Chapter 363: Unexpected Encounter (2)
As I may have mentioned before, the most racially discriminatory term you can use against an elf is “pointy ears.”
Elves’ elongated ears are believed to serve as a sacred means of deeper communication with the gods.
Making a mockery of them naturally strikes a nerve. Imagine the extent of this insult: even if I casually joked about it with Arwen, it could spell the end of our relationship. Initially, it might be dismissed as a slip of the tongue or a joke, but after that, there would be no forgiveness.
If this is enough to ruin a romantic relationship, what do you think would happen if it were said to a stranger?
It would not be surprising if the person insulted responded by killing the offender on the spot and was granted leniency for it.
This term is arguably as offensive to elves as the “N-word” is to Black people in human history. “Pointy ears” is the ultimate insult and wound to elves.
However, there is an exception for dark elves.
Since they detest their elven heritage to the point of cutting off their own ears, they are largely indifferent to the term.
On a side note, humans are surprisingly less sensitive to racially discriminatory remarks.