The Dutch have a very odd sense of profanity. It can be as innocent as "You ingrown toenail" to "You cancerous dog". But why do people have no problem with the first insult? Why do people have a huge problem with the second one?
The Dutch like to cuss with diseases like tyfus (typhoid), tering (tuberculosis) and worst of all, kanker (cancer). The way thay use it is as an adjective, to make a feeling or experience stronger. Some even wish it upon other people (which, to me, is even worse). If they get pissed off, they would say "Ik ben kankerboos", which translates to "I am cancerously mad". It doesn't make sense in English. But there are, sadly, a lot of people who use it in a malicious way. And a lot of my friends use the word cancer in this way, and some of my family members do as well. And sadly, I've used that word in the past, but only if I was really angry. That's no excuse, though, and I'm ashamed of my past self.
Some people argue that "It's just a word". But not a single word is "Just a word". Every word carries meaning, it can carry memories. And it's different for every person. I've lost someone close to cancer and every time I hear the word "cancer" I think of her, even when it's used in a non-malicious way. It just happens. Other people argue that continuously hearing that word will make you feel indifferent about it. I say that it's up to that person. I'm not feeling indifferent about it. In fact, the more often I hear it, the sadder it makes me feel. And that is entirely on me. A personal feeling, not a universal one.
A lot people I know cuss with "tyfus" and "tering", but they don't cuss with "kanker". Some people are even afraid to use the word cancer. They shorten it to "The K-word" or simply "K". But why? Is typhoid and tuberculosis less horrifying than cancer? In a medical way, yes. But there are still people who suffer from those diseases and without proper medical help, they are still lethal diseases. Why draw the line with cancer? Why not cross all diseases as cusswords?
What if the government decided to ban the word "kanker" when used in a malicious way? In the words of the Trumpmeme "Sounds good, doesn't work". You cannot ban a word. That's a violation of Freedom of Speech. Besides, people would still do it. Maybe even more people would. The forbidden fruit, so to say.
I've been asked a couple of times: "Why are you so afraid of the usage of that word?" I'm not afraid of it. No one should be. I simply do not want to hear it being used in a bad way.
At first, I only heard cancer being used maliciously in my country, The Netherlands. But over the years it somehow spread through the world. Or maybe I was oblivious to it? I don't know. And I fully understand and agree when people, for example, say: "Humanity is a cancer on this world." Because that's exactly what humanity is. The phrase compares humanity to the symptoms and behavior of cancer. Humanity spreads over the world, slowly destroying the world, just like how an infection spreads over the body, destroying the body. But that is not what I'm talking about right now.
I regularly talk to people online from all over the world, playing videogames with them. Often, when they think some bug, glitch or mistake in a game is bullshit, they'd say "Oh man, this is cancer." Are you serious?! You're going to compare a minor mistake in a game to a life-destroying disease? And I could say "Hey, man. That's not cool. Could you not, please?" But that has little effect over someone who lives across the ocean. He wouldn't care about what I say. The word "cancer" in the gaming world has become a new phenomenon. It's now being liberally used for all kinds of bad stuff that happens in a videogame.
I want everyone to stop using the word "cancer" (and other diseases) in a bad way. "But Sleazoid, why is the word knife or gun allowed? That kills even more people." Just... Just, shut up. No. "But what about the word rape?" Good point, and I agree. Especially in the gaming world, the word "rape" has become very common. Phrases like "Get raped!" or "Rape that guy over there!" are very common. Obviously, they're not talking about literally raping someone, but about absolutely demolishing the opposition (or being demolished). But they do not think of the consequences. I've been in a gaming session once with a group of online people, where some of them kept using terms like "Get raped!", etc. What they didn't know was that there was another person there who is a rape victim. Eventually, we heard someone crying and sobbing in the background. That hit me pretty hard. Luckily, the "wrongdoers" weren't heartless bastards and sincerely apologized to that person.
This is it for today's blog. Quite a heavy one. It was difficult for me to write, but I'm glad I did. I believe there aren't enough people who oppose the usage of this word. It shouldn't become a taboo. But people shouldn't use it too freely. Of course, this is only my opinion and others may disagree. If you enjoyed reading this, consider dropping an upvote and/or a follow.
