Should the term "catfight" be retired?

From New York Times op-ed writer Maureen Dowd:

Based on the theme of the op-ed, I assume Dowd is using the term "catfight" in the first paragraph above to make fun of men who use the term for disputes between women (the usual definition.)

I'd just as soon we abolish the term when talking about men OR women.

It’s belittling in a way which is more obnoxious than useful. If we think a dispute is petty, we can says so wihout bringing cats into it.


Also posted at www.speakspeak.org, a website about Free Speech and The Media.

It just refers to a particularly vicious row intended to wound but not kill.

http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/catfight

catfight
One entry found for catfight.
Main Entry: cat·fight
Pronunciation: -"fIt
Function: noun
: an intense fight or argument between two women

Neither of the dictionaries on my desk list it. Must be a more American term. Is it acceptable when applied to a fight between women?

It's more obnoxious than clarifying.

The purpose of language is ideally to clarify, though language is often used for the sake of obnoxiousness, and phrases like "catfight" assist in that.

Does it mean fighting for petty reasons? Fighting for feminine reasons?

citing a style is still vague.

cat·fight ( k²t“fºt”) n. 1. A fight between or among cats. 2. Informal A vociferous dispute: a catfight between farmers and the government over subsidies.

It's used almost exclusively to refer to women being petty and fighting about it. A vicious fight about something not all that substantial.

is usually applied to women:

"More often, the term 'catfight' is used as a slang term for a physical altercation between two women"

I have (with cats I mean) and believe me it's loud, it's bloody, and they don't stop till there's a winner!

Sounds like a great description of some political battles to me.

usually when there is in fighting among a political party. Like recently, with the Republicans,and the whole Miers nomination. Here's an example: There was a catfight within the so called religious right, between those who supported Miers like Pat Robertson, and those who didn't support her, like Sam Brownback. Which made Pat go oof the deep end again, and threaten Brownback, and other utlra conservative senators.

"There was a fight within the so called religious right."

I think a "real cat fight" is more descriptive of a serious scrap than just the word "fight".

That is another expression once in common use that I believe came from watching cats fight.

In my experience, most cat fights are between males.

:eyes:

(kidding :) )

Should we retire dogfight, bullfight or cockfight as they relate to human activities?

How about horserace, dancing bear or the phrase "grinning like a mule eating briars"?

Just wondering why, in particular, you chose catfight?

and the Maureen Dowd column I just read reminded me.

:-)

ACTUAL catfight, you're gonna get sliced to shreds. cat fights are SERIOUS events.So I dont think it insinuates weakeness or anything along those lines. And I dont necessarily think its gender specific either

and I have never used that term applied to men. I think she is especially irritated bc of the responses from some in the media to her column on Judy Miller.

Funny that the Reid/Frist showdown wasn't called a catfight-cats slap each other in the face, and I love the idea of Frist getting slapped down by a cat. If karma means anything he'll get his due...

"Catfight"
"Heathers have their own rules."
"not biologically suited"
"bubbleheaded"
"Mean Girls"
"...and then clawed out Colin Powell's eyes..."
"...affected by hormones..."

All of it was as a parody/satire, with no apologies.

Why the FUCK do some DUers immediately infer that someone who objects to the misandrist Ms. Dowd's sexist bile is somehow sexist?

What the hell ... let's have a parody about the Holocaust and laugh, laugh, laugh!
Let's have a parody about racism and slavery and laugh, laugh, laugh!

Allow me to suggest that the people doing the laughing have more than a little malice behind their laughter ... just as Ms. Dowd betrays deep-seated malice in her 'satire'.

I don't find the abominable crap about "affected by hormones" or "hysterical women need hysterectomies" or "bubble-headed" or "not biologically suited" to be funny at all. I didn't find it funny when said seriously by appallingly sexist people about women and I don't find parodies about it to be funny no matter whether they're directed at BushCo or males or just right-wing males.

Not funny at all. That kind of "funny" is nothing but "victim humor" and reminiscent of subterranean, septic-tank thinking.

I have a great sense of humor. "Victim humor" is never funny.

This is just another in a repeated series of columns that seem to have more to do with Ms. Dowd's personal problems than with issues of significance.

I've read some things by Ms. Dowd I agree with. I've read some things by Ms. Dowd I disagree with. Some things by Ms. Dowd are mere pandering ... pandering to bile and malice.

She's no Dorothy Parker. Not by a long shot.

And the reason many of us needed to point it out is the response from many who did call it bigotry in the original thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5281104

or those who perhaps didn't read the entire column in question

http://cyphering.blogspot.com/2005/11/dowd-men-are-in-over-their-heads.html

and/or just didn't get the point she was trying to make.

Perhaps this is true with "catfight" and its meaning...perhaps it has come to mean way more than it once did..in reference to women fighting. i love the term...because when it is used, to brings to mind cats fighting....and you know just exactly what kind of fight it was that the person is refering to with the expression.

Less offensive than some. I take comfort in the fact that as a woman If I kick someones ass verbally or (way back when) physically, that last thing anybody is going to think is "catfight" Unfortunately "fucking bitch" or the choice other terms that would be used to describe me are even more offensive. (sigh)
I never underestimate the power of words.

Off topic a bit; I was explaining to two Korean as first language friends why we use the word "pathetic" the way we do. (usually as an insult) They wanted to know why. Then they asked about "apathy or apathetic" --it was interesting seeing how we use words from a different angle, their actually meaning as opposed to common usage

are amusing. The best way to annihilate the term is not to participate in the action.

but aren't there bigger fish to fry?

signed-
a dog