New York tries to ban the word BITCH.

When I searched the word bitch, I came up with two top results:

Bitch. (n.)

1. A female dog.

2. A female of canines generally.

3. Slang .

a. A malicious, unpleasant, selfish person, especially a woman.

b. A lewd woman.

Definition for bitch: 

An unpleasant difficulty; "this problem is a real bitch"

That being said, the word bitch has most definitely evolved in the past few decades. Bitch can refer to almost anything-- as we discussed in class, the voice tone and pitch of the word can even mean different things. "This test is a bitch". "You are acting like a bitch right now". "I love you, bitch!". The different meanings behind this word are fascinating, and even infuriating; and the New York City Council agrees with me-- and are trying to officially albeit symbolically ban the use of the word.

Jennifer Howze of the New York Times writes, "Councilwoman Darlene Mealy of Brooklyn introduced a measure on July 25th that would make the term verboten. The move follows the council's ban earlier this year of the "n-word" (as the New York Times refers to it). Councilwoman Mealy calls the term deeply sexist and hateful. But some New Yorkers aren't so sure".

“Half my conversation would be gone,” Michael Musto, the Village Voice columnist who writes about celebrity gossip and the club scene, told the New York Times. "We toss it around with love" (Howze).

In even more recent years, the word has become more common, not just in music lyrics but in mainstream TV shows such as Sex and the City and the Office-- and in permutations such as "beotch", used as an endearment as well as insult. In fact, my all-time favorite book about vegan-ism is called-- "Skinny Bitch".

"If you're an 8-year-old it's a great idea. If you're a 28-year-old it's silly," says Tula Karras, a 39-year-old journalist who lives in Brooklyn and has used the term with her friends. While she recognises the ban is about respect, "you really can't police linguistics in that way" (Howze).

So kids, I ask you, is bitch a bad word? Of course it is. As a culture, we've done everything possible to make sure of that. But the real question is-- should words be banned?? What about the The First Amendment?