Canadian poet William Chapman once said, “Words cut deeper than knives. A knife can be pulled out, words are embedded into our souls”. That rings true with every insult, and most of us can likely attest to that. Whether it’s bullying at school, uncalled-for remarks on the street, or other outbursts of people’s hostility, it’s nearly impossible to avoid it.
Some spiteful comments stick with the receiver for years, even decades after. This has been pointed out by Twitter’s community members, who have answered the user Zaza Man’s question: what’s an insult they’ll never forget. Their heart-wrenching answers show just how much damage a word can do; scroll down to find them and see for yourself.
In order to better understand the subtleties of how certain wording can affect a person and what drives someone to use insulting language, Bored Panda has reached out to the professor of rhetoric and linguistics at Soka University, James Williams, PhD. He was kind enough to answer a few of our questions; you will find the interview in the text below.
Image credits: Zazamyodor
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