Mainly, I hate it when someone refers to a woman as a bitch.
Maybe it's because I have a great mother and two older sisters whom I love. Maybe it's because many of my best friends are female. Maybe it's because the word serves no purpose other than to degrade a woman . . . for being a woman.
Sure, it's usually reserved for women who possess, or are at least currently displaying, negative character traits. But why does a mean woman need a different word than a mean man? Why can't we just all be jerks? Or assholes? Or any of the numerous other words that can indiscriminately describe unpleasant people?
What's worse is that some are much more inclusive in their usage of bitch. Many men, and even some women, will use the words bitches and women interchangeably.
This is equally offensive, bigoted, and ignorant as the word nigger. They are both words that degrade someone based on a God-given quality. Gender and race are attributes to be embraced and celebrated. To do otherwise is to dishonor oneself and all of humanity, not to mention the God who created us all, the God who shaped the human form and gave it it's vast array of expressions.
This tirade may seem petty in view of the fact that so many women around the world unfortunately suffer much worse than being called a derogatory name. However, this is one small step towards justice that everyone can easily participate in. Refuse to use the word, and speak up when others around you do. Perhaps we can speed the day when calling a woman a bitch is equally taboo to other forms of bigotry.
