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alt-right anti-Semitism antifeminism cuckolding men who should not ever be with women ever misogyny MRA racism

Why are the internet’s worst people so obsessed with the word “cuck?”

Cuck: I do not think that word means what you think it means
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means

“Cuck,” short for “cuckold,” has become the insult of choice in this surreal political season, at least amongst alt-rightists and anime Nazis and other elements of Donald Trump’s political army.

The insult, inspired by a specialized porn genre in which white “hotwives” have sex with black men while their white “cuckold” husbands watch, is intended to suggest not just emasculation but also a kind of racial treason. Or at least that’s what the insult originally meant; at this point it gets thrown at anyone and everyone who stands in the way of the Trump revolution — including women, who by definition can’t be “cucked.”

The people who are most fond of this insult seem to think it has some sort of magical power. In a recent post on the alt-right site The Right Stuff, a guy who calls himself Auschwitz Soccer Ref declares that, in the word “cuck,” he and his comrades had found a sort of right-wing version of “racist,” which he describes as “a powerful, weaponized term” that leftists use to take down, well, racists like him.

The word “cuck” is an “absolutely devastating” insult, he explains.

“Cuck” works for the same reason that “racist” works: it is an irrational word that cannot be deconstructed with reasoning. Just as “racist” hits rightists hard because it attempts to psychopathologize the healthy preference for our own race, “cuck” is devastating to leftists because they are being described as the most humiliating kind of man possible, one who gets aroused by letting another man—or other men—have sex with his wife.

There’s only one problem with Mr. Soccer Ref’s theory: “cuck” isn’t “devastating to leftists,” or indeed to any white dude who isn’t pathologically preoccupied with the specter of black (or Muslim, or Mexican) men having sex with “our” white women. In other words, “cuck” only really stings as an insult to the very people who are tossing the insult around.

And insofar as the related term “cuckservative” actually bothers conservatives, I suspect they are less bothered by the sexual and racial overtones of the term than they are by the implication that they are not bona fide conservatives.

[J]ust like “racism” transcends political terminology like “fascist” and brings morality into the discussion, “cuck” transcends political terminology like “traitor” and brings sexuality and gender into the discussion, thus widening its implications. For years this kind of transcendent, weaponized term was missing from the right’s lexicon, but now it’s here, and that’s why “cuck” is so hurtful to the left and kosher conservatives.

Nope. One of the reasons that “racist” has the bite that it does is because the insult is so often true. What’s strange is that the insult doesn’t just bother garden variety racists; is also bothers alt-rightists and others on the far right whose ideologies are actually rooted in racism. Most racists hate to be labelled as such; that’s why you find so many of them on the far right resorting to euphemism, describing themselves as “race realists” or proponents of “Human Biodiversity” rather than simply admitting that, yes, they are huge bigots.

At-rightists and Trump enthusiasts aren’t the only ones obsessed with cuckolding. Men’s Rights activists are as well, though their definition of “cuckolding” comes not from porn but from one of the term’s original meanings. MRAs worry endlessly about the prospect of their wives (real or hypothetical) cuckolding them by conning them into raising children fathered by another man, presumably some alpha male lover she has on the side.

Indeed, many MRAs and Evo Psych professors have convinced themselves that this old-school variety of cuckolding is exceedingly common, with up to a third of the world’s ostensible fathers unknowingly raising kids who are not theirs.

But a new study published in Trends in Ecology and Evolution suggests that this is nonsense. Using genetic testing and genealogical research, the authors of the study found that the real rate of such cuckoldry has “stayed near constant at around 1% across several human societies over the past several hundred years.”

Somehow I doubt that this study will lead MRAs to be any less paranoid about being cuckolded, much less convince the internet’s Anime Nazis to give up an insult they think is “absolutely devastating.”

H/T — Thanks to both readers who alerted me to the new cuckolding study.

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Friendly Neighborhood Dragon Arthur
Friendly Neighborhood Dragon Arthur
8 years ago

“Cuck” seems to be like the word “epic”, “troll”, and “furry” are these days; it’s been used and abused so much that it’s original meaning has been lost in translation.

kupo
kupo
8 years ago

Wqit, how are people misusing furry?

…I probably don’t want to know.

eatcake
eatcake
8 years ago

omg these worthless neanderthals actually think their embarrassingly Freudian insults are “devastating” haha you can’t make this shit up

Paradoxical Intention - Resident Cheeseburger Slut

Saphira | April 6, 2016 at 10:30 pm
Oh, we polyamorous women are just feminists who abuse or push our beta husbands into allowing us to have other lovers so we can get more rides on the cock carousel. Or some illogical MRA on another site I’m on said.

Yep, polyamory is misandry. We’ll just ignore the fact that there are a lot of poly guys out there with more than one female lover.

That reminds me of a story I read on Reddit some time ago (relevant article) where this guy went to get dating advice on how to close his recently opened relationship because his (fat) girlfriend was getting more dates than him.

Friendly Neighborhood Dragon Arthur
Friendly Neighborhood Dragon Arthur
8 years ago

Wqit, how are people misusing furry?

…I probably don’t want to know.

“Furry” was originally just an adjective to describe something that was like fur (a furry rug, a furry blanket, etc.). However, people began to use it to describe a fandom that liked cartoon animal characters (Furry Fandom). However, the word continually degraded as the internet arrived and suddenly became a verb, an insult, and noun that could describe virtually anything other than something that was like fur (You draw furries? ew!).

Both those within the fandom and those outside of it are guilty of turning the word into a “pointless word” that virtually has to be redefined by every person you meet.

So I told you even though you didn’t want to know, but hey, the more you know.

But that’s pretty much what’s going on with the word “Cuck” as we speak. It’s going to get to a point where there’s so many definitions that are so far removed from the original meaning that it will become pointless to use.

Kat
Kat
8 years ago

Using genetic testing and genealogical research, the authors of the study found that the real rate of such cuckoldry has “stayed near constant at around 1% across several human societies over the past several hundred years.”

Interesting.

A couple of years ago, much higher figures were being tossed around. Although I respect science, I said, Nope. It just didn’t make sense.

It reminds me of the study about 25 years ago that told the world that a woman over some age (35? 40?) has a greater chance of being taken hostage by terrorists than of getting married (in her advanced, decrepit state).

Ms. magazine had a great takedown of the study. The article first asked the reader, How many women do you know who have been taken hostage by terrorists? How many women over (35? 40?) do you know who have gotten married?

Then the article pointed out that studies show that married women are less happy than single women. The reverse is true for men.

Conclusion: You might get married even if you’re no longer in your 20s. Or you might dodge a bullet.

LindsayIrene
LindsayIrene
8 years ago

If ‘cuck’ is a devastating insult, getting shot with a Nerf gun is fatal.

abars01
abars01
8 years ago

Want to write your own alt-right hit piece? It’s really easy. Just write down whichever 3,000 words or so of rambling, pretentious, ultimately-meaningless filibuster about life, society, the universe and everything that happen to come to mind, then go back and delete maybe every fifth word, and replace them with each of the terms from the following list: ‘beta male’, ‘cathedral’, ‘communism/communist’, ‘cuck’, ‘cultural Marxism’, ‘dindu’, ‘feminazi’, ‘Jew’, ‘kebab’, ‘libtard’, ‘political correctness/politically correct’, ‘shitlib’, ‘SJW’, ‘socialism/socialist’ and ‘western civilization’. Oh, and: ‘Anita Sarkeesian’. I assure you, the result will be completely indistinguishable from any genuine alt-right hit piece.

OoglyBoggles
OoglyBoggles
8 years ago

So in short don’t marry until your needs and requirements have been met? Like I know who I am, monogomous, proabably won’t even be in relationship with anyperson anytime soon, so the term cuck only gets annoying to me when people use it like smurf.

The term for me, at least as I see it now, is basically the same as “weak” as in “anything that isn’t bullying your way through anything and everything is/not me”.

And plus the term goes back to a very simple thing all mra’s do, reduce any and all complexity and vibrancy of humanity, and collapse all that into bang bang bang. Any dude is reduced to an overexcited Chihuahua obsessed with novelty, and any women well I think we all have a clear idea what they think.

Dodom
Dodom
8 years ago

I appreciate one thing about the word “cuck”: henbrains identifying themselves by making hen noises is pretty convenient!

Paradoxical Intention - Resident Cheeseburger Slut

OoglyBoggles | April 6, 2016 at 11:52 pm
So in short don’t marry until your needs and requirements have been met? Like I know who I am, monogomous, proabably won’t even be in relationship with anyperson anytime soon, so the term cuck only gets annoying to me when people use it like smurf.

*fighting down the temptation to do that for hilarity*

OoglyBoggles
OoglyBoggles
8 years ago

@Paradoxical
Don’t you dare

msexceptiontotherule
msexceptiontotherule
8 years ago

@authorialAlchemy

I haven’t seen anything from the MRAs on Kesha’s case *yet*. However, the she-retracted-so-she-was-definitely-lying-about-being-raped chorus has been loud as usual, around the various bits of the internet. People saying that ‘I am usually someone who believes innocent until proven guilty, and I don’t know if she’s *lying* BUT….’ has been making me all kinds of ragey-Katie. The fact that there is still such a major tendency to blame the victim, to doubt, to question the motives and circumstances in a way that casts the victim in the suspect role – I just…gahhh…if breaking things and screaming helped and wouldn’t make the neighbors think someone was being killed in my house then call 911, I’d be doing that. Simply not reading about it wouldn’t change the things being said and the fact that I *know* they are.

Then there’s the people who label anyone who isn’t saying ‘I don’t know who to believe and I hope she’s not lying BUT’ a ‘Jezebel-SJW-feminazi’ …good lord it’s as bad as the idiots running around yelling ‘cuck cuck cuck cuck’ at people on the internet.

Scented Fucking Hard Chairs
Scented Fucking Hard Chairs
8 years ago

@authorialAlchemy & msexception

The worst responses are the ones along the lines of “Well, I don’t like her music.” So fucking what?! WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING YOU DRIPPING BAGS OF PELICAN GUANO?! Argh…

</capslock is cruise control for rage>

Moggie
Moggie
8 years ago

This is the legacy that 4chan has given modern conservatism: the belief that the way to win is to be as annoying as possible. This doesn’t strike me as a viable long-term strategy.

Pandapool -- The Species that Endangers YOU (aka Jackie; currently using they/their, he/his pronouns)
Pandapool -- The Species that Endangers YOU (aka Jackie; currently using they/their, he/his pronouns)
8 years ago

@msexceptiontotherule

I don’t think Kesha has retracted anything yet?

Claire
Claire
8 years ago

@Scented Fucking Hard Chairs

How many cucks would a woodcuck cuck if a woodcuck would cuck wood?

The answer is: a cuck load. Obviously.

Inkswitch
Inkswitch
8 years ago

This was perfect timing – i just found this image on knowyourmeme (technically not MRA, but they overlap so much it seems irrelevant)

http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/101/860/ea3.jpg

Saphira
Saphira
8 years ago

I appreciate one thing about the word “cuck”: henbrains identifying themselves by making hen noises is pretty convenient!

My hens are smarter than the average MRA. Plus they make noises that sound more like “book,” “brawk,” and “ba-gock” than “cuck.”

OoglyBoggles
OoglyBoggles
8 years ago

@SFHC
Wait back the hell up, Ke$ha was raped? Holy shit I thought her life was hard enough having to go into rehab for her eating disorder. Like seriously the number of false accusations is in the 3% out of all of them, stat wise, and emotion wise, you’d have to be such a shit to immediately think “don’t like her songs, therefore she lies”.

Whelp I figured it was gonna happen sooner or later.
http://www.thewrap.com/michelle-fields-breitbat-reporter-death-threats-audio-donald-trump-corey-lewandowski/

The trump rally doesn’t disappoint in being the dangerous mob of hate that it is.

Number Sequence
Number Sequence
8 years ago

Hey, alt-rights out there beyond the “you must be a halfway decent human being to post” wall. You probably hear about how your “insult” doesn’t really effect anyone you want it to and only causes a long series of cocked eyebrows, but maybe you’re trying to play that off secure in the knowledge that it’s all just us masking how personally harmed we are. Allow me to dispel that idea with a story at the personal level.

A guy I’m a fan of did a game stream with his wife. After uploading the archive to youtube, he apparently got his first “cuck” comment. I only know this because he himself posted that it happened to his twitter feed. People responded with congratulations for him and snark for the commenter. You know. Laughing and having a good time because that’s what you do with jokes. Which is what this asinine attempt at an insult is.

Pen
Pen
8 years ago

I think they’re obsessed with the word ‘cuck’ because it’s been a while since they’ve been able to get away with ‘nigger-lover’. Finally, they’ve found a synonym they can spread all over the internet and not get censored, banned or fired. Hopefully not for very long.

Imaginary Petal
Imaginary Petal
8 years ago

Today was supposed to be my day to relax and play Minecraft. Woke up this morning and realized we have no running water. Called the landlord, who said to call the caretaker. Called the caretaker, who didn’t pick up. Left a message on the voicemail – they still didn’t get back to me 1 hour later. Realized our bottled water is all expired. Is expired bottled water okay to drink?

Maybe TMI but I do need to use the bathroom. And I’m not f’n doing it if I can’t flush. Also can’t shower. Can’t brush my teeth. Now I’m just sitting in limbo while the day is slowly being wasted. 🙁

CCD
CCD
8 years ago

I think most everyone has some racial (and other) bias. I’m constantly working on overcoming little biases I may have, as they come up. Being white, I pretty much assume that this will be a life-long effort.

That said, I think the majority of proudly overt racists out there genuinely fear being labelled as such, because they know they’re in the minority of the population and being known as a racist can have serious ramifications for their ability to be successful in life and maintain professional relationships which can benefit them financially (it always comes down to money, eventually). They have to associate with us damned “cucks” to function within mainstream society.

The kinds of people they use the term “cuck” against either a) don’t remotely fit the definition of one, and so it doesn’t phase them as an insult, b) are confidently in an open relationship with their partner, and are socially progressive and therefore not racist, and so it doesn’t phase them as an insult, and/or c) are socially progressive enough to be secure in their masculinity and have open communication and trust with their partner, and so have no doubt as to who is the father of their own children… so again, also not phased by it.

Anarchonist
Anarchonist
8 years ago

@Imaginary Petal

That sucks. 🙁

I think expired bottle water should be okay to drink? I mean, it’s just water, right? And if it’s sealed, it should be free from germs.