Do I look like a slut?

So started another step class....

Petra starts up the music and the first line out is clearly enunciated (for a 'pop' song)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUz75nc_JRw&feature=related *

It's very clear (has been the last few times class has started with this track and every time I've sniggered loudly - I think maybe she finally realised that there was something not quite...right) on the version she uses there's no music behind the vocal at that point, a woman very clearly asks

DO I LOOK LIKE A SLUT?

This week Petra (late 40's, maybe 50's) turns to the native English speakers (me and Rebecca) who are the ones still laughing (not that the others were laughing at all, it's just that we are (or at least I am)) and asks;

'what's a slut?'

Rebecca came up with 'sie ist eine Schlampe' - which is 'she's a tart/slut'

I went one further with 'she's a woman who 'sleeps' with many men' (but in German clearly) would dearly loved to have known how to say in German 'the class/school bike' but my German teacher hasn't covered that (yet, Monday's lesson I guess!)

And I should stress here that we were both VERY quick to say that slut is not a word to be bandied about, it's not a word to be used lightly, not a nice word, we both stressed.

Another step inmate then joined in with the fact that she was confusing 'slot' for slot machines with 'slut' for...tart - we put her right quite quickly.

Then Petra asked,

'Isn't 'bitch' nastier than 'slut' ?'

Great, the first 5 minutes of our weekly step/torture session become a semantics session (ah, the SS, how we miss that here (heavy, heavy irony, please ignore if of a sensitive nature))

No. We both declared (thank god there were the 2 of us, otherwise they'd have argued the toss) slut is infinitely worse than bitch.

And there endeth and beginneth the lesson (semantics/English cussing & step, respectively)

Germans do like to use English swear words, they use 'scheiße' (=shit) ALL the time, kids use it from kindergarten age to their teachers (I was shocked) so maybe they like to use the English swear words because they've gotten bored with all the standard German ones?

However, they don't understand the level of 'badness/nastiness' (how would you rate swear words, what word would best describe the amount of vitriol in one word?)
For example a British member of the band Franz Ferdinand who spent his childhood growing up in Germany, going to German schools, speaking German at school and English at home (with his English parents) was asked the obvious question in an interview (by a German broadcaster) 'do you dream in English or German?' (can't remember the answer, sorry)
and 'which word would you say without thinking when swearing ''scheiße' or 'fuck' ?' and the interviewer just couldnot or wouldnot accept that the two words were completely different...



*for those with a sensitive disposition, maybe don't listen to the lyrics too carefully...you have been warned