# Which word is more offensive? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 29, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-word-is-more-offensive/583629 "2011-05-29T02:16:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-word-is-more-offensive/583629/21 "2011-05-29T11:55:02Z")
Good goddess, 4 people have voted that ‘tits’ is more offensive? (I note most of them identify as male.) ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-word-is-more-offensive/583629/22 "2011-05-29T15:37:34Z")
No contest. Like Panache said, ‘tits’ is offensive depending on context, not in itself - if a girl friend said, ‘I’m about to get my period and my tits are killing me,’ I wouldn’t think twice. ‘Nigger’ is just plain offensive. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-word-is-more-offensive/583629/23 "2011-05-29T16:36:39Z")
You should have put up “cunt” and “nigger” as the choices. Still would probably be a no contest. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-word-is-more-offensive/583629/24 "2011-05-29T16:42:51Z")
> [@eclectic\_wench](#): > > No contest. Like Panache said, ‘tits’ is offensive depending on context, not in itself - if a girl friend said, ‘I’m about to get my period and my tits are killing me,’ I wouldn’t think twice. ‘Nigger’ is just plain offensive. While “nigger” is far and away more offensive, I always grew up believing “tits” was pretty much the most offensive word you could use to refer to breasts. Of course, “boobs” used to be pretty offensive too and and I hear older women using it to refer to their breasts today. So maybe “tits” will be acceptable someday. But “nigger”? Never. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-word-is-more-offensive/583629/25 "2011-05-29T16:49:02Z")
I went to a multiracial strip bar the other day and saw some nice Tiggers. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-word-is-more-offensive/583629/26 "2011-05-29T16:52:24Z")
“Tits” as a word by itself is not offensive at all, although it might be considered indecent. Like any other non-offensive word, it can be used in an offensive manner. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-word-is-more-offensive/583629/27 "2011-05-29T17:51:07Z")
Damnit i voted for the first option, meant to vote for the second. ---
**Author:** ![Bartman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bartman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bartman)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-word-is-more-offensive/583629/28 "2011-05-29T18:27:33Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I went to a multiracial strip bar the other day and saw some nice Tiggers. Damn you for making me laugh at that. Now I’m feeling all sorts of white man guilt… Of course, I’m a white man so it’ll go away shortly. ---
**Author:** ![BlueKangaroo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@BlueKangaroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueKangaroo)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-word-is-more-offensive/583629/29 "2011-05-29T23:27:11Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Damnit i voted for the first option, meant to vote for the second. I voted for the 6th (neither is more offensive), when I meant the 5th (statement #2 is more offensive). I’m in agreement that there should be no contest here. Statement #2 is so far more offensive that it’s not even in the same league as statement #1. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-word-is-more-offensive/583629/30 "2011-05-29T23:41:42Z")
(Non-black man) Both are offensive, but “nigger” is a far more despicable word. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-word-is-more-offensive/583629/31 "2011-05-30T01:01:48Z")
White female here, and they’re not even in the same ballpark. In fact, I find the idea of “tits” being anywhere near as offensive as “nigger” almost, well, offensive. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-word-is-more-offensive/583629/32 "2011-05-30T02:24:45Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I went to a multiracial strip bar the other day and saw some nice Tiggers. Tiggers do love to bounce. A.A. Milne was a straight up pimp ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-word-is-more-offensive/583629/33 "2011-05-30T02:32:10Z")
heh…those are some nice lookin’ T I double grrr errs. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-word-is-more-offensive/583629/34 "2011-05-30T03:55:47Z")
> [@horsetech](#): > > What do you have against _[Cyanistes caeruleus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Tit)_? Why do people always beat me to the punchline? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-word-is-more-offensive/583629/35 "2011-05-30T03:58:40Z")
So will “tit mouse” become the next “niggardly”? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-word-is-more-offensive/583629/36 "2011-05-30T05:18:24Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > So will “tit mouse” become the next “niggardly”? Gosh, I hope not. We have a flock of tits who visit the house daily. What’s odd is that you’ll sometimes see them singularly, and sometimes as trios, but rarely in pairs… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-word-is-more-offensive/583629.md?page=1)