Give it a few more years and then “mentally disabled” will be the new retarded. We’ll cringe at how people would say they’re “disabled”.
I work with the mentally disabled and have for a while now. I love my guys but it’s so annoying seeing how new terms will come and go throughout the years constantly.
The Euphemism Treadmill might stop when the term is so clinically dry as “mentally disabled”. It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue of a schoolyard bully the way “retarded” does. I dunno, we’ll see.
I’m pretty sure that “mentally retarded” was the medical term for many decades, before it became cultural lingo. There was something similar for erectile dysfunction too, they used to call you impotent, not exactly a great thing to hear at the doctor’s office.
Culture evolves. I will say, some of the new terms drive me nuts because they technically mean the same thing, but are grammatically awkward or are otherwise clunky when conveying the same message.
Like sure, I technically have a disability, please don’t try to frame it as a good thing or something to make it sound better. It just sounds condescending. I don’t need pity, I’m living my life to the fullest now :P
I think the line for disability changes regularly - cochlear implants seem like a massive enabler for example (also worth considering, maybe more interesting, those deaf peeps who refuse to get them when they could)
In my head I think of the line as being self sufficient for daily needs. If you can’t go get groceries and cook them, that’s a clear disability, and one everyone experiences many times (at min from a young age, usually old age, often times in between like surgeries and bad diseases).
Give it a few more years and then “mentally disabled” will be the new retarded. We’ll cringe at how people would say they’re “disabled”.
I work with the mentally disabled and have for a while now. I love my guys but it’s so annoying seeing how new terms will come and go throughout the years constantly.
The Euphemism Treadmill might stop when the term is so clinically dry as “mentally disabled”. It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue of a schoolyard bully the way “retarded” does. I dunno, we’ll see.
retarded doesn’t have any more negative meaning than disabled. it’s just about how we use it.
Ha. That’s retarded.
It just gets shortened to disabled. I’ve seen it used countless times as an insult.
i wish you were right :( citing experience haha
I’m pretty sure that “mentally retarded” was the medical term for many decades, before it became cultural lingo. There was something similar for erectile dysfunction too, they used to call you impotent, not exactly a great thing to hear at the doctor’s office.
Culture evolves. I will say, some of the new terms drive me nuts because they technically mean the same thing, but are grammatically awkward or are otherwise clunky when conveying the same message.
Like sure, I technically have a disability, please don’t try to frame it as a good thing or something to make it sound better. It just sounds condescending. I don’t need pity, I’m living my life to the fullest now :P
Doug Stanhope has a bit about that
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dqsgxLyl5E
So accurate hahaha
I mean, they are disabled! This whole “differently abled” is completely out of touch with reality.
I think the line for disability changes regularly - cochlear implants seem like a massive enabler for example (also worth considering, maybe more interesting, those deaf peeps who refuse to get them when they could)
In my head I think of the line as being self sufficient for daily needs. If you can’t go get groceries and cook them, that’s a clear disability, and one everyone experiences many times (at min from a young age, usually old age, often times in between like surgeries and bad diseases).
FTFY