The role of insults in the social sense may be better understood by an appreciation of how the term is used in a medical setting. Though a popular idiom refers to "adding insult to injury," in a medical context they are the same.
Physicians examine injuries resulting from an insult to flesh and bones, caused by various traumatic events. In speech and in social settings, insults are words that tend to injure the psyche. In humor, insults may be exchanged in much the way fighters exchange blows in training, to develop a resistance to the pain of mild injuries, or to spar with no real intention of seriously injuring the other.
Profanity is frequently used as part of insults to strengthen their emotional impact. Some body parts, although useful, may be of low esteem; the word may then be used as insult. For example, the word ******* (or arsehole) is used to imply disapproval for the behavior or morals of another, but tends to imply the behavior resulted from a character flaw.
The examination of insulting language reveals the tensions between social classes and ethnic groups in modern society, where expectations are sometimes viewed as insulting by some and failure to comply with those expectations being seen as insulting by others
Categories of insults
Insult to intelligence
e.g. idiot, retard, moron, dumbass, dummyjackass
Insult to education
e.g. dropout, egghead, Nerd
Insult to morals and behavior
e.g. liar, thief, psycho, coward
Insult via relatives
e.g. "Your Mum"
Insult via implied drug use
e.g. stoner, tweaker, crackhead, druggie, wino
Insult to economic class
e.g. redneck, bum, greaser,
Insult against skill
e.g rookie, loser,
Insult to appearance
e.g. fatso, ugly, fatty
Insult to race
e.g. white trash, chink, wetback
Insult to gender
e.g. "What are you? A girl!!!"
Insult to hair colour
e.g. Blonde, Ginga, Brunette,
Cultural perceptions
Perceptions of insulting language often vary, and often depend on the context and persons involved as much as the actual words.
For example, in 21st century America, African American descendants of former slaves hold mixed views of the term "nigger", sometimes using it as a rugged form of mutual affection in popular culture, but resenting the term when used in pejorative sense, especially when spoken by members of other ethnic groups. Other African-Americans take offense at any use of the term even between friends, holding that even though it is shared affectionately perhaps as a sign of strength, it acts as a term of mutual degradation, and inevitably serves to degrade African-Americans in general.
Another example would be reference (even in a joke) to stereotypical aspects of a person, for example jokingly linking a person's Jewishness with a joke about money, a person's Pole nationality with their intelligence, or making a joke about how feminine or "gay" someone is with a French joke.
Physicians examine injuries resulting from an insult to flesh and bones, caused by various traumatic events. In speech and in social settings, insults are words that tend to injure the psyche. In humor, insults may be exchanged in much the way fighters exchange blows in training, to develop a resistance to the pain of mild injuries, or to spar with no real intention of seriously injuring the other.
Profanity is frequently used as part of insults to strengthen their emotional impact. Some body parts, although useful, may be of low esteem; the word may then be used as insult. For example, the word ******* (or arsehole) is used to imply disapproval for the behavior or morals of another, but tends to imply the behavior resulted from a character flaw.
The examination of insulting language reveals the tensions between social classes and ethnic groups in modern society, where expectations are sometimes viewed as insulting by some and failure to comply with those expectations being seen as insulting by others
Categories of insults
Insult to intelligence
e.g. idiot, retard, moron, dumbass, dummyjackass
Insult to education
e.g. dropout, egghead, Nerd
Insult to morals and behavior
e.g. liar, thief, psycho, coward
Insult via relatives
e.g. "Your Mum"
Insult via implied drug use
e.g. stoner, tweaker, crackhead, druggie, wino
Insult to economic class
e.g. redneck, bum, greaser,
Insult against skill
e.g rookie, loser,
Insult to appearance
e.g. fatso, ugly, fatty
Insult to race
e.g. white trash, chink, wetback
Insult to gender
e.g. "What are you? A girl!!!"
Insult to hair colour
e.g. Blonde, Ginga, Brunette,
Cultural perceptions
Perceptions of insulting language often vary, and often depend on the context and persons involved as much as the actual words.
For example, in 21st century America, African American descendants of former slaves hold mixed views of the term "nigger", sometimes using it as a rugged form of mutual affection in popular culture, but resenting the term when used in pejorative sense, especially when spoken by members of other ethnic groups. Other African-Americans take offense at any use of the term even between friends, holding that even though it is shared affectionately perhaps as a sign of strength, it acts as a term of mutual degradation, and inevitably serves to degrade African-Americans in general.
Another example would be reference (even in a joke) to stereotypical aspects of a person, for example jokingly linking a person's Jewishness with a joke about money, a person's Pole nationality with their intelligence, or making a joke about how feminine or "gay" someone is with a French joke.
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