Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. A taunt is a battle cry, a method in hand-to-hand combat, sarcastic remark, or insult intended to make demoralize the recipient, or to anger them and encourage reactionary behaviors without thinking. Taunting can exist as a form of social competition to gain control of the target''s cultural capital (i.e. status). In sociological theory, the control of the three social capitals is used to produce an advantage in the social hierarchy as to enforce one''s own position in relation to others. Taunting is committed by either directly bullying, or indirectly encouraging others to bully the target. It is also possible to give a response of the same kind, to ensure one''s own status. It can be compared to fighting words and trash-talk.