SubJeff on 10/9/2009 at 04:10

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I read about it in the Guardian, which is hardly a tabloid.
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/aug/05/health.health)

"Ministers have ruled that letters to parents should not use the words "fat" or "obese" for fear they might stigmatise overweight children and cause families to ignore the results."

and

"Use of the word obese shuts people down. They associate it with 10-tonne mums and half-tonne kids ... We have not banned it, but we have chosen not to use it. There's no point giving them a letter that does not have any impact on their behaviour."

So there is more than one aspect to it. The PC bit is still there.

FYI I never used the word "banned", I said "suggested we stopped using".

Renault on 10/9/2009 at 05:02

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Ok, now for an opposing viewpoint - please bear with me here.

I am not a bleeding heart liberal, political correct asshole, whatever. I hate that shit, ok? But I have a niece with down syndrome. I used to apply and use the words "retard" and "retarded" for just about anybody who did something stupid, fucked up, or completely idiotic. Everyone has done it, likely dozens or more times.

People here love to joke around and say "nigga please" and all sorts of derivations. But in a real life conversation, when you're not hiding behind some username on an anonymous message board, would you ever bust out the word "nigger" in a casual conversation over dinner, no matter if you were talking about African Americans or not? Not likely, because it's just a really offensive and ugly word.

Retard/retarded is like that. At least, it is if you know someone who it could apply to literally. Trust me on this. You look at this shit in a whole different way.

I'm just bringing it up because I feel strongly about it. While you're busy criticizing the people who you think are going too far, or being too PC or whatever, just consider how you might feel if it was personally connected to you in some way. Hell, I still slip once in a while and use these words, but I feel like shit afterwards when I do. You can say they're just words, but they do have an impact on people.

Btw, here's a pic of my niece, Emma. Great kid, with a huge personality, and all smiles. She's dealt with a lot of shit so far in her short 5 year life, including 2 open heart surgeries, and eating every meal thus far through a tube.

http://www.southquarter.com/emma.jpg

OK, fire away, and don't hold back.

Renault on 10/9/2009 at 05:13

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Yeah, but I get to play the role of the "that guy" who inevitably would post a picture of a person with "intellectual disabilities" just to gain some sympathy. Oh well.

Martin Karne on 10/9/2009 at 06:43

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But she is a cute little girl and we never would insult a kid with down syndrome, retard is a word used for other instances and to insult kids or persons with real mental disabilities, is like screaming "BLIND" at a blind person, you never actually would do that.

Queue on 10/9/2009 at 12:07

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Just as an aside, my grandmother called my grandfather "nigger" all the time. She'd say things like, "Nigger, pass the biscuits," or "What are you talking about, nigger?". I can't determine if it's the fact they were just ignorant folk from the very deep south (poor share-croppers picking cotton in Mississippi), if it was a term of endearment (as my wife has called me nigger, too--but I think see hates me), or if it's the fact that there's one in the wood-pile somewhere.

Or...

It could be going back to what "nigger" actually means - a lazy person - and has only become ugly and offensive by one's sense of connotation. Much like retard.