I am always dismayed by the words “Civilized” and “Uncivilized” whenever it’s uttered. This morning NPR was interviewing a Pakistani gentleman, talking about Pakistan’s frontier tribesman, but just as frequently (if not more) it comes from the lips of their former colonial masters.

Is there any word more offensive? Used by bigots everywhere, it demeans The Other and justifys all kinds of atrocity committed in the name of Imperialism.  The most obvious example is the West and the Christian Church in forcing their belief system, its culture, and its way of life on the rest of the world.  But they are certainly not alone: The majority Han Chinese uses “uncivilized” to describe the indigenous Tibetan culture, for example, and as an justification to “bring order and prosperity” to the Tibet.

Contrast it with the most popular contender on the dirtiest word category: Fuck.  ”Fuck You” is often the most offensive thing we say to each other, but it implies a more involved personal relationship with The Other, for even aggressors (say a rapist) will not physically “fuck” someone whom he doesn’t want to touch. A Civilized person, on the other hand, often seeks to avoid interaction with an Uncivilized “thing.” Fuck as an insult is also more personal. One would have to acknowledge The Other as a human being in order to Fuck them, whereas “uncivilized” attributes a certain of amount of sub humanness to the target, and is in my opinion because it’s a collective degradation imposed by one culture or institution to an entire population.

- William, uncivilized and fucking proud of it.