Fantastic Slurs

Haley: How can you be so smart sometimes and still be such an... an AIRHEAD!
Celia: HEY! There's no need for racial slurs!

—The Order of the Stick

In fiction, racism is sometimes dealt with through metaphor, such as humans treating sentient robots as second-class citizens, Elves vs. Dwarves, Fur Against Fang.

So it's no surprise that many fantastic racists have a wide vocabulary of fictional slurs to use against robots, vampires, etc. Can be very Does This Remind You of Anything? at times.

When this happens during times of war or other armed conflict, see Nicknaming the Enemy.

Compare Pardon My Klingon.

This is the Super-Trope to the following tropes:

Examples of Fantastic Slurs include:

Anime and Manga

  • In Gundam Earth Federation soldiers call the Zeon "Zeeks" and Zeon soldiers call the Federation "Feddies".
    • While Spacenoid is in fact the in-universe term for people who live in space colonies or on the moon, the Titans use it as a slur. This doesn't carry over to the word Earthnoid for space-dwellers.
    • There are also Oldtypes, typically used in contrast to Newtypes, though occasionally it's used with the connotation of "a selfish, narrow-minded, outdated fool who refuses to evolve".
    • Furthermore, in Gundam Seed the Earth Aliance soldiers call the space-faring ZAFT soldiers "Space monsters". Classy.
  • Code Geass: Citizens of the defeated Japan are called "Elevens" by everyone affiliated with the Holy Britannian Empire, to go along with the whole stripped-of-their-national-identity treatment the Empire put on them (occupied Japan is simply called "Area 11"). Likewise with every other country that has been numbered.
    • The Japanese rebels have their own slur for Britannians, "Buriki-yarou", literally meaning "tin-plated bastards" (a reference to their use of Knightmare Frames to invade Japan and other nations) as well as punning off the similarity in the two words. This was Lost in Translation in both subs and the official dub.
  • The saiyans in Dragonball Z were often called monkeys when being taunted by Freeza and his underlings.
  • In Svetlana Chmakova's Nightschool series, vampires are affectionately nicknamed "Nozzies" by the local hunter guilds. They usually get called "Buffies" in return, especially when they feel like the hunters are harassing vampires who were just minding their own business out of nothing but Fantastic Racism.


Comic Books

  • In Top Ten, robots are sometimes referred to as 'clickers', a term that carries the same connotations as the N-word does in the real word. They prefer "Ferro-Americans" or "Post-organics."
    • Although that doesn't stop "scrap" musicians from using it in their songs...
    • A lesser slur than "clicker" was "spambo", which carries connotations of both "sambo" and "oreo"; Like a can of SPAM luncheon meat, it's metal on the outside, meat on the inside.
    • Vampires are much the same. One vampire character insists that he's "a Hungarian-American with an inherited medical condition."
  • Of course, there's X-Men, where mutants are referred to as "muties". Genoshans coin the term "genejoke."
    • Also from the X-Books, "flatscan" (presumably a mutant detector with an oscilloscope interface would remain a flat line) and [evolutionary] "dead end" are the derogatory terms for regular humans from the mutant POV.
    • In New X-Men, Stuff, a shapeshifting member of the Shi'ar Imperial Guard, is reprimanded by a colleague for using the slur "solid-oids" against non-shapeshifters; apparently this sort of bigotry is common enough where they come from that there's even a term for it — "morphism."
    • And in the House of M Alternate Continuity, where mutants are the ruling class and humans are the persecuted minority, humans are referred to as "sapes"(short for Sapiens).
    • In the Age of X... shared hallucination thingy, mutants referred to humans as "preaks". Because they are what came before.
  • Blade usually calls vampires "suckheads".
  • Aaron Stack's favorite term for humans is "fleshy ones".
  • In Friday the 13th: Jason vs. Jason X robots are called "wind-ups".
  • In Fables, non-magical folks are referred to as mundanes or more commonly "mundies" however in on issue during a dream sequence about what should happen if the mundanes ever found out about the Fables non-magicals come up with their own slur for Fables "Meevils" (short for Medieval people due to the serious difference in technology between the Fable homelands and Earth.)
  • In Dead Eyes Open, the derogatory name for the Returners is "Deadies."
  • Volgans in ABC Warriors refer to humans as 'floppies'.
  • In Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Promise Firebenders are called "ash makers" by residents of the Earth Kingdom who want them out.


Fan Works

  • Jacob in Luminosity and other werewolves use the word "leech" for vampire when they aren't being Mind Controlled. Complete with a Last-Second Word Swap when Jake realizes he's about to use the term in front of some vampires who are on his side.
  • Tons in With Strings Attached:
    • The Idris call noncombatants “fodder” (e.g., streetfodder).
    • Similarly, Jeft calls gaming characters with no chance for survival “fertilizer.”
    • Grynun calls elves “dung on legs.”
    • Lyndess scornfully calls Terdan a “Foot-Arm,” implying that though he is an Arm (the second highest rank in the Idris), he fetches and carries like a lowly Foot.
    • The harveys do not like being called “rabbits” or “bunnies” and are quick to correct John when he innocently calls them that.
    • Varx refers to Jeft as a “highgrav,” or big drag.
    • The Hunter calls gay men “shameful female-men.”
  • In Summer Days and Evening Flames, Gilda, a griffin, gets called a "half-breed". By a pegasus.
  • In Legend of the Crimson Avatar a Naruto AU/Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover, firebenders with extremely weak, low temperature fire are called Rose Flames due to the blood red color. Rose Flames struggle to produce even orange fire in combat and no Rose Flame has ever attained certification as a Master, relegating anyone unfortunate enough to be one to a life of ridicule. The AU Naruto happens to be a Rose Flame, and the first time he tries to look cool lighting his fist on fire, everybody laughs at him.
  • Doug Sangnoir of Drunkard's Walk, a metahuman who tends to regard normal humans with a certain amount of disdain, refers to them as "crunchies".


Film

  • The Replicants in Blade Runner often referred to as "skinjobs." In the original version with the Harrison Ford voice-overs, it's explicitly stated that the term is the equivalent of the N-word for replicants.
  • In Willow, Nelwyns are derisively referred to as "pecks."
  • The Alien race in District 9 is referred to as "prawns" by the humans.
  • In I Robot, Detective Spooner (Will Smith) calls robots "canners," presumably short for "can opener."
  • The Bug from Men in Black refers to humans as "milksuckers" and "monkey boys".
  • The Na'Vi of Avatar are called "blue monkeys" by corporate or military bigots.
    • Plus, here in Real Life, they are often called Smurfs by anyone watching the movie.
  • The Coneheads refer to humans as "bluntskulls."
  • In Casper, the Ghostly Trio refer to humans (or rather, living humans) as "fleshies".
  • Blade referred to vampires in one of his catch-phrases as "suckheads".
  • Switch of The Matrix at one point calls Neo, at the time still unplugged, a "coppertop".
  • The knights in King Arthur call the Picts "Woads" (with Word of God that this name is meant to be a slur).
  • Robots older robots models are called "outmodes".


Literature

  • "Buggers" in Ender's Game. Formally called "Formics"
    • Also "piggies" in Speaker For The Dead, though that's much less insulting than buggers.
      • Er, maybe not. "Piggies" refers to the native inhabitants of the planet (Lusitania) that Ender goes to in Speaker, and isn't really meant to be all that insulting.
  • "Mudblood" is a slur frequently used for Muggle-born wizards in the Harry Potter series, implied to be on par with the N word in terms of nastiness. By contrast, "Muggle" is simply an identifier for non-magical folk, though certain wizards do use it in a patronizing or condescending manner. This a fault with the wizards in question, not the term itself. And if you're not of Muggle blood but sympathize with Muggles and Muggle-borns anyway, you're a "blood traitor".
    • Werewolves, mermaids, centaurs and half-giants are called "half-breeds" by the same sort of bigots. While there's no interspecies breeding involved for the first three, it's probably because they appear to be half-human, half something else.
  • In Discworld, dwarfs are occasionally called "lawn ornaments" and gritsuckers.
    • Trolls take offense at being called "rocks".
    • Also, the undead and related (vampires, werewolves, bogeymen) sometimes refer to humans as "Normos" (short for 'normal'), as seen with Shlimazel the bogeyman in Hogfather.
    • Conservative dwarfs call those dwarfs who dare to openly show signs of femininity "Ha'ak". No translation is given, but it's very clearly not a nice word (the target's troll friend threatened to kill the offender if he heard it used again). It turns out later it's not just an insult for the openly feminine, or conservative vs. liberal: a rather progressive dwarf says it to an arch-conservative adversary in Thud.
      • Other slurs referring to those showing undwarfly conduct include "Dr'zka" and "D'hrarak". The former means you have a lax approach to dwarfish behaviour and such; the latter means an exile who has been cast out of dwarf society by the Low King.
        • Th dwarf word drudak'ak, while it isn't precisely a slur (but is somewhat unkind, judging by the way Carrot hesitates to use it), means something like "They who do not get out in the fresh air enough" and refers to dwarfs who are excessively conservative; generally, the dwarfs that this applies to are rather inclined to believe that the surface is a bad dream of some sort that will go away if they ignore it hard enough.
    • The Librarian gets very upset at being called a "monkey." He's an ape, thank you.
    • There seem to be inter-undead slurs too, Lady Margolotta once referred to werewolves as "doggies".
  • In Nemesis, by Isaac Asimov, there is still some latent racism in twenty-third century human society. However, rather than use the present-day racial slurs, Asimov makes up his own, such as Euro, Afro, Hindo, and Mongo. These slurs are treated as being just as offensive as the Real Life ones.
  • In the Poul Anderson-Gordon Dickson Hoka story "Joy in Mudville", a reptilian alien calls the protagonist a "slimeless conformation of boned flesh", provoking him to reflect that nonhumanoid insults are seldom meaningful to humanoids (and presumably vice versa). "It did not offend him at all to be told he was slimeless."
  • In Christopher Anvil's Pandora'sPlanet, the Centran commander of Earth deliberately encourages his soldiers to call the natives "puff-skulled, hairless, flatnosed lop-tails". Only the last part seems to stick. There is no mention of Earthmen calling the Centrans anything in particular, despite noting their resemblance to lions.
  • In the Drake Majistral books, self-styled "pro-human" groups call the Khosali "rats" — although their marked canine appearance and traits makes this strangely inappropriate.
  • In some of the Shadowrun novelizations, British call orks "baldricks"—probably a reference to the Blackadder character.
  • The Fairies from Artemis Fowl call humans "mud people."
  • In Karin Lowachee's Warchild Series, "strit" for the striviirc-na aliens and "symp" for human sympathizers (like the protagonist and his mentor).
  • The werewolves in Twilight have called the vampires "leeches" and "bloodsuckers" and a few others I've forgotten. The vampires tend to use "dog" like a slur as well.
    • Common amongst lit and such that involves vampires and werewolves. Or anything that eats blood or is Lupine, really.
      • Rashel refers to vampires as "leeches" and werewolves as "puppies" in The Chosen.
  • The now ubiquitous term Toon started out as a slur term for cartoon characters in the novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?. (Note the similarity between slurs like coon or cohn) The movie adaptation Who Framed Roger Rabbit? still uses it in this sense, although not as blatantly.
    • "Toon" was supposed to be a slur?
  • In Isaac Asimov's Robot novels, the people who live on Earth refer to robots as "boy". There's also the mutual distinction and disdain between Earthers and "Spacers".
  • In the Star Wars Expanded Universe, the Yuuzhan Vong are repeatedly referred to simply as "Vong" until they get to explain that using just that part of the name implies that the person is without the favor of the gods. Some people go on using it; others begin calling them "scarheads" for their badge-of-honor bodily mutilations.
    • Among many others: Wooks (Wookiees), Pigs (Gamorreans), Tailheads (Twi'lek), Slugs (Hutts), Bug-eyes (Rodians), Hammerheads (Ithorians; though probably not intended as an insult, they don't like it), Fish (any aquatic species), Bugs (any insectoid species, but perticularly Geonosians), Tinnies, Clankers, Machines (droids), Meatbags, Wets (organic beings), Indigs (natives of any planet), Aliens (non-Humans in general; sometimes treated as an insult, others not), Imp (anyone who works for the Empire, especially Stormtroopers; presumably short for Imperial). "Sith" is often spoken like a curse even though it's the name of an organization. Ditto for "Jedi." I'm sure there are more. "Rimkin" is a slur referring to anyone who lives in the Outer Rim.
  • Battlefield Earth has the Psychlos universally refer to humans as "Man-Animals". Creativity is not a Psychlo's strong suit.
    • Creativity? While you were still learning to SPELL YOUR NAME I was being bred to conquer galaxies!
  • In Harry Turtledove's Worldwar, the Race quickly takes to calling humans Big Uglies. Humanity responds by coining Lizards to refer to the Race.
  • In Kim Newman's Anno Dracula series, as vampires spread across America, a California diner has a sign saying "No Vipers".
    • In the first novel, with a vampire aristocracy ruling Britain, "warm" gets used as a derogorary term for the living. Those who object to the vampire rule call them "leeches".
  • Mary Gentle's Grunts has elves referred to "squeakies." This may refer to the sounds they make when the hulking orcs who're the main characters bear-hug — or sometimes rape — elves to death.
  • A science fiction short story had "google" as a slur for the genetically-enhanced space people (they have large eyes). Of course, this was before "google" meant "web search".
  • One of Andre Norton's earliest books (Star Rangers/The Last Planet) had "Bemmy" — apparently derived from the movie slang B.E.M., "bug-eyed monster," as a generic insult for nonhumans. She got Anvilicious with it to the point of including "Bemmy-lover" as an insult for any human who hung out with them.
    • "Bem" is similarly used in the space-opera segments of Piers Anthony's Bearing an Hourglass, as human slang for the alien "Bug-Eyed Monsters" who are mankind's rivals for control of the galaxy. Inverted and parodied, in that these same aliens insist that "Man" is a racial slur they invented for human beings ("Multi-Appendaged Numbskull", or possibly something nastier).
    • B.E.M. is also used as an insult by a human de-frosted from stasis in Strata by Terry Pratchett. The insult is so archaic that only one person there, an alien historian, gets what it means; the one other human present is clueless.
  • Most of the human characters in Uller Uprising by H. Beam Piper refer to Ullerans as "geeks" — except the Kragans, their closest native allies. The Ullerans, in turn, call the humans "sudabitt", the closest they can get to "son of a b*tch".
    • Even the Kragans take to calling all-natives-but-Kragans "geek".
  • In Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space series, Yellowstonian Demarchists call Conjoiners "spiders" and rogue Demarchists, Skyjacks and Ultras "zombies". The "spider" nickname was also used by the Coalition for Neural Purity seen in the chronologically earliest installments of the series. Conjoiners refer to baseline humans as "the retarded".
  • The Biopunk book Forests Of The Night by S. Andrew Swann features Morey, short for the uplifted animal Moreaus, and Franks, short for the genetically enhanced human Frankensteins. As the protagonist tends to be a Noble Bigot With A PI Badge in a Crapsack World, it's never clear if there's a polite term, but the few 'good' people we run into avoid them completely.
  • The RCN Series series adopted a racist term from English — "wog" — with the alteration that it no longer has anything to do with skin color. In the eyes of Cinnabar's spacers, you can be whatever race or ethnicity (including as blond, blue-eyed, and whiter than white as a Nazi's wet dream), but you're still a wog if you're not from Cinnabar. In one book, Alliance spacers refer to members of a barbaric (but still space-traveling and high-tech) culture as "monkeys." And Leary's servant Hogg is capable of being even more insular:

Daniel suspected that in the right context, Hogg might use "wog" to describe anybody who hadn't been born and raised on the Bantry estate.

  • In Ursula K. Le Guin's The Word For World Is Forest, the human slur for the Athsheans is "creechies".
  • There's a fair bit of prejudice against the fruits of cross-kinded couplings in Shadows of the Apt (though people have no trouble with the couplings themselves), derogatory terms include "halfway" and "piebald". "Halfbreed" is occasionally used with some venom, too, although it seems to be the generally-accepted term.
  • In the Disney Fairies series, fairies refer to humans as "Clumsies."
  • The very not so fantastic "Nought", "Cross", "Blanker", "Dagger", "Halfer" in Noughts and Crosses".
  • "Flatheads", for Shanka, in The First Law trilogy.
  • In Stationery Voyagers, Mosquatlons are referred to as "Vamps" and "Buggers" by their opposition. The Aviatets, their ancient rivals, are part-canary. But they are often referred to as "turkey buzzards" or "turkeys," or more rarely, "feathercluckers."
    • Whiteouts, Mikloche Warriors specifically, are referred to as "flashlights" by the Aviatets. "Glow Stick of Doom" is used by other Stationeries.
    • The Xylien Society could best be described as Space Navajo The Men in Black with Magitek. But they live in an underground city of eternal night, so they're sometimes called "goth pens," even though not all of them are pens (and not all of them wear black.)
    • Grimplites, which look like green plastic army men, are sometimes called "leprechauns" by their detractors in Stationery society.
    • Calling a female Gel Pen a "jelly baby" is on par with calling her a whore. Which is especially offensive in their culture, where fornication is much less accepted than on Mantith. (Not as offensive if male Gel Pens use it.)
    • Up Pens sometimes refer to Down-Pens as "Upside-Downers."
    • Pencils are called "sticks," and Mechanical Pencils are "mechies." The later don't consider their term as too terribly offensive. The former resent their slur quite a lot.
    • Erasers are sometimes called "Erase-ed," due to their low fertility rates and status with being disproportionately targeted for extinction by Yehtzigs. Erasaxo finds himself the last one in existence.
    • Markers, Felts, Highlighters, and the like are sometimes called "the swipes."
  • Tamora Pierce has fairly generic slurs used against non-white people in her Tortall Universe (e.g. "sand lice" for the Arab-analagous Bazhir), and the Circle of Magic books introduce the word kaq, which is... confusing. We're told first that it's used by the Tsaw'ha or Traders to refer to non-Traders, that it's very insulting, and that its main connotation is ignorance of the superior Trader way of life. Trader-ness seems to be an ethnic and/or cultural designation rather than a racial one; the only Traders whose races we're told are black, but there's an ambiguous reference to the notion of a white Trader as if it wouldn't be remarkable, and we meet plenty of black people who aren't Traders. So it appears it's more an issue of cultural xenophobia than of racism. The main Trader character, Daja, soon stops using it about the other three protagonists as they become Fire-Forged Friends, but continues thinking of other non-Traders whom she doesn't like as kaqs, apparently feeling no obligation to stop thinking along generalized lines—and her non-Trader friends adopt it for similar use against people who piss them off, as if it only means "ignorant person" and has no demographic associations. So who the hell knows what's going on there.
  • In Gone (novel), the words "freaks", "mutants", "muties", "mutant freaks", "moofs", and "chuds" are all used as slurs for "kids who have mutated and developed supernatural powers".
  • In the Star Trek Novel Verse, "Singleton" is a terrible slur in the Bynar culture, signifying one who is unfit for bonding with another; a rejected person. To the Bynars, who (almost) always operate in pairs, this is the ultimate insult. In the Starfleet Corps of Engineers series, the character "Solomon" is on the receiving end of such abuse due to his decision not to take another mate upon the death of his partner.
    • In John M. Ford's Klingon novels, the ultimate, unforgiveable, kill-the-insulter-to-redeem-your-honor insult you can call a Klingon is tokhe straav' -- "willing slave".
  • The Wise Man's Fear gives us "ravel," a slur against the Edema Ruh race to which the protagonist belongs.
  • Mario Acevedo's Felix Gomez series has "blunt tooth" as a vampire term for humans.
  • Vampires in Fevre Dream refer to humans as "cattle."
  • Vampires in Christopher Farnsworth's novels refer to humans as "the stock", short for "livestock."
  • The Valley of Horses introduces 'Flathead' as an insult for Neanderthals.
  • In Robert Asprin's Myth Adventures, natives of the dimension of Perv are "Pervects." Anyone referring to them as "Perverts" may expect a dose of percussive education to correct them.
  • Lee Crabb, in Dinotopia has a tendency to refer to the saurians as 'scalies'.
  • The Uglies 'verse has 'crumblies' for older people.
  • The worst insult in Guardians of Ga'Hoole is "wet pooper", related to the owls' looking down on birds that don't produce pellets.
  • In the 'Rowan of Rin' series, the people of Rin call the Travellers 'slips,' after the 'slip-daisy' weed, because of their carefree nature, which is deemed useless by the serious, hard working people of Rin.
  • One of the books in the Crisis of Empire series (outlined by David Drake, each book actually written by a different author) had the main character organize an elite guard unit integrating humans with another species known as Cernians. The human slur for Cernian was "troll." The newly-appointed Cernian commander got the unit off to a good start when he gave his first order, "Pair off. One troll to one guwat." "Guwat" was the Cernian slur for humans, translating roughly as "tall pile of feces." After a moment of startled tension, all the soldiers thought it was funny.


Live Action TV

  • In Greg the Bunny, the slur of choice against "Fabricated-Americans" (essentially Muppets) is to call them "socks."
  • "God hates fangs."
    • "Fanger" is also used for vampires, while "fangbanger" is used for either people in some sort of relationship with a vampire or just generally anyone sympathetic to them (by the more fanatical detractors).
  • "Greenskins" for female Orions in Star Trek.
    • An inorganic lifeform calls humans "ugly bags of mostly water" in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Home Soil."
    • The Andorian commander Shran refered to humans as "pinkskins" on Star Trek: Enterprise.
      • Weirdly, as there were Vulcans of the same skin color in the room and it clearly didn't apply to them.
      • However, Shran's use of "pinkskin" was less as an insult and more as a term of endearment, especially with regards to Archer.
    • What about McCoy's frequent "green blooded hobgoblin" rants?
    • Another Trek one—in the Expanded Universe, Klingons are sometimes referred to as "turtleheads" or "ridgeheads".
    • Deep Space Nine: "Spoonheads" or "Cardies" for Cardassians.
  • Space: Above and Beyond has "Chiggers" or "Chigs" for the insectoid enemy species and "Nipplenecks" or "Tanks" for the In Vitros. (Artificial Humans). In one episode, a Silicate informs one of the human characters that the Chig nickname for humans is similarly unflattering (meaning something along the lines of "red, stinking things"), but is hard to pronounce.
  • "Dagger" for Dagwood's people in SeaQuest DSV.
  • Stargate: "Snakeheads" or simply "snakes" for the Goa'uld.
  • Babylon 5: "Bonehead" for Minbari among humans, and "Snakehead" as a generic term for non-humans. Interestingly, this seems to be a human thing, as none of the often equally racist aliens bother to come up with these kinds of slurs for humans, or each other.
    • Bonehead still has its original meaning, which led to a few awkward situations.
  • Ultraviolet uses "leech" for vampires.
  • Battlestar Galactica Reimagined has "toaster" for the Cylons in general, and "bullethead" for the Centurions. Humanoid Cylon models are often referred to as "skinjobs" (a shout-out to Blade Runner, as mentioned in the "Film" section).
    • It was mentioned once, in "Bastille Day" by Zarek, that humans from Sagittaron get called "stumps".
    • In Caprica, humans from Tauron are called "dirt eaters". The word "monad" also appears to be used as a somewhat derogatory term for monotheists.
  • In both the film and TV series Alien Nation, Newcomers are frequently called "slags".
    • The Newcomers, in turn, often call humans "terts".
  • In The Sarah Connor Chronicles, future-humans often refer to Terminators as simply "metal" in a tone that certainly sounds like a species-insult. As in "you had metal running a submarine?"
  • Farscape: Rygel's frequent "blue-arsed bitch" rants at/about Zhaan may or may not qualify, depending on whether the phrase is any more widely used than by him. Many characters refer to him as a "slug" when they're particularly angry with him, and a one-shot villain calls him a "slime toad" and "slime finger".
  • In Supernatural, angels refer to humans as "mud-monkeys"
  • The Muppet Show: Rowlf is disgruntled about having to play the song "Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me a Bow-Wow" in one episode. He says that for him as a dog, it's humiliating to be called a "bow-wow".


Tabletop RPG

  • In Shadowrun settings, or other cyberpunk, Elves are called "keebs" (from Keebler Elves) or "dandelion eaters" as a slur.
    • Humans refer to Orks and Trolls, collectively, as "Trogs". Not to be out-done, the Orks call Humans "Breeders" and humans/elves/dwarves in general "squishies". Orks are also called "tuskers". Elves and elf posers are also called "fairies" (Yes, it implies that all elves are gay).
    • "Troglodyte" is a generic insult for anyone accused of being primitive, and also applies to cave-dwellers.
    • Dwarves are "squats" or "halfers". And a dragon is "wizworm"
  • In Werewolf: The Apocalypse, werewolves call vampires "leeches," and the vampires (among others) call the werewolves "dogs." The werewolves also have Fantastic Slurs for each other -- "apes" and "monkeys" for those with human parents, "ferals" for those with wolf parents, and "mules" for those whose parents are both werewolves, and who are therefore sterile.
  • In another White Wolf example, the superhero roleplaying game Aberrant was titled after an in-setting slur—the superhumans of the setting were more politely referred to as "novas," but those distrustful of them (and some novas out to reclaim the term) use "aberrant." By the time of far-flung sequel Trinity (which was released first), though, the novas were commonly referred to as aberrants.
    • On the other side of the coin, the term "baseline" specifies a person who is incapable of achieving Eruption (becoming a Nova), but quickly got co-opted as a slur against unerupted humans in general. "You wouldn't comprehend, you're just a baseline."
  • Warhammer Fantasy Battle has stunties (dwarfs), pointies (elves), and manlings (humans).
    • Lizardmen call Skaven something that roughly translates to "twisted spawn of the rat". Mind you, this is an entirely accurate description.
      • On the other side of the coin, Skaven refer to just about everything else as "X-Thing" (Man-Thing, Dwarf-Thing, Dead Thing, etc...)
      • One sourcebook has a Skaven map which uses the Skaven vernacular, in which the Chaos Wastes, populated if at all by mutant monstrosities, is labeled "Thing-Things".
  • Warhammer 40,000 - psychics call normal humans "blunts" (and are themselves "witches,", "warpfreaks," or "madboys.")
    • Navigators, who are raised as nobles and can see the warp, have been known to refer to normal humans as "blinders."
    • Techpriests of the Adeptus Mechanicus also do this to normal humans. At least one has been heard to call them 'meatbags.' Techpriests in turn are often called 'cogboys' or some other name referring to their heavy use of artificial limbs/organs.
      • According to the Ciaphas Cain novels, the term cogboy is actually one of the less degrading names the imperial guard gives to the techpriests, so it should be no surprise they don't have much positive opinions from normal people.
    • Non-humans are referred to by the Imperium as "xenos", "xeno" in the singular, a nouning of the Greek-derived prefix.
    • Orks are referred to by humans as "greenskins". Orks call humans "'umies," though this is probably just because they can't pronounce the word correctly. Orks also refer to Tau as "greyskin", and Eldar as "pointy-eared gits" or "panzees". Ork insults usually aren't of the most creative kind.
    • And the Eldar call the humans Mon-keigh. Subtle.
      • There are many more. Maybe the most polite is the Tau "Gue'la,", strictly meaning "lowest rank of human." To the tau, all beings have a name and a rank, and "la" is the lowest rank given to any member of a particular tau caste (such as a private in an army). "Gue'la" is only used on imperial humans: Humans who defect to the Tau get called "Gue'vesa" ("vesa" meaning 'helper'), and may have "'la" added to that if they join Tau society as soldiers.
  • The GURPS Supers IST setting has some Smug Supers refer to nonsupers as "crunchies" due to their frailness.
    • GURPS Bio-Tech has a vignette in which an uplifted gorilla refers to "napes:" naked apes. He apologises.
  • In Rifts, the most common term for the manyfold races coming to Earth from the rifts is "D-Bees." (Dimensional Beings.)
    • Is this used as a slur? Doesn't sound like it. More like a technical description.
      • That's the use I saw, it's a simple descriptor, accepted by everyone. Though, like "Jew" mentioned above, there's probably a big difference in the way it's said depending on whether or not it's being said by a Cyber-Knight or a Coalition soldier.
  • The Deadlands: Lost Colony setting introduces the anouks who inhabit a planet named Banshee; humans who dislike them tend to call them "grape," on account o' their most common skin color. To elaborate further on how far relations between the humans and the anouks have fallen, you get "wine" from pressing a "grape."
  • In Traveller Vargr are sometimes called "doggies" by humans. Other races have their own particular slurs.
    • And interestingly enough Traveller geeks have a collection of metafictional jokes about Vargr. This is almost Defictionalization except it is real people making real slurs about a fictional race.
  • The orcs from the German The Dark Eye are called blackpelts.
  • Dungeons & Dragons
    • Planescape has several, mostly disrespectful nicknames for factions (e.g. Harmonium doesn't appreciate being called "Hardheads", but it stuck for a reason). There are also terms "prime" and "clueless." A prime is someone from the prime material plane (i.e. an actual Earth-like world, such as most regular settings) rather than from Sigil or the outer/inner planes; although technically it's purely descriptive and not derogatory, to some people this implied that the person was rural, uneducated, the "country cousin from out of town". The Clueless, on the other hand, is very much so: it refers to the archetype of people who just don't get how things work out among the planes, think their world is the center of the Multiverse, blithely run with their backward ideas ("believes everything with horns is evil") and sometimes believe they're still back home. Many planars consider all primes to be clueless by default until one joins some or other planar faction, but as wiser ones say, not all Primes are Clueless... and not all Clueless are Primes.
      • The fiends don't like being called "D-words" ("demon" and "devil") typically used by the Clueless... and they aren't exactly renowned for good attitude to begin with.
    • Spelljammer has "Groundling" for people who live on prime worlds but never explore Wildspace or travel via the Phlogiston - i.e. the Space Sailing equivalent of "landlubber".
    • Forgotten Realms got a few. Orcs are "tuskers", for example.
    • Especially the elves, who refer to the rest as "non-People" (more worldly elves talking to those who use it occasionally emphasize "other peoples" to make a point; also, surface elves and drow apply it to each other), then there was "dhaeraow" (black heart, metaphorically a traitor) which got corrupted into "drow" later; occasionally "Vyshaan" (name of the ruling clan mostly responsible for the breakup and decline of elvenkind, and eventually wiped out for this) used as an insult. A certain quarter-elf was called names such as «Biir ("garbage," used by commoner elves) or Zenar ("Less than half," as a nobles' double insult against himself and his half-breed father)»...
    • There are local dishes, too. In Cormyr (and later elsewhere), a "highnose" is someone arrogant, and a "holynose" is a priest who gets high-and-mighty (might range from mildly pejorative to affectionate, but it's impolite to address someone this way). Cormanthyr used to have "White-Hand" as a reference to the army rank tattoo being magically altered upon dishonourable discharge.
  • In Mutant Chronicles Capitol Armed Interdiction Police (riot cops) are sometimes called Apes, implying brutality, single-mindedness and stupidity.

Toys

  • The term "fire-spitter" is sometimes used as a mild insult to a Ta-Matoran in Bionicle, although it's not seen as particularly offensive or "racist."


Video Games

  • In Psychonauts, psychics are sometimes derisively referred to as "Spoon-benders." Much like with real life slurs, however, it's apparently okay for one psychic to call another one a spoon-bender; three main characters say it, one joking, one angry and one serious. Within the psychic community, the implied meaning seems to be 'someone who uses their powers for mundane things/to show off'.
  • "Zombies" is a slur for ghouls in Fallout 3.
    • Super Mutants are often referred to as "Muties" or "Uglies"
    • The ghouls themselves often use the term "smoothskin" for humans, but it's unclear whether this is actually considered a slur; some ghouls say it like one, but others (who don't show any other signs of prejudice against humans) just use it as a synonym for "human".
    • One ghoul you can speak with seems surprised that you don't call him a "Brain-eater" or a "Shuffler".
  • In Mass Effect, calling an asari a "pureblood" is an offensive slur. More specifically, this refers to the child of two Asari, as they can breed with any other species (it increases genetic diversity) and view reproduction within their own race much as humans would view incest, due in part of a possible genetic defect that causes the child to essentially be a Sex Vampire.
    • The ammonia-breathing Volus have to walk around in pressure suits all the time, and regularly wheeze in their speech. Telling one to "take a deep breath" is akin to telling them to kill themselves in an amazingly racist way. Expect a bad reaction, especially since about half of them have a Hair-Trigger Temper.
    • The batarians, a race of four-eyed aliens, are called "blinks" by some people.
    • Quarians are sometimes being called "suit rats" as Tali would attest.
    • Turians have been refered to as "cuttlebones".
    • Hanar take offense at being called "jellyfish".
  • The Avernum series does this a lot. Racial slurs include calling Nephilim (cat people) "kitties" and Slithzerikai "lizards." Avernites get their nationality insulted constantly: "worms" by Empire citizens and "voles" by people from the Abyss.
  • A Darwin Award is reserved for people who get killed for calling Bangaa "Lizards."
  • The native Dunmer of Morrowind occasionally use the term "n'wah" as a slur against foreigners and slaves. (Of course, it does pull double-duty as meaning "foreigner" or "slave.")
    • Argonians will sometimes refer to non-Argonians as "soft-skins" in a derogatory fashion. Conversely, Argonians are called lizards and Khajiit "kitties"; and in Oblivion, every race gets a set of battle cries which specifically insult the other races - a human yelling that their Argonian opponent "will make a fine pair of boots," for example. Also, Khajiit are said to get very upset if you call them unclawed or bald, even if they technically are.
    • Conversely, as seen in Skyrim, Nords (and presumably other races the Dunmer don't get along with) refer to Dunmer as "greyskins".
  • Exclamation: It is a wonder that it took this long for someone to mention those organic meatbags, Master.
  • In Star Control II/The Ur-Quan Masters, a conversation with a species of alien gas-giant dwellers ends with the cheerful exchange: "Goodbye, Slylandro gas bags." "Goodbye, human fluid sack!"
    • May not actually be slurs, though, as the Captain and the Slylandro were obviously teasing each other with that exchange. The Slylandro in general just seem too friendly to have slurs against anyone.
  • Valkyria Chronicles has their Jewish/Gypsy analog Darcsens derisively called "dark hairs" because... They have bluish black hair.
    • This also applies to Valkyrur - Selvaria is frequently referred to as a "witch" even by her own soldiers, and Alicia is treated to a kind of reverse discrimination when Gallian soldiers begin genuflecting her in the canteen.
    • Dark-hair only applies to the English dub. In the Japanese dub, they're simply referred to as 'Darcsen'.
  • In Xenogears, people from the aerial empire of Solaris refer to surface dwellers as -Lambs-.
    • People from Kislev were often called "steam-heads."
  • In Chrono Trigger, citizens of the floating continent of Zeal, when they consider surface dwellers at all, call them "Earthbound."
  • In Dragon Age Origins, elves are known as "knife-ears." And the forest-dwelling Dalish elves call city-living elves "flat-ears." Elves refer to humans as "shems," short for "shemlen" which means quick children.
  • Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn deserves mention for coming up with the most blatant Fantastic Slur ever. Some beorc (humans) actually refer to the laguz (shapeshifting animal-people) as "sub-humans." Also present in the Battle Cry "Bleed The Half-Breed".
  • Neeshka from Neverwinter Nights 2 has been called, among other things, "goat girl".
  • In Wing Commander, 'Hairless ape' is used by Kilrathi on Terrans. Terrans call the Kilrathi "furballs" or "cats" usually.
    • The slur 'Hairless ape' is probably inspired from the Kzinti, who where themselves called 'ratcats' by humans, as their naked tails do resemble those of terran rats.
    • Prophecy gives us "bugs" to refer to the hostile new alien race, with a taunt message for Casey in its sequel Secret Ops referring to them as roaches.
  • Ys VI gives us the Rehda, who look like humans with fox tails and elongated ears. One in particular, who has a hate-on for "Eresians" (humans), calls humans "small-ears". Ruder humans in turn refer to the Rehda as "tailed freaks".
  • In Tiberian Sun, members of GDI are referred to by the mutants as "blunts." Likewise, everyone else calls the mutants themselves "shiners."
  • In the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series, "onion" is a slur used against the Lilty tribe.
  • The "Ender" in Zone of the Enders is a slur basically towards anyone born further from the Sun than you. (Earthlings to Martians, Earthlings and Martians towards Jovians).
  • Killzone features the term, hig, to refer to the Helghast.
  • In Halo the Covenant are sometimes called covies for short.
    • The Forerunners had dirt-beast, their "most obscene slur for anyone not of [their] species". The councilor Splendid Dust calling Glory an idiot might count as well, as the book is supposedly a narrative translated from Forerunner, so the actual word is described as a way to put inferiors in their place (Glory being low in the Forerunner caste system)
    • Also, though in the novels as well as dirt-beast, humans refer to Sangheili as hinge-heads.


Webcomics

  • In Dominic Deegan, Orcs are insultingly referred to as "piggarts."
  • In Girl Genius the Sparks are often called "madboys" or "madgirls". Rarely to their faces, of course.
    • The sparks themselves generally call everyone else "minions." The word isn't offensive in and of itself, but is often made a part of rants against clumsy lab assistants.
    • The "bunch of loonies" inhabiting Mechanicsburgh are known as "Mechaniacs", though so far it's not clear whether it's universally pejorative or only in a right context.
  • Drowtales: 'Drowhiir' (an impolite term for drowussu or grey drow), and 'Sick Bestiality Fetish' (said of a male drow who finds human women sexually attractive) are both used in-story.
  • In Ugly Hill, cyclops monsters are referred to as "winks."
  • In The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob, the insectoid Nemesites will sometimes use "vertebrate" in a derogatory fashion.
  • As seen in the page quote, Celia (a sylph native to the Elemental Plane of Air) objects to being called an airhead in The Order of the Stick.
    • Hobgoblins are also called "hobbos" by Durkon during the battle for Azure City.
      • And some hobgoblins refer to goblins as "greenskins".
  • In Planes of Eldlor, "fallen" is one of the most common slurs used to refer to dark elves.
  • In Poharex, the dinosaurs use the word "human" as an insult.
  • In Impure Blood, freak lovers—to be sure, the men he took down were stalking him to taunt him with the same thing.
  • In Homestuck, trolls right at the very bottom of their blood-colour based social structure are called 'rustbloods'. The more neutral term is 'lowblood'.
  • In A Mad Tea Party, genetically engineered people are derisively labeled "Genie."
  • In The Dreadful, half-demons are a fairly common humanoid race, but they're second-class citizens and get called "Pinky" or even "Blueberry" after their reddish skin.
  • In Our Little Adventure, drow use "sunnies". One explains that it's an insult.

Web Original

  • Tales of MU has several, including "pinkskins" for humans and "treefuckers" for elves. Unconventionally, "drow" is a slur for dark elves, along with "cowl head" and "spider jockey". The inhabitants of the non-human dorm, Harlowe Hall, are collectively referred to as "harlots".
  • Red vs. Blue has Gary the computer who calls humans "shisnos" one of the greatest insults in the galaxy.

Gary: "What is the worst smelling animal on your planet?"
Church: "Erm... A skunk. Wait, so 'shisno' mean skunk?"
Gary: "Not exactly. Does a skunk defecate?"
Church: "Yes."
Gary: "And does the skunks defecation in turn create its own excrement?"
Church: "Eww... No!"
Gary: "Then there is no equivalent for shisno in your language."
Church: "Gross..."
Gary: "Like you would not believe!"

    • Several other characters use the word "shisno" as well. Sometimes as a slur, and sometimes in the context of "ah, shit".
  • In Kid Radd, or rather in its fanbase that literally no longer exists (due to the combined factors of it ending six years ago, being barely readable in modern browsers, and too much spam on the forums), black-and-white video game characters were called Gids, which was shortened from Game Kids, which was a parody name of Game Boys.
  • Orion's Arm has several of these, including Beastheads to refer to Rianths.
  • The term "serpent" is considered to be a very offensive term (roughly equal to the N-word) for snakes in the Darwin's Soldiers universe.
  • Tasakeru has the slurs "stinktails" for skunks, "stains" for wolfoxes, and "snake", used by the squirrels as a vicious insult.
  • Uncouth humans in The Pentagon War refer to Centaurians as "xorns."


Western Animation

  • As Fantastic Racism is a key theme of the show, Exo Squad uses two distinct terms for Neosapiens: "Sape" as a slur, and "Neo" as a neutral descriptor. It's also notable that "Terran" is used by many Neosapiens on either side (both Marsala and Phaeton use it) to refer to non-Neosapiens, as Neosapiens are engineered from human DNA and are thus human as well, yet you'll hear non-Neosapiens (on either side) refer to themselves as "human".
  • Bender from Futurama often refers to humans as "meatbags" as well as various other insults.

Bender: Are you familiar with the old robot saying Does Not Compute!?
Old Man Waterfall: Sir, to me a robot is just a trash can with sparks.
Bender: *upset* The sparks keep me warm.

  • In Star Wars the Clone Wars, the clonetroopers call droids "clankers".
    • Which is taken from the game Republic Commando. The accompanying books also give us "Tinnies" and "Wets," to refer to any organic enemy.
      • They also call Twi'leks "tailheads." Bad pun on "towelheads," or unintentional? You decide!
  • The Fairly OddParents has "conedomes" for Pixies.
    • Don't forget Jorgan von Strangle's ever-so-creative, "pointy-headed freaks."
  • Justice League Unlimited: In the episode "Hunter's Moon," Vigilante calls the Thanagarians "filthy hawks." I think that's the only time it's used, but the way it's said make it sound like "hawks" is a racial/species slur.
  • On Teen Titans, it is revealed that Tamaranians are often refered to as "Troq" by other species. When Cyborg asks what it means, Starfire comments that "It means nothing". Only later, when he calls her that, does he realize it literally means "nothing."
  • Transformers sometimes refer to humans as 'insects' (despite humans not being insects), although obviously not when they transform into insects. Also, the term 'mudflap' is roughly analogous to 'bumpkin'.
    • Some Decepticons have been heard referring to humans by the common "robot's anti-human term" of Fleshling. "Squishy" and "puny flesh creature" are also favorites.
  • As a series where Fantastic Racism is one of the main themes, Shadow Raiders has plenty of these. Some of the most common include "rockhounds" for the people of Rock, "toad" and "reptile" for Bone (or at least Femur), "hothead" and "lavahead" for Fire, and "ice fleas" & "insects" for the people of Ice.
  • The Family Guy Parody Episode "Something, Something Dark Side" had "nerf herder".
  • South Park gives us the time-traveling Goobacks.
  • Ugly Americans refers to zombies as "Leg Draggers"
  • On My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon call their classmates who haven't gotten their cutie marks yet 'Blank Flanks'. Ironically, they appropriated the term from their teacher, Cheerilee, who wasn't using it as an insult.
    • Truth in Television: Almost without fail, slurs started out as either innocuous descriptors without negative connotation (like "stupid", which once meant "in a stupor", so a term for someone drunk or concussed rather than unintelligent) or descriptors which did have a negative connotation, but weren't meant to be used as insults (like "retard", which used to just mean "someone who is retarded", the then-acceptable term for someone with a mental disability). And it's not something that's stopped happening either; "LD" (for "learning disability") is starting to pick up as a playground insult.
  • One particularly Anvilicious episode of Rolie Polie Olie had the square character, Billy, feel out of place in a world full of circles. The episode consisted of Rolie and his sister trying to help him fit in. While it ended well for Billy, both of them agreed that triangles didn't deserve to fit in.
  • It's apparently common for three horns in The Land Before Time to call long necks 'flatheads'. Petrie did use the term first not meaning to be insulting. However, Cera was not back with the group to hear him at that time, though she uses the term on her own after running into them. "My father told me that flatheads have very small brains!"
  • In Winx Club (dub version only) , the word "pixie" is used derogatorily by some Cloud Tower students (and staff) when referring to those at Alfea, something the latter clearly does not like. Usually the term was used by the Trix, but occasionally even Griffin let it slip. This was no longer used after Season Two, where actual creatures properly called pixies were introduced.
    This article is issued from Allthetropes. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.