What I’ve observed in this forum is that the word “asshole” is the most offensive word that people use when they angry. Or is this word the worst/most unpleasant/most insulting connotations/implications only amongst Dopers?
Do I see it correctly?
There are others that people use that are even worse, that just don’t get used very often. Offhand, I’d say that the current most offensive word in use is “cunt”.
I was thinking, “cunt”, too. Can’t think of one that elicits more outrage.
No. In addition to the “c” word above, there is the “n” word. Asshole is pretty offensive, but not very imaginative. Everyone’s got one.
This. Call an American woman one and you’ll have an enemy for life.
I would say the c-word is the most offensive word commonly used. I’m in the UK, and you only very rarely hear it on t.v. shows - and then only strictly after the 9p.m. watershed. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it uttered on any radio station I listen to. I most usually hear it either from “edgy” stand-ups or when used to unnecessarily litter otherwise normal sentences by the semi-literate chavs that currently plague the U.K.
The word doesn’t bother me at all tbh, although I know both males and females who cannot stand having the word said in their presence, and will openly object to someone using it in their company.
I don’t like routinely using it as part of my swearing arsenal myself as I’ve seen the reaction it can cause in some people, but that being said, it’s almost a perfect swear word. The sound formed from each and every letter that it’s made up from is harsh, sharp and vicious sounding. If I’m furious with rage, or experiencing the awful pain of a stubbed toe or a stood-on lego brick, it’s the ultimate vocal expression of fury and I’ve been known to spit it out in vitriolic moments like these.
I feel sorry for the Tourettes sufferers that have the c-word as one of their verbal tics. It’s one of the very few words left with the ability to shock, and helplessly blurting it out at random, to strangers, in public must be distressing in the extreme…
I thought most guys used the word amongst themselves quite openly and affectionately in the UK? “It’s your round, ya cunt” etc.
As to the c-word: Is it only offensive for woman to be called one? Say I was writing erotic fiction (not that I do. This is hypothetical) and used the c-word to refer to the woman’s vagina, would that still raise the same ire?
Well, it might raise something.
Getting back to your question, if ‘cunt’ can’t, or shouldn’t be used, it’s a toss-up. Personally, I’d say that cocksucker and motherfucker are about the “strongest”, especially if preceded by a “fucking” and “goddam” respectively.
Is that good enough for you, you fucking cocksucker?
ETA: Although ‘cocksucker’ may have orignated as a homophobic slur, it’s totally generic now IMO. For sure, I don’t think of it at all as implying the that the object of the insult is homosexual or that there’s anything wrong with being gay/lesbian.
I think “motherfucker” would be considered a stronger one.
Words have meaning. An asshole is well, listen to the Denis Leary song. Basically it refers to a person who disrespects other. Not exactly the thermonuclear weapon of words. That would be donkey-raping shit-eater.
I’m sure the Master has broken down the etymologies of the various cuss words before but I will add that their relative offensiveness varies by demographics. In my circle (college and various engineering offices) we used to, on occasion, jokingly call each other SOBs (son of a bitch) along with other words. I used it once on a steel-worker acquaintance (jokingly, I swear!) and it was like dropping a WMD.
Then there was the time in grade school where I called someone a dildo before I knew what the word meant. A teacher overheard me and went ballistic. I thought it just meant a silly person. It’s a silly word so that’s what it obviously meant, right?
:p:D:p
My bold, and I think you’re on to something here.
The Dope is generally a pleasant place and I think most Dopers (there are exceptions) enjoy the fact that their interactions here, even during disagreements, are generally civilized and restrained.
It’s its own little culture see…and in that culture, one of the most reprehensible things you can be is an asshole.
Not necessarily “most”, though the majority of people I know, yes (and I’m definitely not a chav, Arcyarc!). It’s not limited to guys either. Most of the women I know would freely use it in the appropriate circumstance, and it’s not a gender-specific insult either like it is in the USA. I wonder if this is part of the reason why it’s more offensive there than it is here: you seem to be definitely insulting the woman for being a woman in America, whereas here it’s just another word and can be applied to anyone.
Arsehole (as we spell it) isn’t a strong insult at all. I mean, I wouldn’t have it from one of my students or in a professional/business situation, but from another adult I don’t think it would even really register.
Spoilered because I refuse to bowdlerize the words:[spoiler]‘Nigger’ is the worst if it’s said in anger by a light-skinned person to a dark-skinned person. It will reliably provoke the most outrage, not just in the hearer but in others within earshot, and may well cause a violent scene. However, if two dark-skinned people who know each other well call each other ‘nigga’ or similar, very often no offense is meant and it’s perfectly friendly.
(Variations on ‘nigger’ are also extremely offensive: ‘Sand nigger’ for ‘person of Middle Eastern, Persian, or North African descent’ and ‘prairie nigger’ for ‘Native American’ are likely as offensive as the base word in similar contexts.)
‘Cunt’ is offensive pretty much exclusively to females in the US; call an American man a ‘cunt’ and he’ll wonder what the hell you’re talking about. That said, it is pretty damned offensive to women and girls. Whether calling the body part a ‘cunt’ is offensive depends greatly on the people involved.
With males, it’s different: ‘Faggot’ or ‘homo’ might well be the ne plus ultra of offense, provoking immediate violence, or it might cause gales of laughter. Similar ‘cocksucker’. ‘Asshole’ is pretty reliable to cause offense, but not to a violent level in my experience.[/spoiler]
I like Louis C.K.'s choice of offensive word: The “n-word” No, not “nigger” the actual phrase “n-word”.
(youtube link. Can’t watch/verify it from work. I hope it’s the right clip)
That’s all well and good, but the absolute worse insult in American idiom is “Loser”.
Ha, I was going to mention loser, but you beat me to it.
Words, with only a few exceptions, are usually only shocking or offensive, but not insulting. Now the word “loser” is highly insulting. Usually if I am trying to really sting someone, I will not use any offensive language at all. I will call them a loser and tell them why they have failed. A real world example: “Deep inside yourself, you must know why you are alone, and I am guessing that you are too weak to address your problems. You cannot get a date because of your abrasive, controlling personality. You are a pathetic loser.”
You must be a real treat at cocktail parties.