# Favorite fictional anti-human slurs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 14, 2009, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-anti-human-slurs/489391 "2009-03-14T03:13:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-anti-human-slurs/489391/1 "2009-03-14T03:13:06Z")
Like what it says in the title, as encouraged by **Zeldar**. What are your favorite slurs against homo sapiens as a whole, from the realms of fiction? I’m a little under the weather, so I can only think of “Meatbag” at the moment; most notably used in Futurama, and EU Star Wars; typically used by robots. Anyone else? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-anti-human-slurs/489391/2 "2009-03-14T03:19:58Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > I’m a little under the weather, so I can only think of “Meatbag” at the moment; most notably used in Futurama, and EU Star Wars; typically used by robots. When Fry thought he was a robot, he responded to a command with “negative, **bossy meat-creature**.” I like that, but, sadly, “bossy meat-creature” is hard to work into a conversation. And there’s always good-old “ **monkeyboy** ” from _Buckaroo Banzai_. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-anti-human-slurs/489391/3 "2009-03-14T03:24:20Z")
Not anti-human, but anti-Earth: Heinlein’s Asteroid Belt inhabitants and lunar inhabitants call earth people “groundhogs”. They came up with a few during MST3K’s run (and afterwards, in their various guises), such as the MST3K-The Movie pseudo-Metalunan slur “smallhead” ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-anti-human-slurs/489391/4 "2009-03-14T03:32:33Z")
I was gonna mention the one from Red Dwarf. Oh Smeg. I can’t remember it. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-anti-human-slurs/489391/5 "2009-03-14T03:40:58Z")
I always liked the sneering way the Ferengi said “hu-mons.” ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-anti-human-slurs/489391/6 "2009-03-14T03:50:58Z")
“Ugly bags of mostly water” from some episode of ST-TNG “ape-man” and other simian slurs from Hitchhiker’s Guide ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-anti-human-slurs/489391/7 "2009-03-14T03:54:36Z")
I also like “monkey boy”; it was a slur often used by the computer opposent in an old video game I liked. “_Let’s try this again, Monkey Boy_”; lines like that. “Crunchies”, from the slimy aliens in _The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You !_ “Lop tail” from the Centrans in _Pandora’s Planet_ ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-anti-human-slurs/489391/8 "2009-03-14T04:09:34Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > **“Ugly bags of mostly water” from some episode of ST-TNG** > “ape-man” and other simian slurs from Hitchhiker’s Guide [Home Soil.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_Soil) First one that came to mind for me. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-anti-human-slurs/489391/9 "2009-03-14T04:12:09Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > “Ugly bags of mostly water” from some episode of ST-TNG Damn, you stole mine! ---
**Author:** ![Anduinel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Anduinel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anduinel)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-anti-human-slurs/489391/10 "2009-03-14T04:16:24Z")
Always been partial to “flatscan” from the X-Men comics. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-anti-human-slurs/489391/11 "2009-03-14T04:25:28Z")
“Mundanes” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-anti-human-slurs/489391/12 "2009-03-14T04:30:27Z")
> [@](#): > > Not anti-human, but anti-Earth: Heinlein’s Asteroid Belt inhabitants and lunar inhabitants call earth people “groundhogs”. Also “Earthworm”, in the same context. And in Niven’s stories, a person who not only lived on Earth, but who had never left it, was a Flatlander. My favorite is from D&D, where there exist half-breeds of almost every species, the other half almost invariably being human: > [@](#): > > Human: Hey elf, you look like a girl. > Elf: To a human, everything must look like a girl. > Human: What? > Elf: Half-orcs, half-ogres… > Human: … shut up. > Dwarf: Half-dragons, half-kobolds. > Human: I said shut up! > Elf: … > Dwarf: … > Human: … > Elf: Centaurs. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-anti-human-slurs/489391/13 "2009-03-14T04:50:24Z")
Klingons referred to humans sneeringly as “Earthers” in a couple of episodes of ST:TOS. “Terrans,” too, I think, but it’s more the tone of voice than the word that seems insulting. We’re called “cattle” by carnivorous sentient lizardlike bipeds in William Forstchen’s _The Lost Regiment_ series. Legolas refers to Aragorn and Boromir as “children” in LOTR, but in a kindly if somewhat patronizing way, in context, given his long Elven lifespan. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-anti-human-slurs/489391/14 "2009-03-14T04:59:19Z")
In the Harry Dresden books, supernatural nasties like vampires call humans prey animal names like “kine”, “bucks”, and “does”. It’s actually kind of amusing when you keep in mind that they keep a low profile because if humanity in-universe was ever pushed into admitting they existed they’d collectively get stomped into a greasy spot. Molly : “But he’s not supernatural ? He’s just a guy, right ?” Harry : "Keep in mind that most of the planetary surface is dominated by ‘just guys’. " > [@Chronos](#): > > Dwarf: Half-dragons, "Slay the dragon, you fool ! I said SLAY the dragon ! With an ‘S’ ! " ---
**Author:** ![groo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecd19e/32.png) [@groo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groo)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-anti-human-slurs/489391/15 "2009-03-14T05:15:52Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > … > And there’s always good-old “ **monkeyboy** ” from _Buckaroo Banzai_. Yeah; this is my favorite generic excuse: _ **“It’s not my goddamned planet, monkeyboy!”** - John Bigboote_ ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-anti-human-slurs/489391/16 "2009-03-14T05:29:17Z")
Of course “muggles” from the _Harry Potter_ universe. And for some reason, my first thought was “slimies” from _Ender’s Game_, though the aliens don’t actually use the term – it’s just what Ender thinks they might use. I haven’t read it in a while: it was “slimies” wasn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-anti-human-slurs/489391/17 "2009-03-14T11:07:31Z")
Ptavvs. From Larry Niven’s _World of Ptavvs_, or non-telepaths. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-anti-human-slurs/489391/18 "2009-03-14T11:43:08Z")
Did Walken as Gabriel in THE PROPHECY refer to us as “hairless monkeys” or “apes”? ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-anti-human-slurs/489391/19 "2009-03-14T11:57:21Z")
Howard the Duck often commented on the local “Hairless Apes.” ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-anti-human-slurs/489391/20 "2009-03-14T12:05:24Z")
Nice thread! I always considered horses and mules to be Road Apple Generators, but am having trouble with just the right human counterpart. Maybe Steaming Pile Generator? Improvements on the concept welcomed. GIGO-Monster? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-anti-human-slurs/489391.md?page=2)