Reclaiming words

Sometimes, words and phrases that have entered the vernacular become overused, change meanings, and generally start to annoy. To give a common reference point, I'd agree with Jabari Asim that the N-word shouldn't be used the way it often is now. But I wouldn't stop there; there's a slew of other offenders that need a little fixin'.

Motherfucker. ('m&-[th]r-"f&-k&r) I'm not even sure what this means anymore. Curiously, Webster's defines it as one who is "formidable, contemptible, or offensive." It's probably generally acknowledged as the harshest one-word name you can call someone (any creative entries to top it are welcome), but I think its time has come. Personally, I think "go fuck yourself" is much more effective. It's also worth pointing out that the word "dad" has essentially become a euphemism for "motherfucker," so reverting to the original meaning seems a good idea here. At least it would make for more colorful dinner conversation: "Excuse me, motherfucker, could you please pass the bread?"

Bling. ('bli[ng]) There's not much to discuss here. This should just be eliminated altogether. Nobody cares about your "ice" and rings on every last digit. It's not even funny when you've just gotten engaged and use it sarcastically to refer to the sad piece of jewelry on your newly betrothed finger.

Good boyfriend. ('wipt) In the post-feminist age, some women have impressively high expectations for the weaker sex. I thought that this education and suffrage thing would teach you that we are in fact, relatively hopeless. So let's reclaim the phrase and turn it into something reasonable. A good boyfriend is a guy who remembers your birthday AND lets you see him naked. It has to be both, obviously, since we don't want to make this too easy. Still, many women out there might now think, unhappily perhaps, that they therefore have a lot of good boyfriends, which brings us to

Slut. ('sl&t) This one demonstrates unparalleled stupidity, as traditionally, cuckolded men, guys who have been wronged, left, or otherwise dumped, have resorted to name calling in a tragically unsound and feeble attempt to "get even" with the woman who hurt them (you're a man - get over it). By tarnishing her reputation and labelling her as promiscuous, calling a woman a slut has effected a disproportionate amount of fear and stigma. Clearly, that sucks. Women will deny themselves pleasure, men are somehow confused, and the porn industry takes off. Therefore, in an inspired effort to reverse this course, a slut should only be used to refer to a girl who sleeps around a lot AND proudly advertizes this fact. In no way should this be confused with the horrific attempt by some women (mostly teenaged and mid-20s girls) to reclaim the word as a term of endearment. Stop that shit now; it's miserable and so are you.