Gene Hackman and his wife were walking down the street in Santa Fe, New Mexico when they passed a homeless man on the street. The homeless man demanded money from the couple and then called Hackman's wife a c**t. Hackman slapped the man who then immediately called the police. After hearing both sides of the story, the 82 year old Hackman was judged to have been acting in self defense and no tickets or arrests made. What do you think? Right decision by the police? How would you have reacted?
I kind of love this - way to defend your wife, Gene! And I'm certainly no New Mexico legal expert, but I would think the general vibe there is more Old West, as in the law supports people defending themselves. And possibly defines self-defense quite liberally. I live in "the Old West", and they practically hold parades for people who shoot home intruders here.
ReplyDeleteProbably would have reacted the same. Fucking asshole. Calling somebody a cunt is only okay if you're in the comment section of a gossip blog.
ReplyDeleteLol
DeleteAhahahah!
Deletelol too funny!
DeleteThe homeless guy had a cell phone?
ReplyDeleteLittle Bill Daggett bitch slapped him like he was English Bob!
ReplyDeleteI would have slapped a kryptonite necklace around the homeless man's neck while at the same time hijack two nuclear missiles, sending one to the west coast and the other to Hackensack, NJ.
ReplyDeleteI would hope my husband would do that for me!
ReplyDeleteGood for Gene. If some bum said that to my wife, I would have done the same.
ReplyDeleteI feel like if the man had not been homeless, this would have been a non-story. On the one hand, it is never okay to call someone a cunt (I HATE that word) and Gene had every right to defend his wife. On the other hand, homeless people are often mentally ill...
ReplyDeleteITA with everything you said @Cathy
DeleteGene Hack man is a BADASS! Thank you Gene. No one should be allowed to get in your wife's face. A slap makes the point without hurting anyone.
ReplyDelete82!
I would hope my BF would do the same for me. All bets are off when you use the "C" word.
ReplyDeleteOnce when I was shopping at Target, a man called me a cunt. I was so stunned that I didn't even know how to respond!
ReplyDeleteI still don't get why cunt is worse than bitch. Can somebody explain it to me? I've never gotten the same shock as when somebody says bitch or fucker or whatever.
ReplyDeleteWhat Vicki said. So eloquent!
ReplyDeleteLol @ Vickie and @Evil Nice!
ReplyDeleteGene got's some serious spark in him for eighty-two! And yes, good on him for doing that. Homeless or not, if the guy called his wife a "cunt," then I could see an old-fashioned sucker punch to the face as a reaction from the husband.
ReplyDeleteJust a shame we don't see him in movies anymore...
To answer your question Vicki, to me, the C word is really crass, where bitch is not.
ReplyDeleteWe get it, you like the word; I just think there are other less offensive words that can get the point across.
(And please don't flame me - you asked).
I'd agree *except* that, yes, the man was probably mentally ill. However, don't know how aggressive he might have been, like in their face?
ReplyDelete"bitch" is still misogynistic and crass. don't let its ubiquity fool you.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely agree. I find "bitch" such a harsh sounding word and abhor that some femmes are trying to 'reclaim' or 'own' it (hey, it's worked no well with the 'N' word .. Not!!). And the 'c' word - crass doesn't even begin to describe it. I think about it this way - if you cannot express yourself effectively without using curse words, no matter how cross or agitated you are, then you've lost the ability to communicate in the wider sphere. Cursing (whatever your words) should be a choice, not a default.
DeleteThat word is awful and I don't use it. I shudder when I hear or read anyone else using it but its their right. They can say what they want.
ReplyDeleteGene was defending himself and his wifes honor. You just don't use that word. Its disgusting.
Except it kind of depends where you are. The C-word is more regularly used in the UK, I believe. However, I think the intent/meaning of it is ever so slightly different. My BF and I have had this discussion before, and you could call someone a "bottle of Windex", and if you're implying something nasty by it, then it's not nice. Does that make sense?
ReplyDeleteOh, and re: this post, if that had been my BF and I, I would've encouraged him to ignore it. Some random verbal attack like that isn't going to hurt my feelings, and you could end up in more trouble with the confrontation than the defense of honor is worth.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Awesome - it's crass, much worse that bitch.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I used to hang out with a bunch of guys and women that were into English Premier League Soccer (go Arsenal!) and they used the word all the time. I learned to not be offended with that word in that context. The English use it like the word "asshole". It's so common.
Yeah, I don't understand why "cunt" is viewed by society as more bad than any other of the derogatory remarks aimed at women.
ReplyDeleteMisogynistic and crass is one reason I don't like calling someone a "douche". Since when is a feminine hygiene product an insult? I would assume when a man calls a man a feminine hygiene product. And unfortunately it's been picked up by women as well as an insult. I can deal with "bitch" especially as an adverb. (she bitched about the long line) But the C word? It's just beyond crass. If I'm going to insult someone I use the term "asshole" - men AND women have them. But I don't like sexist terms that demean women. But I freely admit there have been times when I've slipped up.
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ReplyDeletewouldn't have wanted to prolong any contact with a hostle, homeless person that wanted money. would likely have hurried my little self out of there asap.
ReplyDeleteI would never flame you, surfer! I'm glad you guys are answering. It just doesn't offend me like it does some people.
ReplyDeleteI think that anyone demanding anything is rude, including panhandlers. By the time you're 82 you should have developed better manners and/or panhandling social skills. 99 percent where I live, anyhow, are passive and respectful.
ReplyDeleteSlapping an 82-yr-old though? No way - it would be like hitting yr grandfather...
ReplyDeleteOthers will want clarified as to whether it was a true wallop, a hissy-fit slap or bitch-slap.
I am saying nothing!
@ SusanB - I LOVE your reasoning! I feel the same way about "blow me" and "cocksucker"...since when is a blow job bad? I don't use those words because they infer that the action is bad, which it is not (as long as it's among consenting adults). ;)
ReplyDeleteGene should have punched this guy in the nuts.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that would make this story even more awesome is if it were Amber and Libby's love child, Sir Pitstache, that came to the rescue and the damsel in distress was Daphne
ReplyDeleteTuxedo Cat, I totally agree with you....except Gene Hackman is the 82 year old they're referring to. The homeless guy was probably some meth addict looking for "bus money" to help his girlfriend and daughter. I get that all the time. They seem to be the rudest and pushiest.
ReplyDeleteThe cops did the right thing.
ReplyDeleteCunt specifically refers to a vagina as something filthy and shameful, while bitch is usually calling out behavior. Both words are steeped in misogyny but cunt edges out bitch because women can't do much about having a vagina and the word is designed to shame women for their anatomy.
ReplyDelete@Vicki Cupper OMG! Sorry, I think I need to read more thoroughly...Still need more coffee. It never occurred to me that Gene Hackman could possibly be 82!
ReplyDeleteWell said Benita!
ReplyDeleteBenita, that's a good explanation. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI join the small ranks of those who actually enjoy/use the world cunt casually.
ReplyDeleteI think it all depends on how and where you first start hearing the word. If the people you are around use it casually and along the same lines as bitch, then it is not going to be as stigmatized as if you are around people who are more conservative, more eloquent with their insults, just don't cuss in general, etc.
I will say our faveorite c word, but I have not ever once in my entire life said the n word and I never intend to. Racial and homophobic slurs are the final straw in my book and I have zero tolerance of them. I just find them supremely ignorant and distateful, much like people find the c word.
Weird how things work out.
he defended his wife:it's okay for me.I don't care if the other guy was a homeless or what!
ReplyDelete@Vicki, I dunno. Maybe because it's used so infrequently?
ReplyDeleteIt bothers me, has always bothered me, that words for genitalia are curse words (cunt, dick, pussy, etc.) It's not just female anatomy. Why are these our curse words?
Also, I've used the C word maybe three times in my entire life. I was fighting with The Short One's father each time, post-split, and incredibly angry.
ReplyDeleteThe word CUNT is an awesome sentence enhancer. It really grabs the reader by the balls, don't it? I usually replace the C with a K for 3 reasons:
ReplyDeleteTo take the sting out of it
As an homage to Kris Jenner
And just to class it up a bit
#teamfaggottniggercunt. (Louis CK did a joke about offensive words)
Oh yeah.......
ReplyDeleteGO Gene! :-)
The c word is indeed less offensive here in England, although a lot of people still don't like it. It's even more common in Scotland though - my Scottish friends will call each other cunts as a term of endearment!
ReplyDeleteI guess I see it in the same way as other genitalia/sex derived swear words - as a bit silly rather than offensive. I'd use it in the same way I'd call someone a willy if they were being annoying, to make light of the situation rather than to be offensive.
Eh, I dont like that he slapped him. Like one poster said, mental illness can definitely play a role. If we turned the tables and Hackman called unnamed homeless man a ”filthy” word and homeless man slapped him, would we be backing up said homeless man?
ReplyDeletesticks and stones, sticks and stones...
@Gtzisshe, I agree. I don't see why Hackman couldn't have fought back or defended his wife in the same manner as the homeless man, with words. Why is it okay to physically assault the man.
DeleteIt's interesting to read the comments on this post because on other posts where someone assaults another,r some commenters find it disagreeable & unjustifiable to result to such means, yet it's okay for Hackman to physically assault a homeless man over a disrespectful word. Why not just use a disrespectful word back if he felt the need to engage in tit for tat, or prove something to his wife, or prove to his 82 yr old self that he still has it.
It appears to be okay for some to assault another, but not okay for others. I don't understand that. And over words at that. Words that we give power to ourselves.
There is a guy that comes into my work and sits outside every day and he has turrets and literally calls me a bitch, whore or cunt every single day. I hate him, i don't care that he has a disease. He is a jackass to me when he isn't ticking and is buddy-buddy with all the males in my store. I seriously want to tell him off but that's not PC, but if my boyfriend was there to slap him, i would be all for it.
ReplyDeleteIf he called me that I'd probably have spit in his face!
ReplyDeleteI don't blame Gene at all, I think he was right to stand up for his wife.
ReplyDeleteYears ago a man I'd met asked me to dinner. I drove myself and met him there. When our waitress left our table he leaned over to me and said "She's so short I'll bet her name is Cuntswaylo." I excused myself from the table and never saw him again.
The c-word doesn't offend me too much. I know people find it sexist, which it is, but I am an equal opportunity sexist when it comes to insults. I use, "dick, prick, jackwad, dickwad, dickweed" etc for men (when I feel its deserved-lol).
ReplyDeleteMaybe it should bother me more, but I like creative insults for all types of humans.
Oh, and I agree with the turnout of this story. Panhandlers are getting more aggressive where I live lately. I give when and what I can, not when I'm screamed at.
lol at turrets. Tourette's is a horrible disease and they really can't control themselves, but it would upset me tremendously too.
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ReplyDeleteWhere does it say he has a cell phone?
Deletewhatever gene hackman does is a-ok with me.
ReplyDeleteHackman probably lent the fucktastic bastard his cunty cell phone.
ReplyDeleteOr the penis nugget wasn't really homeless and has his own shit eating, bitch douching phone.
Sitting here with a make your own cursewords book. Not meaning to offend....
Ahh, under normal circumstance the girl in me likes a guy who defends ones' honour. That said, often times mental illness plays a role in a homeless persons life and the mature thing would have been to ignore and keep walking.
ReplyDeleteI think he should have done the latter.
What if Hackman's wife called him a c*nt or some other word & Hackman slapped her? Would that also be okay to most of you, or would you be in an uproar?
ReplyDelete@Unknown IMHO there is a difference between a justified bitch slap and a Chris Brown beating.
ReplyDeleteIf the situation were reversed we would probably still be having the same cunt discussion and how some think it is ok to use a slap to defend lady pride.
If you read back to a lot of the previous threads that have to do with violence, the people on this site are very vocal about how they do not condone violence and do not support violent measures as a means to answer problems.
You might also notice that a lot of those people are not the same people trivializing the violence mentioned in this blind. They are still the ones speaking out against it.
Like I said, IMHO there is a big difference between a bitch slap and being assaulted. Neither is the answer. And again, this is only my opinion.
@jsierra, I appreciate the explanation & your personal take on it. Thanks! I don't agree that it was justifiable when he could have easily used words back or walked away, but I like your attempt to explain other perspectives. :)
DeleteI was trying to think of how to put it into words, but then I saw Benita had worded it perfectly.
ReplyDeleteHa, Agent! Did JSierra help you out there?
ReplyDeleteI haven't read a true news report of this story, but perhaps the slap-ee was way up in the slapper's wife's business, and they felt physically threatened? I don't know, and don't truly even care, but it seems at least likely.
@agent
ReplyDeleteYou're not going to believe this, but I think I know that answer to your question! I just read about this 2 days ago
www.obamaphone.net
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DeleteI wasn't there and don't know how "threatening" the homeless man was. But, my opinion based on the info presented is I don't think Gene Hackman should have slapped the man. The man didn't touch Gene or his wife, so Gene should not have touched the man. Just walk on by...
ReplyDeleteThanks Vicki!
ReplyDeleteIf I've ever been inclined to use the c-word, I'll say cRunt. Somehow, that makes it seem less offensive to me.
ReplyDeleteI don't like cunt, I don't like hitting (even if it's "only" bitch slapping) but I do like humor.
So thanks once again for your hilarity here.
@Unknown I just know that my Mom could definitely argue that I needed a good bitch slappin back in the day. Hell I could probably still use one sometimes now.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad we could express our opinions without flaming the thread though! Sometimes I feel like everything on here will get attacked.
@JSierra - I am loving the av!
ReplyDelete@JSierra,
ReplyDelete"I'm glad we could express our opinions without flaming the thread though! Sometimes I feel like everything on here will get attacked."
I totally agree with this statement! I lurk mostly & it can get heated around here sometimes, LOL. But it's not my style to flame others for expressing a different opinion. I like to take in other perspectives, it's how I continue to evolve. And I just simply prefer mature adult communication styles & interactions. LOL
Vicki C - I am so happy you are back! If only so I can say cunt more often in a gossip blog! I may be the only woman who loves that word but I love it. Now juice or moist, those words are like nails on chalkboard.
ReplyDeleteDon't leave again. We need your particular brand of snark around here, OK.
*signed armpit lover (aka dia p)*
@Amber I wanted to support my fellow CDANer's against the anti-armpit love.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I definitely should have put on deodorant before I took that picture.
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ReplyDeleteJSierra - is that you? Nice one!!!
ReplyDeleteI stole mine from the interwebs. Too much work to go take a pic last night.
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ReplyDeleteThe homeless man was physically aggressive. It wasn't only the name-calling that set Gene off.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI guess my mom bitch-slapped me too many times :-) still hurts!
When you think about it, it's really an absurd story --
"82-year-old Oscar Winner Bitch Slaps Homeless Man for Calling His Wife A Naughty Word."
I disagree with whoever said if this had been someone who wasn't homeless this would be a non-story. No, if the guy hadn't been homeless and Hackman slapped him, Hackman would be charged with assault.
ReplyDeleteDon't know how it is there, but when I lived in DC, intimidation mugging was all the rage. Panhandlers would ask for money and if you said no, they would blow up and get in your face until you gave money. No threats. No touching. Nothing that could get them arrested. Just a quick and inexplicable anger that was so frightening most people would hand over money.
ReplyDeleteI think it was totally self-defense.
@Libby, sorry, your armpit smelling picture is awful - to me anyways!
ReplyDeleteI work in a big city and the homeless people there are very aggressive!! They follow you down the street and call you names and if you are not familiar with it it could be very intimidating! I am sure Gene Hackman is not very familiar with homeless people so he probably felt threatened and slapped him to let him know!!!!
I love Gene Hackman; he's one of my favorite actors, but he should have just walked away.
ReplyDeleteGood grief, you are SO wrong about the 'C' word being semi-acceptable in the UK! It's the one remaining utterly forbidden word in ANY context here.
ReplyDeleteTo clarify: of course it's used, but it's still shocking to hear it for the vast majority of people. To say it has the same shock factor as 'asshole' (arsehole!) is plain wrong.
ReplyDeleteAgree with B Betty above, that word is definitely not acceptable in most "civilised" circumstances in the UK. Although Rose mentioned Scotland, I stress the word civilised.. (jk).
ReplyDeleteUsually, if someone is called a kunt in a situation that doesn't suit the context, someone will pipe up "no way, a kunt's useful".
Living in the city really makes you weary of homeless people after a while when you figure out they don't want to help themselves. They just want a hand out, or cigarettes, not food tho', they can get fed at churches.
ReplyDeleteBums are experts at making their environment miserable for everyone around them. I see nothing wrong with GH putting this dirtbag back in his place. Most of the bums belong in loony bins, not on the street.
ReplyDeleteRight to bare knuckles. Seriously, when did we become such panty lines? If you start shit like that, Expect it may get finished on your watch. Homeless? So what. Does Wayne Brady havta slappa bitch?
ReplyDeleteIf some guy calls you a cunt, just say "I have one, you are one." That'll do it every time.
ReplyDeleteI had to get a little bit more detail on this b/c I'm not down w/ hitting homeless people over name calling. Apparently, he and his wife had given this guy food/money in the past and in this case, Hackman felt threatened, so I understand his actions.
ReplyDeleteHave to disagree on it being used frequently and being found more acceptable in the UK. It's not.
ReplyDeleteI think the way gene acted was appropriate. That homeless man was in the wrong.
ReplyDelete