You can tell there is nothing going on in the whole wide world of news when a article like this warrants taxpayers’ cash being spent to write it. It is interesting though. You see, when I heard about this thing with Cam saying that Twitterers were Twats I thought hey that is quite funny and he’s making a serious point too. The point is (catch up at the back) that someone in a position of responsibility such as PM or would-be PM should be a bit careful about making flippant comments on the internet. The whole thing is very cleverly ironic, n’est pas?
But then I read that article and I thought hey I didn’t realise that the word twat is offensive in some circles. You see for me the word is a slightly more amusing way of saying idiot. As in “you idiot I asked for lager not ale”. I didn’t realise that in the less developed parts of the nation (The North and Scotland, specifically) the word is about as polite as saying “your mum is a whore”. Odd, these regional differences.
I can now see why some people in prudish parts of the world might be surprised to hear the word twat and the phrase “pissed off” pronounced on the radio. I mean imagine if you were listening to Radio 2 and someone came on and started phoning someone and leaving a message talking about fucking his daughter! Oh wait, that was someone else. There is a key difference here. First of all the station that Cam was on is a “youth” station whose target market are presumably much more likely to go around calling each other total twats and are as likely as I am to be offended by it. Second of all Cam was not calling someone a twat. He did not call Gordon Brown a twat, for example, even though about 75% of the population would agree with him if he did. Cam was talking about people who might make a twat of themselves on Twitter.
Very different, I think you twats will agree. There is an interesting balance between politeness and linguistic freedom. You see in the office I would swear very rarely. I save my “rude” utterances for times when I am genuinely angry. That adds weight, I think, a sprinkle of chilli powder to spice things up as a great man once said. But a particular mate of mine uses the word “cunt” as an endearing address. He only says it to people who he likes. Should those people be offended? I am not, but I might be a bit more offended if someone came up to me in the street and called me the same thing. It’s all about context, in other words.
It’s all a bit confusing especially in our world where etiquette is not universal. But is all this exciting enough for the media and Labour party wankers to make a big fucking deal about?
I often use the word ‘twot’ in a mildly excoriative way, but rarely ‘twat’ as in ‘hat’ – I’m used to hearing the expression ‘great northern twat’(hat)and thought that twats (hats) were confined to a line north of the Wash. Now I learn that a Twat is the same as a Hoon, but with no real idea what a twot is.
I’m glad it’s all so much clearer now.
I am no stranger to foul language. I can articulate my thoughts perfectly well without it, though I do sometimes struggle to keep my true self smothered beneath all the politeness
What does annoy me is fuckers who get offended at four-letter words, yet sit idly by when truly outrageous things are done. You know the type. What sort of priorities have they got? Is Cameron saying twat really the most objectionable thing they can think of?
It is incomprehensible.
[...] Incidentally, the correct answer is ‘no one gives a toss’, and this is a view I share with Blue Eyes, who writes better than I on the matter. [...]
Why couldn’t he have used ‘Twitters’ and ‘twit’ in juxtaposition to more intelligent and diplomatic effect ? And worst of all he lies that he didn’t know its meaning. He also used the expression ‘pissed off’. An embarassing example of a middle-aged man trying to get down wiv da kids. He’s not meant to be Jonathon Ross – he’s our putative leader.
This and his declaration that taxes will not be cut and public services and overseas aid axed. That the Middle Class will be soaked too.
Yet another shallow media junkie.
Britain has no hope.
Older folk pronounced ‘twat’ as in ‘what’. It was a less odious version of the C word.
My old father has great difficulty understanding why people nowadays mispronounce it and use it with abandon.
cocksuckers the lot of them. Fuck this twitter bullshit. People need to get a fucking life.