Motherfucker

Motherfucker (also contracted forms mother and mofo and, phonetically, in African-American vernacular speech, muthafucka) is a common insult and profanity in the English language and is widely considered obscene and inappropriate. By virtue of its history of usage, "motherfucker" generally is regarded as African-American in origin. Literally, it accuses one of violating, perhaps, the oldest taboo known to humankind, incest. However, as with most epithets, its use is pejorative, rather than literal. Historically, it was a vicious taunt, a damning insult -- and a veiled allusion to the destruction of black male familial hegemony under chattel slavery. The power of the word was that it attacked one's sense of manhood. Regardless of its historical or cultural context, however, many consider "motherfucker" the mother of all curse words. The cause of countless barroom brawls and streetfights, it is purported to have sparked at least one prison riot. "Motherfucker" has taken on additional meanings through continued use, its evolution being shaped primarily by the African-American community. It has come to mean a formidable or inexorable force, as in the threat: "Payback is a bitch, but revenge is a muthafucka." It is also an expression of disgust or contempt: "Now, ain't that a muthafucka!" "Motherfucker" also has come to be used in some circles as a general pronoun. The initials "M.F." became a common, more polite substitute for "motherfucker," as did the term "Maryland farmer" in the 1960s and 1970s. The result is an oft recounted, if somewhat apocryphal, tale of the clueless Maryland Farmers Association writing a letter of protest to an African-American in the news. It seems the man called a prominent politician a "jive Maryland farmer," and they were mightily offended. The growing use of "motherfucker" in American popular culture may mean the term through time has become less offensive to some, but its ubiquity is taken as a sign of the general coarsening of American society.

See also

• Other Slurs and insult : asshole, shit, dickhole, bastard, cocksucker, fuck, Seven dirty words, Profanity\n* Taboo: Incest\n* People: Vincent Chin, Coleman Young