Shakespeare's Insults and Innuendo and Why They Matter - Shakespeare Month

[@DwRockett]

"Should I do blackadder next year?" Is that a question? You need to do blackadder next year

[@kittygrimm7301]

*Yes!* For the love of all gods, yes!

[@jeremyadler9620]

I TOTALLY agree! That would be AMAZING! Pretty please! Is it even possible for you to do an extra video THIS year for it? It's totally fine if not, but maybe just think about it? It would be great!

[@ROBOTPETER101]

*YES*

[@clancydr7211]

Screw it, not even just next year. AT ALL. Do a Blackadder RIGHT AFTER SHAKESPEARE MONTH. Sorry. I feel strongly about this. I know it's hard to tell.

[@emmajochum8682]

Yes! Not enough people cover the genius that is Blackadder. (And maybe we could get some Flashhart in there as well? Woof Woof?)

[@rogue123987]

Y'know, as a disabled person, it really bothers me when people act like disabled is a bad word now. Like, people keep trying to replace it with "special needs" or "differently abled" or some mix of the two in an attempt to be PC (nothing against PCness, I'm not one of those alt-right fuckwits, it's just this specific use that bothers me) but none of these people are actually listening to disabled people. I have yet to meet a single disabled person who actually likes "special needs" more than disabled, in fact most find the term condescending if not mildly offensive. We don't need our disabilities sugarcoated and we don't need abled people to decide our own language for us. Like, yeah, we're disabled and that can suck sometimes but it's not some dark, terrible pit of awfulness that needs to be covered up with pretty words. Honestly, even aside all that, it's just frustrating to constantly have random abled people pop up and scold you because you're apparently using language that's offensive to a group that *you are a part of* when that has literally never even been the case at all. Like, I have to deal with abled people thinking they know more about my own disabilities enough as is, they couldn't at least just let us have our own words without trying to take that away too. Rant over. Great video by the way.

[@corv1d770]

rogue123987 yeah I'm also disabled and I agree. I prefer the term disabled to special needs bc special needs is infantilizing and patronizing. We are simply people, with conditions affecting our abilities. Disabled. Its quite simple. I hate being referred to as special needs bc it always comes with a condescending undertone, as if my "special needs" equate me to a child in need of a caregiver. I prefer disabled anyday. My abilities are affected, but I can still get along just fine. Disabled doesn't immediately conjure the image of me being treated like a baby, unlike special needs.

[@siginotmylastname3969]

I think it's even more the case because disabled is a term you have to fight for, through all the medical rigmarole. I mean I'm waiting for an autism diagnosis and have been waiting since last September, calling myself disabled is a positive thing which recognises that I know myself better than all the people who have diminished my feelings when I tried to express them. Let alone waiting for a dx with any of the other disabilities I might have.

[@neuralmute]

@mel o - You've got a great point, especially for those of us with "invisible" disabilities. No, nobody can see my autism, immune dysfunctions, or chronic migraines when I'm just walking around town, but damn, do they affect my quality of life! Having a horde of doctors at my back, willing and able to affirm that yes, I'm seriously affected by these things, and unable to do a lot of "normal" activities is a vindication. Not to mention the government payments that I live on, and cover the meds that allow me to survive...

[@zipgow]

Disabled agree. I also hate it when someone tells me it's not my fault. Of course it's my fault! Just because I didn't choose to be disabled, that doesn't mean it still isn't a physical fault.

[@EphemeralTao]

Oh lord, I remember when "differently-abled" was coined back in the '80s. WTF does that even mean? Did I suddenly grow an extra arm? A new pair of eyes? Psychic abilities? No, I'm disabled, dammit, i have physical and neurological disorders that limit what I'm able to do compared to the average person.. Or the hordes of "-challenged" euphemisms, which imply... what? That said person is able to do the same thing, have the same abilities, they just need to try harder at it? Fuck that noise. Ultimately, what it came down to was not being politically correct, being "sensitive to those with special needs", or any of the bleeding-heart bullshit. It was about squeamishness, period. It was about able (and subtle ableist) people not wanting to deal with the reality of disability. It was about protecting their sensitivities, not the sensitivities of disabled people.

[@thevampirefrog06]

We all pretty much knew it by that point, but I'll never forget how, during the first read-through for a college production of Much Ado About Nothing, the directors told us, "if you don't understand the meaning behind a line, it's probably a dick joke." I mean, even the title for that one.

[@GriffinPilgrim]

Well, the title's not a dick joke...same area on the anatomy but...

[@paulocone1963]

I had a fellow Shakespeare nerd say to me (this is almost verbatim), "Benedick is a dick. Beatrice is a dick. All of the characters are dicks. Instead of "Much Ado about Nothing,", it should be called "Much Ado about Dicks"!"

[@xwtek3505]

Much ado about nothing is a pretty complex pun. Nothing here can be interpreted literally, or "noting", meaning a gossip, or "nothing" a slang for *vagina*.

[@Randomgen77]

I will always remember the awkward moment in freshman year when my English teacher prompted us to closer examine Gregory and Sampson's conversation in Act I, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet... Actually, fairly bold of her, since some parents were rather censorship-happy in my hometown.

[@imveryangryitsnotbutter]

4:30 - Shakespeare in the Linkin Park

[@TheHeroOfTomorrow]

Well, Hamlet tried so hard, and got so far--and in the end, it didn't even matter.

[@velvetisis]

TheHeroOfTomorrow this comment is brilliant

[@ingonyama70]

And he has Daddy issues, the core of every Linkin Park song...pretty much ever?

[@xxkewldudexx]

@@TheHeroOfTomorrow I want to like this comment, but...nah 😂

[@ShootingStarNeo]

Kyle said "fuckass" and I was immediately buried by teenagers in gray body paint and horns. Put 2011 back where it belongs, Kyle!

[@zaphero5518]

Where exactly were you in 2011!?

[@Foxpawed]

Gray body paint would be Homestuck.

[@Sonicsora]

Homestuck shall never end. Neverrrr (I say as someone who thought I escaped its grasp).

[@Triggerhappy938]

"Nyeh!"

[@damianoakes2592]

What's a fuckass?

[@CrashThompson]

Yes, you should do Blackadder next year.

[@sanityisrelative]

I laughed so hard at "douche canoe." My grown up brain is dissapointed in myself, but my inner twelve year old is having a blast.

[@ingonyama70]

Take it from a 35 year old: "Douche canoe" will never not be hopelessly, irredeemably, stupidly lowbrow funny.

[@jamesllewellynevans9733]

I wish you'd gone a little into the resurgence of "cuck" as a very old insult that was huge in shakespeare's plays. Not only is "cuckhold" used as an insult consistently, but the image of the "horned" cuckolds recurs again and again in almost every play. Just a neat idea if you wanted to dig deeper into this shitty new insult that's actually always been shitty.

[@mega1232]

Yes, you should do Blackadder.

[@dannytheman1313]

I always feel smarter after watching dear Kyle speak... god what does that say about my education.

[@Chaogardenx]

hey! is that an insult to kyle?

[@dannytheman1313]

No its an insult to my education that a man from youtube has more to teach then all of high school education ever could.

[@TheGeorgeD13]

I've found my life just traveling around the world and meeting different cultures and people have taught me more about the world than any of my traditional education has. On top of this, I think my life experiences have taught me more than my traditional education has. Oneshouldnt dismiss traditional education entirely, though. It has its merits. But I do think it's limited in how much it can teach in terms of nuances and substance. Unless you've got GREAT teachers that care about his or her students, then I say a traditional education isn't all that great. Fortunately, I've gotten great teachers at every level of my education. Funny thing is, though, what they taught me most had only a little to do with the subjects that they were teaching.

[@ainumahtar]

In a lot of places (especially in the US when talking about western countries) teachers are also on a super tight leash because school boards are deathly afraid of (potentially) offending anyone. Imagine doing a 10 minute talk like Kyle just did in a conservative area...The school would be spending days answering angry visits and phone calls from parents ranting about the 'filth' they teach their kids. And that would just be about the fact some of it refers to sex...

[@Newt5996]

ainumahtar Oh please do it in any area and there are going to be calls

[@wppb50]

In the far-future of two years from the video... I don't know if "cuck" has really been stigmatized, but I (at least) find being called a "cuck" a lot less insulting than "the kind of person who uses 'cuck' unironically."

[@thehopeofeden597]

When you want to show this video to your Classical Literature class that usually bans profanity....

[@matman000000]

Your Classical Literature class sounds like a herd of lumpish pox-marked jolt-heads.

[@Bedinsis]

I saw on your twitter that the animation was a late minute addition. I just wanted to say that it was worth it.

[@doughboydevito4529]

A good point that other people have made about the word "cuck" is that it doesn't work as an insult in the real world because if you just insult some random guy with that term, he'll be more confused than insulted. The reason why this is is due to the fact that first, one needs to know what the fuck a "cuck" means, but also know that not only is it supposed to be emasculating, but that another reason why certain people use it on the Internet is due to the existence of interracial cuckold porn... Which your average guy on the street will probably not know about when he gets called that by some random asshole.

[@karelfinn2343]

Plus, even if you DO get what it means, it's still all based on trying to make one person accept the blame for someone else's bad behavior. I find it hard to feel personally insulted when somebody essentially tells me "Oh yeah? Well I conjecture that someone has abused your trust and wronged you undeservedly!"

[@doughboydevito4529]

Kurt Reinkemeyer True, and also, even if someone does know about the interracial cuckold meaning behind the insult "cuck", that person has to believe that having a mixed-race child or whatever is a bad thing, which most people who aren't assholes don't think is a bad thing.

[@ringkunmori]

I mean, your explanation for why the insult doesn't work makes sense, but I've instances where that does insult people online, even ranted upon it. It's like the word "Cis" I don't really know what that means, which is a wonder, but I do get that I am somewhat offended. Although I think that the word Cuck is more of an in-joke at this point in /pol/.

[@ringkunmori]

Except cuckoldry implies that you allow your partner to fuck another person. Cuckoldry isn't cheating, it has consent, so that's not really the reason why the insult doesn't make sense. It doesn't make sense because that word is used in the context that implies most liberal minded people are enablers and don't see their partner eye to eye. That's the reason why the insult is used, not because of masculinity, but that one partner allows shitty things to happen to them when a healthy relationship should have both person equal trust and respect. But because of this generalization, it's been used toward liberals regardless of the person's background. It's nothing like the word "fag", it's a throwaway insult like the word "Bigot".

[@jojol.2630]

-butts in for a moment- "cis" is pretty much a prefix that means "on the same side of" and "trans" is "on the other side of". Now do people try to use it as an insult? Yes, but 99% of people are just trying to differentiate people who are transgender and people who are not.

[@socialist-strong]

The problem with slurs is not that they are too strong, but they are too general. Insult someone for their sexuality, their race, etc. and you insult everyone who shares that trait.

[@Foxpawed]

My favorite Latin poet will always be Catullus, just for the amazing innuendos we translated in high school. (Writing about a 'little bird' who his lover loved to pet and would jump so happily in her lap.)

[@varana]

And Catullus can also be explicit in a very crass way. It's amazing what you can get away with once it's "world literature". :D

[@Eliel20117]

Wesley Foxx can you name of his works?

[@ingonyama70]

Now I wanna read this guy's stuff. Any recommendations?

[@thatzerogirl]

P L E A S E do Blackadder next year!!!!!! My parents grew up on it and then raised me on it, and it shaped both my love of history and my love of comedy. There's a veritable shipload of stuff to analyse there, you'd be doing the field of media criticism, especially your chosen subfield of highbrow media criticism, a huge disservice by passing it over.

[@RThyrring]

Should you do Blackadder next year? The more obvious question is: why HAVEN'T you done Blackadder yet!

[@ECL28E]

at all!

[@DamnQuilty]

Yes, Kyle... Do PLEASE do Blackadder.

[@ArtemyMusha]

"Have we reached the point where cuck has become meaningless?" Does a bear shit in the woods?

[@EvansRowan123]

Is Tyrone fucking your significant other?

[@kennybrightwell1877]

Coulda sworn the only place it was ever meaningful was in Othello.

[@helenanilsson5666]

Well then. I may not be a *male* feminist, but suddenly I have this urge t find some neo-nazis and call them stormcucks. Not that I have the faintest idea how that would be best translated to Swedish, but hot damn if I ever manage it then it will be a worthy death.

[@Galvion1980]

"Villian, I have DONE thy mother!" Is it wrong that I can totally hear that in Samuel L. Jackson's voice?

[@guy31978]

In terms of (relatively) modern writers, I think Tolkien comes pretty close to Shakespearean when it comes to insults. The back and forth between Gandalf and Wormtongue sounds very Shakespearean: 'Leathspell I name him, ill-news from an ill-guest.' 'Be silent! Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth. I did not pass through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm!' Not to mention that Theoden calls him 'Gandalf Stormcrow' because he always shows up with bad news, love it :)

[@ingonyama70]

Eh, the insults are pretty straightforward in Tolkien. Though they are very elegantly worded, with the right performer (SIR IAN

[@zipgow]

I came here because I read A Midsummer Night's Dream in the eighth grade. Our teacher was an actor and knew how to get us to engage with five-hundred year old material. Not just understand it, but also laugh at it. I've tried reading his plays since and although I enjoy the tragedies, my reaction to Shakespearean comedy is usually just a little "I get it" at the most. There's nothing wrong with that. I just wish I got more examples than you gave.

[@apizzathatgiantforthesimpl5191]

I love using Shakespearean slang to insult people. Primarily because it's lewd as all hell and primarily because nobody I use it on knows what I'm talking about so I get off scot-free.

[@bul13ts]

You can bet I'll be using the phrase "Country Matters" more often.

[@notwallace8557]

Shakespeare has the best insults.

[@redblueandgray]

NotWallace how did you post this 13 hours ago?

[@bigredjanie]

Patreon

[@JaesadaSrisuk]

NotWallace You got that right, you great big taffeta punk.

[@SamAronow]

Silicon Valley ain't got shit on him.

[@tenofprime]

It is kind of like watching British comedy on PBS, part of what makes it so funny is that a modern US censor fails to notice just how much foul language is in play because the slag is different.

[@aacsmiles]

Is "cuck" not a weak insult? Because, to me, when someone uses the word "cuck" as an insult, all I hear is "I am a raving man-baby! Do not respect me or my opinions!"

[@EvansRowan123]

If you decide the only people who use a certain insult people who aren't worth listening to, you can make any insult weak.

[@ringkunmori]

A good way to know if an insult works is when the person you used it against begins to feel defensive.

[@arubinojr5670]

Indeed, we wouldn't want to dismiss people based on their bad attempts to insult others, or think of all we would miss by willingly interacting with them. You folks' attempts to push this "If you recognize obvious morons as obvious morons, something something ECHO CHAMBER" meme is just hilarious at this point with how desperate it's getting. Not a speck of shame here.

[@boxorak]

True, but there is something to be said about not wasting your time dealing with people who substitute rational discussion with hurling insults that they didn't know existed until recently.

[@amicableenmity9820]

"F...A..." WHAT IS IT, WHA-- oh, that.

[@AnInnocuousBlueCube]

Amicable Enmity Fat. There, I said it!

[@ringkunmori]

I imagined it was Fap.

[@Alaethancar]

"N". Fandom has been the cause of many a heartbreak. Hell, there's even some shows I can't stand watching just because of their fandom. Fans are the worst.

[@GummyDinosaursify]

Fab. Because everything is FABULOUS.

[@dimethylhexane]

"Fan". Obviously Kyle doesn't want to offend his many Swedish viewers

[@tenofprime]

It really is funny that Shakespeare is cindered high art today when in his day he was just another playwrite who liked to poke fun at stuff like we see here. I can only imagine what his reaction would be if you went back in time and told him. but onto the video: it is fascinating to look at how the meaning of a word can change over time in some cases altering to the point it is really not the same word anymore, just a new one that is spelled the same.

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

I remember when we did Taming of the Shrew in college, we actually spent a whole day talking about the "Tongue in your tail" line.

[@lilacbombs_5197]

new euphenism- oh worm? it's like it can embody almost any emotion... agreeance? oh worm. shock? OH WORM? happiness? oh, worm! worm.

[@embez002]

This is unrelated to Shakespeare (mostly), but I'd love to hear your thoughts on Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame compared to the original novel and other adaptations. I really enjoyed your Beauty and the Beast and the Lion King reviews.

[@representationmetaphorique]

it's odd that you mention f*g, because a lot of my lgbt+ friends will kind of just....use it to describe whatever they like. it's their business but it's interesting to see how people react and how the words evolved (would just like to add that I am apart of the lgbt+ community)

[@representationmetaphorique]

also the word queer!

[@Colouroutofspace4]

As a homosexual I prefer being called a F***ot to Queer. THere is so much shitty history to Queer that to see people use it to describe themselves makes me sick to my stomach. Like a cruel joke has been played on the people calling themselves that, and they don't get the meaning and hate while they are being laughed at in the shadows. Someone drops the other word at me and I just feel "Right back at ya"

[@floridianwolf1029]

Would you like for "queer" to go back to its original meaning of "odd?"

[@Morbos1000]

I think it is a lot like the N* word. The oppressed group takes ownership of it as a way to gain control over a word that used to be a weapon against them.

[@Colouroutofspace4]

I would prefer that no words be banned and no language removed. I would love for no one to be ostracized or hated for their choice of words. My discomfort with "Queer" is MY problem. I can express that I don't want to be called that or have the word associated with me, but I won't say that you can't say that or try to punish people who do.

[@nessesaryschoolthing]

It surprises me sometimes that people don't like Prince Hamlet, and I think it might be that they just are not getting or appreciating his jokes and insults. He's constantly breaking down other characters with his words right to their faces, and it makes him a really fun character. You know, when he is not crippled with grief and indecision.

[@ingonyama70]

The grief and indecision are way easier for a modern audience to comprehend, so that's what we take away more readily from Hamlet. ...Cowbell?

[@shenvalla]

mercutio's "poperin pear" bit in romeo and juliet is one of my favourite innuendos of shakespeare

[@tatianamelendez490]

YAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! FOR THE LOVE OF CREATION, DO BLACKADDER!!!!!!!!!!! I recently finished watching it and I absolutely adored it, particularly the 2nd season!!!! Even if it's not for SoS, just do a video of this brilliant sitcom!!!!!

[@femoman]

I dunno why, but that 'SHAKESPEAREAN' cutaway gag is probably the hardest I've ever laughed at your videos.

[@gabe_s_videos]

I'm really glad someone who's opinion I really trust has finally gone into detail about why certain words and concepts are taboo or alienating to some people instead of just saying "This isn't funny!" "Don't make this joke!" "This hurts some people." Because while the n word, the r word and the c word may all be hurtful and derisive, none I feel are as meaningless as the o word.

[@bul13ts]

I can't believe I'm being the one guy who has to ask, but what's the o word?

[@gabe_s_videos]

Offensive.

[@MarmaladeMaki]

How it warmeth my heart to see black adder clips.

[@Aster_Risk]

I still have my lovely Shakespeare Insult list from 9th grade Honors English. It's printed on beautiful blue cardstock, and I have kept it safely stored in a folder in a binder for 12 years now. It was one of my favorite parts of English class. :D

[@ActuallyAnanya]

This video reminded me of "The Bard's Guide to Abuses and Affronts" which I picked up in the gift shop next to his house the last time I was in Stratford. It's an absolute treasure trove.

[@moonyollie6977]

Please please please do Blackadder, more people should know and watch this series. When people abroad speak of British shows it's always Monty Python, I wish it was Blackadder that came to mind instead

[@GreatApeThoughts]

I always remember my Shakespeare course in collage, which was taught by a very well known professor of the topic. She told us before reading one of his plays, I think it was Othello, that a common part of cuckold humor was the use of horn imagery. Cucks would grow horns like an envious person was green. And let me tell you, that play had so many more layers to me after knowing that. I especially remember a line where one character made a point to mention the "horn" rimmed glasses of another. The man was truly a master of word-play, it's a shame that modern teaching of his works doesn't focus on the history of english to make that clearer.

[@Erika-gn1tv]

I am very sad: I'm fucking quadruple plus ungood.

[@ingonyama70]

Nice work with the mixture of ultra-sanitized Newspeak and unfiltered expletive. I applaud you, madam (?).

[@oddanderson9131]

Last year at Yuma con we had a panel called dirty Shakespeare it was one of the funniest panels I've ever been to

[@AeroQC]

8:58 An example in another work of fiction: “It’s called a hustle, Sweetheart.” - 'Zootopia', 2016 Spoken three times in the film; as a clarification, as a blackmail tactic, and as a taunt.

[@Trilaan]

It's great to know you're still out there, Sir Kyle.

[@matman000000]

Nothing describes the inevitability of all-consuming sorrow as those words: Wake me up Wake me up inside! (I can't wake up) Wake me up inside!

[@ChristianNeihart]

That nards bit was brilliant. Now to question remains as to whether the Creature of the Black Lagoon has nards.

[@alucardyoici]

I remember a movie about alatriste, who in order to beat his even opponent in a duel, just call him an infamous cuckold so he blindly charge at the slight, even better was when as he lay dying he asks Alatriste if he was serious about sleeping with his wife thing (he wasn't he just knew which button to press). That was one of the best moment in the movie

[@secretarit1]

Ok, I completely forgot that Lady McBeth had said that, because Gaston says it too and the Mob song in beauty and the beast. !!Help me I'm dying!!!

[@sinvector8020]

Speaking of which, Blackadder has really great, brilliant (-and might I even say cunning?) insults too. By which I mean YES KYLE YOU SHOULD DO BLACKADDER

[@rockoperajon]

Yes, you must do Blackadder next year! This year if possible!

[@robertmuir4356]

I really loved this video. Convinced me to up my patreon contribution. Can't wait to see what you come out with next, Kyle.

[@Jaytheradical]

It's not Shakespeare, but I'm reminded so intensely of Cyrano de Bergerac, the scene where he illustrates that "your nose is very big" is a tragically weak insult.

[@ingonyama70]

"Do you just keep your pens in there, or your whole writing-desk?" is still a personal fave.

[@aerynh6116]

2:43 is one of the most glorious moments on all of KZbin and that includes a montage of John Oliver launching rubber salmon at various celebrities.

[@rosalinecapulet]

The little cartoon Shakespeare is adorable!

[@eclipsedbadger]

yes, a new video!!! i love this, I love you, I love Shakespeare's month so much damn

[@michaelbryson3756]

One of my favourite examples of that was when I read Tamburlaine. Wrong playwright, I know, but thats the point, finding a joke where one character says "Well, here I swear by my royal seat-" and another character rebuts "You may do well to kiss it, then" shows that kind of humor was the norm in Early Modern theater. Feel like that should've been mentioned just out of the reasoning of "if you have a hard time selling Shakespeare to someone because of dirty humor, he was far from the only one".

[@dm3588]

My high school English teacher got us to start appreciating Shakespeare by pointing out the conversation between Macduff and the porter about whiskey dick. Also, props for the John McWhorter shout-out.

[@jean-philippedoyon9904]

KykeKallgrenBHH...have you thought about an episode of Shakespeare month with House of Cards ? It seems to be clearly Macbeth in it's structure...at worst an episode with the 2015 Macbeth movie and the meaning of the 4th sister add to the mix ? I believe it could be very interresting ! Big fan of your channel !

[@timoverton1250]

How is 'disabled' a taboo? I'm disabled, and the only time I've ever heard the 'new' labels being used by (often) well-meaning able-bodied people. I get that these things vary person to person, but constant redefinition can make it more difficult for disabled people to receive the recognition/aid they need. This kind of redefinition can lead to people seeing aid and accomodations for disabled people as privilege rather than Necessity.

[@rachaelpoulin1997]

That bit about “screw your courage to the sticking-place” adds a whole other layer to its use in Hamilton 🤔

[@Imanoth]

4:00 Kyle's feelings, worries and stress levels you cannot measure with words but instead with his beard. Hang in there mister, you're doing a great job. 👍 Resist.

[@cinammonstyx7622]

Yes you should do Blackadder next year!

[@hairoku]

Blackadder, YES

[@fugitiveunknown7806]

I suddenly feel the need to play "Oh Sir!!"

[@MrJuCes]

damn i really wish this episode was longer, it was so interesting!

[@Loungemermaid]

one time I got in a play argument that escalated into a real argument without me really knowing but it's still one of the best combacks I've ever said. for context we were fake fighting over a boy and I crossed the line somewhere before this exchange her: at least I have a man. a real man me: oh really? I was under the impression you inflated Johnny whenever you needed him. whole cafeteria lost their minds. granted, it was a tiny high school, but still.

[@dublinjake]

6:10 As a moderate Conservative who has a second-hand view into the 8 Chans of Hell, "Cuck" has reached meme status. On the one hand, this removes its power as an argumentative tool, and those who attempt to use it as such will increasingly look like "tools" in using it. On the other hand, we're risking it mutating into an inside joke, which could prolong its lifespan indefinitely. So we are at an impasse. Is the word we object to, or its usage? I for one find both pretty fucking stupid so I will be happy neither way.

[@miraprime474]

I, for one, am quite fond of the insult algorithm from Better Off Ted.

[@Xarfax321]

Hey Kyle, now it is "Next year", I am waiting for Blackadder! ^^

[@JimmyDThing]

Veep is probably the best modern example of insult humor and innuendo to the level you're talking about here.

[@Msoulwing]

There are very few circumstances under which "should I do blackadder?" can be answered with a negative. In fact, I can't think of any at the moment.

[@VolvagiasBlaze]

Finally got Trnka´s Midsummer night´s dream on dvd. Love the movie, but getting it was a severe pain. It took half a year to arrive and while purchasing it, the people selling it tried to take 40000 dollars from my card.

[@falloutghoul1]

"You son and err of a mongrel bitch!" That whole phrase needs a comeback.

[@WordsFlowMagnetic]

I've been rewatching all your videos, and you're legitmately one of my favorite creators on the site. If I'm ever in a financial place to start donating to patreon, you're at the top of my list Just thought I would let you know :)

[@bradwolf07]

My current favorite, "a**butt"...thank you Castiel

[@gabe_s_videos]

While I realize WHY Kyle only implied words that were explicitly derogatory rather than showing them, I feel like it kind of detracts from the greater meaning, that it's not the words themselves that are hurtful, but the ideas behind them. Honestly, if it were me, I'd have left those words uncensored (or at least showed them on screen without saying them out loud) but put a strong CW at the beginning.

[@someonerandom8552]

Interesting thing about that three letter F word. Growing up around immigrant Brits, I innocently thought it meant cigarette for like 10 years straight.

[@theDENIMMAN]

not really a great insult but one of my favourite scenes in all shakespeare is when Richard III is trying to get a wife. I forget the character's name but she tells him basically that hell is the only place for him. "yes, save one other if you will hear me name it." "Some dungeon." "Your bed chamber." I laughed so goddamn hard at that

[@princesskyrie]

That's Lady Anne Neville, and that scene is brilliantly played in the recent Richard III (part of The Hollow Crown) starring Benedict Cumberbatch. I never understood how she could go from hating him so vehemently to agreeing to marry him in one scene until I saw that version.

[@theDENIMMAN]

princesskyrie danke scön, and thanks for the reccomendation

[@BlackSilver23]

Shakespeare himself certainly wasn't shy about throwing the word 'cuckold' around (the full term from which the modern 'cuck' is taken). It appears in Hamlet, Troilus & Cressida, and Othello, just to name a few. Personally, I think that, while Shakespeare _DID_ disguise plenty of ribald humor beneath obfuscatory language, our modern analysts seem to find quite a bit more than is actually there. They oft remind me of the anti-Stratfordians; picking at nits to build their imaginary cases... which in the end amount to little more than a display of the analyst's own projections.

[@maugos]

Hmm, the study of wordage within the context of humor. I do believe I have found a new history project.

[@TranslatorCarminum]

Does anyone else not get the joke in that first passage from Midsummer Night's Dream? Like, is he alluding to ejaculating into her mouth? On her face/neck? Does the "roasted crab" bit symbolize something (like a body part)? Maybe I'm just naive, but I find myself having to work rather hard to read anything sexual into that passage. At best, it sounds like the fairy just tricks the woman into kissing him.

[@HrothgarXII]

Of course you should do Blackadder!

[@Morbos1000]

Did you really understand what that meant at 11? If so, that's impressive as I'm certain the vast majority of people wouldn't get it until High School at the minimum (I know I wouldn't have)!

[@Nelsonhojax15]

Are those playmobil figures behind you from the Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, also known as The Shooting Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch?

[@koroconnell]

I wanna fill your hooha with goof juice... "Ohhh myyyy..."

[@LaNoLaCola]

Quoting linkin park in Shakespeare... pure gold

[@Demolitiondude]

I rather be straight forward. nothing works best than the clue x 4.

[@boxorak]

I dunno, I've people still use the Freaky Alien Genotype word on occasion... Of course, all of it is on the Internet, which is the Id of humanity made manifest Forbidden Planet style.

[@ingonyama70]

I will officially refer to myself as a Freaky Alien Genotype for the rest of my natural life.

[@HotaruMitsuki101]

FEAR IS HOW I FALL

[@LazarSoljaga]

With all do respect good sir... SCREW NEXT YEAR DO IT NEXT WEEK!

[@tenaciousrodent6251]

when I get especially down, I feel like someone just took my clothes, my boots and my motor cycle.

[@rngwrldngnr]

Reminds me of "The Splendid Source".

[@DarknessIsTheTruth]

Reminds me of a George Carlin skit. "They're not handicapped. They're Handicapable!"

[@blackearl7891]

He really was a poet for the people

[@MoonSpiritChannel]

So we've learned about how to swear right. Glad to know. :3

[@ingonyama70]

This is crucial knwoledge. There will be a quiz. :P

[@acorn1014]

It should be acceptable to use a word when talking about that word no matter what it is. Spelling out the word gives no additional depth, so spelling is the same as saying but more passive, more selfrighteous.

[@TheFreakDownStreet]

Andrew Chambers It's the gesture that matters. The action says that you do not condone such a word and wont give it the grace of being used. While I do identify as queer, I think its use really should be up to homosexual and bisexual folks (especially men).

[@TheFreakDownStreet]

SGresponse I'm not saying that anyone "owns" a word. That's literally impossible. I'm just saying that the people who have had this word thrown at them, and then later reclaimed it, probably have a better picture of its history and modern use.

[@TheFreakDownStreet]

SGresponse Hey looky here, his inner homophobe is showing. What I was actually saying was that gay and bi people should be the ones to determine how offensive the word is and when/where should it be used. There os no ownership, just people more familiar with the topic being the ones to have a greater say. Do you think that entomologists should have less of a say when it cones to the use of the word insect?

[@TheFreakDownStreet]

SGresponse Firstly -The "judge" as you put it, would be anyone that hears you, but bi and gay people may have a larger say than straight people. - Their "wright", is the wright of human beings being able determine their opinion of other human beings and their actions. - You don't seem to understand how shunning works. The person's opinion of being shunned doesn't matter. Others are doing it to them so that they don't have to deal with them. - Not everyone agrees on the use of the word, so some people may not agree with the outcome. It happens. Humans have dissenting opinions. Secondly To make it as clear as possible. People that have more experience with certain words are better looked to for determining that words use. Entomologist have more experience when it comes to the use of the word insect, so they should have a larger say when, where, and how the word should be used. Naturally, queer people often have more experience with slurs used against them. So they should have a greater say in there use. (Such as queer being reclaimed.)

[@Tine_of_Nice_Dreams]

SGresponse's posts serve as an excellent counterpoint to Kyle's respectful restraint. Kyle decided the word is historically harmful enough in the mouths of straight people that he would excuse himself from using it. As a gay man, this tells me that he respects me more than he wants to use a word that he doesn't hold dear. SGresponse's use tells me that this person doesn't give two shits about the comfort or preference of anyone living under the shadow of this ugly slur, and in fact feels like the one being attacked if their liberal use of the slur causes them to be judged. Rather than thinking about how people have and continue to be affected by a complicated label, their thoughts are solely on their own entitlement to say whatever they want, however they want, with no backlash. The thing is: words have meaning and baggage, and carelessly using words with big fat warning flags attached to them means that you are waving that big fat warning flag over yourself. Blaming others for seeing and reacting to those warnings is backwards.

[@oof-rr5nf]

Yaaas, Landslide lyrics.