Day 11: "Bitch" is the New Punctuation Mark

I'll admit I'm naive. Sheltered from bad things in life.  Living in a respectable neighborhood.  Working at a job where curse words are rarely heard.  And now I'm thrown into a world where I hear the word "bitch" at least ten times a minute.

In jail all sentences begin with the word 'bitch.'
In jail all sentences end with the word 'bitch.'

"Bitch, gimme your bread, bitch."
"Bitch, wanna play cards, bitch?"
"Bitch, what'd you say, bitch?"
"Bitch, you feeling better today, bitch?"


I hear the word "bitch" and I naturally think someone is angry. I assume they dislike the person they are talking to and are calling them an objectionable word. In jail that is not necessarily true. The definition of "bitch" is completely different in jail. Sometimes "bitch" is derogatory. Sometimes it is an affectionate term. Often, it is a nickname shared between two close friends. Most of the time, it is the punctuation that ends a sentence.

I have to admit that I can't figure it out. Usually, a person's tone of voice, facial expression, or some other body language gives away their meaning. But the only time in jail that I can judge the speaker's intent is when it is beyond obvious that she is extremely angry at someone. Usually then, 'bitch' is accompanied by physical gestures and the words "M****r F****r."

Now that I think of it, "M****r F****r" is another word (words?) used to an extreme degree. And that phrase isn't always used as vulgar cursing either.

Yes, life in the bizarro world of jail continues.