fun of someone for wearing a color. Let’s put her on a list and toss that thing around for a week all over the internet… That’s our society in a nutshell…The Onion was spot on. That’s satire. The fact that she’s an innocent girl is what makes the point even more poignant.”
This is what The Onion does, and shouldn’t have to apologize for being The Onion. I just hope this doesn’t set a precedent or destroys the sanctity of freedom of speech in comedy.
In a Mouse’s Opinion
First off, I’m a mouse. I’m all about freedom of screech. We screech what we want whenever the fuck we want. That said, even to a mouse the ‘c-word’ is abbreviated like the ‘f-word’ and the ‘n-word’ are in America. Being American and hearing the word cunt immediately makes me think of one of the worst words to use in the American-English language. Calling someone a cunt in America is like calling a Mexican an illegal when they’re not. It’s offensive, even if they are an illegal or for the sake of this blog post, a cunt. With that said, I’m speaking from an American-Californian-Eastern Bay Aryan-Currently Oaklanderan Language (in case any mice are getting offended, that should clear me and save my C.E.O. from apologizing).
Calling someone a cunt is not something you may post online, but to the current american generation it has become a hilarious, but serious insult usually spoke in comedic rage and/or jealousy. Though I don’t think I have ever called a 9-year old a cunt for no reason, and honestly I can’t be certain, but I know I’ve probably said something to myself about a child equivalent to a word the Brits or other countries may find just as offensive as cunt.
I bring up the Brits because the word cunt in their country is not taken as lightly as it is in America. I’ve worked with people from Great Britain in child mice-care and they had no problem calling the ‘asshole kids’ cunts and everyone laughed and agreed.
If anything, the real issue shouldn’t be about calling a 9-year old a cunt, it should be about how publicly calling a 9-year old a cunt may have psychological affects on her future. But really, being in showbiz is going to have a psychological affect on her future. Basically anything we do or see everyday is going to affect our future and that talented 9-year old girl is only going to be a stronger person and/or actor for learning the scrutiny you have to brush off from the critics and the public at a young age. For all we know, she doesn’t know shit cuz she’s a kid and her parents should still be parents and parental control their home media if they are concerned or not.
Yeah, it’s fucked up, I guess. Really, it wasn’t that clever of a joke to really post and then fuss about, but in the end it pushed the boundaries and has our nation talking about the word cunt. So maybe it was the best joke ever, on us, the United States of America. Mouse out.
