SD on 24/3/2019 at 03:01
Quote Posted by Starker
The reason people don't use the R-word is not to refrain from offending people, it's because by using a word that refers to a mental disability as a swearword you're stigmatising people with mental disabilities.
I always think it's odd that people who get their knickers in a twist about the word 'retard' never seem to have an issue with words like 'moron' and 'cretin', which also reference mental disabilities.
Renzatic on 24/3/2019 at 03:28
Back in the day they did. Nowadays, those words are rarely ever used in reference to their original meaning, and are instead almost exclusively as an insult.
Starker on 24/3/2019 at 04:59
That's right, and same goes for "idiot" and "imbecile". Words like these have long lost their previous meaning.
However, words like "spastic" are still pretty freshly associated with disabilities and that's why they are deemed to be more offensive as insults.
SubJeff on 24/3/2019 at 09:13
Quote Posted by SD
I always think it's odd that people who get their knickers in a twist about the word 'retard' never seem to have an issue with words like 'moron' and 'cretin', which also reference mental disabilities.
It's an interesting evolution to be sure. I wonder about the same thing. Down Syndrome used to be called "inherited idiocy" and you can find this term in older medical textbooks still.
Language is so odd in that way. Or we are - people I mean. There was a bit of a hoo-ha over the words "fat" and "obese" in relation to people with BMIs over 30. It's not that much, especially these days. If you're 6 feet tall and over 100kg you'll hit that, yet in my gym there are massive jacked guys who definitely meet that criteria. I bet your BMI is close to 30 but I doubt anyone would call you obese (if you've kept up with your old regime).
Nameless Voice on 24/3/2019 at 15:41
Part of the problem with words is that the words get replaced because they've developed too many unpleasant connotations, but the underlying attitudes behind those connotations don't change. That just results in the new, "acceptable" word becoming tainted in turn because people now use that word with the same connotations as the previous one which was replaced.
A valid argument against political correctness is that it just hides the problem rather than actually addressing it... which would be a much, much harder prospect, and probably impossible given the nature of humanity.
icemann on 24/3/2019 at 18:28
The other thing is that words have different meanings in different cultures and countries.
Take thong for example. Here in Australia it's what American's call flip flops (which I think is a terrible replacement), where as in America thong has a completely different meaning. Same goes for many other words. Attitudes towards words is another. Over here Greeks and Italian's commonly call themselves and are often referred as wogs, where as outside of Oz that's a racist term for them (I've spoiler tagged it, due to it's racist meaning elsewhere). From memory it has that change here, as it is used in a positive light as a word of strength.
Azaran on 24/3/2019 at 20:08
Quote Posted by Starker
Words like these have long lost their previous meaning.
People used to ejaculate in church all the time, back when the word had a (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ejaculatory_prayer) very different meaning
jkcerda on 24/3/2019 at 20:51
criminals have access to anything they want. it was nice to see the community rally around each other. there is no punishment harsh enough for the criminals.
Renzatic on 24/3/2019 at 20:58
I'm not 100% on banning guns, but I still think that's a lame as fuck argument. Why don't we apply that logic to everything? Murderers still murder, so why is murder illegal? Sex traffickers still traffick, so why stand in their way? It's all just useless laws. That enforcement doesn't produce absolute results means it's not worth doing at all. Let the perfect be the enemy of the good enough, I say!
jkcerda on 24/3/2019 at 21:05
there are a million laws on the books already, let's enforce those, these people got slaughtered with no cops anywhere to be seen, hell the parkland kids had the POS cops outside waiting for the firing to end......