46 Insults So Weirdly Accurate They Might Actually Hurt

Insulting others has become one of society's new favorite sports. We laugh at ordinary people being put down, and pay good money to see celebrities being roasted. It's all in the name of fun. Or at least, it's supposed to be.

Jeff Ross is one of the world's top insult comedians, or roasters. “You really are the ugliest man in America," he once fired at hip-hop icon and reality star Flavor Flav. "I mean, how do you roast charcoal?”

“Man, you have really let yourself boldly go. If Scotty tried to beam you up now you’d break the f*n’ transporter,” he said to William Shatner.

According to Ross, who is known as the Roastmaster General, we only roast the ones we love...

The comedian says he grew up in New Jersey and was "kind of a scrawny kid." Working in his father's catering hall kitchen taught him to literally dish it out and take it. Ross believes that everyone needs a thick skin in order to survive.

"Life is tough. I've been on my own, you know - my parents passed away when I was a teenager, so I had to learn different survival techniques, I think, in comedy," he told WYSO radio. "You know, using comedy as a pressure release, as a release valve in life really kept my sanity."

For Ross, roasting is never about hurting feelings, but rather, making people laugh. And wanting everyone to leave in a good mood.

Izzy Kalman, a Certified School Psychologist and expert on how to deal with bullying agrees that roasting is not meant to do harm.

"Engaging in roasts, whether as insulter or target, is not evil or subversive. It is healthy and fun," he says. "The purpose is not to hurt people but to promote resilience and sense of humor."

You might also like: When people thought they’d get away with it: 42 acts of bad behavior