Which is more offensive to you and why?

Nature is more offensive than Giger. I bet not too many know that hyenas give birth to their babies through penises.

http://tvblogs.nationalgeographic.com/2014/01/10/worlds-weirdest-giving-birth-through-a-penis/

 joylitt Thanks for the video- I did not know that until now! I love nature videos and documentaries that delve into things we might not think about.

The question is this- do you think it would be more offensive to show the video or describe it? Granted- the describer would have to be competent.

Well, in this case as you say, a description may be disturbing since you have to fill in the blanks with your imagination. For instance, in the video they tell you that 60% of the offspring dies from suffocation because they are delivered through a tiny conduct. Then your brain makes associations, maybe you remember the agony of a relative who couldn't pass a stone and just the thought of it is enough to make you squirm...

On the other hand, in the case of pictures of real crime scenes, suicide victims and gruesome accidents, no matter how good the description is, it cannot compare to what you experience by looking at the pic. Maybe you can forget about something that you imagined, but you cannot unsee a pic.

Interesting- I suppose it could go either way. I can say from experience that as a kid, I accidentally saw some autopsy photos while helping my dad clean out his desk. They were black and white and stark. I have yet to see something that tops it.

The hyena birth itself was not shown and YT searches gave no videos of the occasion itself. So I imagined what I thought it would look and sound like. I imagined a lot of pain and writhing. 

As stated OP, this is subjective, but we can have discussions and it might be interesting. 

Thanks again for the video!

If you translate all these examples into art, I guess the answer would be that if the art piece is realistic enough, probably a picture will be more disturbing than the description.

Valid point.

Let me conduct a highly and well tested experiment lol!

Which is more disturbing:

For the un initiated:

A- The enterance to the Derelict is an oval shaped entrance

B- Describing that entrance as a bald, blue, dry and cold vaginal opening?

The art itself should never be "described". Art, by definition, is to be interpreted differently by each beholder. That is the nature of true Art, so "descriptions" would NEVER truly convey a piece of Art, and never should try.

You on about the Tail are you not DK ;)

I think it looks like the Creature is playing with some kind of Harp!

DK - I take offense to neither art nor description. The Alien universe is permeated with subtle sensuality which I find most compelling and natural. Life and death, conception and birth, are all parts of a beautiful design refined by the universe for countless billions of years. It might make me less "ladylike" to say it, but I enjoy honest, real expression of desires and dreams. This is what makes us human - free-thinking and autonomous. :)