Quote:
Originally Posted by MissileDog
Gizmo didn't make this up. It's hard enough for people with clinical ******ation to make it in life... they don't need us "norms" demonizing them for our own LOLZ. See R-word.org.
I never know how exactly to feel about this stuff. It's so well-intentioned and so completely futile. There will always be a pejorative meaning 'unintelligent' and whatever official term is adopted will always be co-opted for that purpose. 'Imbecile', 'moron', 'cretin' - these were all, at one time or another, clinical terms. Even 'idiot' was a medical term. And I'd bet 'special needs' is a big hit in the playground these days.
My Left Foot was a big film when I was a kid. And how did we react to this inspirational tale of struggle against and success in spite of crippling cerebral palsy? We started referring to anyone who was obviously disabled as 'a Christy'. Anyone who did or said something dumb was
called a Christy.
The only hope (and it's a razor-thin one) is tackling the underlying attitudes. Fussing over the specific words is just sweeping leaves on a windy day.