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Ableist language and substitutes?

Coriolis

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There are two aspects to the use of these terms. The first is accuracy. Does the person you are calling "retarded" really have this mental disability, or are you using the term to insult someone for doing something you disagree with? Does the "socialist" really hold political views consistent with that philosophy, or is he just not a dyed-in-the-wool Republican?

Assuming the term is accurate, it becomes a question of sensitivity. There are no objective criteria here, just the sensibilities of those using and hearing the terms. Reasons for finding one term or another offensive vary, and as someone else already observed, it is not always those in the labelled group that take greatest offense.
 

DiscoBiscuit

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Hooray for the first amendment.

I'm of the opinion, especially in this day and age, that people generally should have thicker skins.
 

Viridian

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I think no matter what term you use, someone will be offended by it. There isn't a way around it. You can use a more politically correct term but even some of the politically correct terms someone could find offensive and then what are you going to replace it with?

Mmm... Maybe "offended" isn't quite the word I was looking for. I meant more along the lines of "hurt", like someone who is disabled and keeps hearing words that describe them used to describe bad things throughout their whole life - not the Internet White Knights that point their pointy fingers at George Takei when he's giving a mouthful to gay bashers because he said "douchebag" (true story).

I guess that, if I'm not a good person, I might as well try to settle for "nice"...
 

Lark

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Hooray for the first amendment.

I'm of the opinion, especially in this day and age, that people generally should have thicker skins.

Perhaps but assholes shouldnt use freedom as a flag of convenience to carry on being assholes either.
 

Lark

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Well put, Sir.

I once read that when Orwell fought for freedom of speech he couldnt care less about pornography, that's probably my opinion, although I'll be honest that it also grinds my gears when I hear or witness anti-social behaviour of the worst kind and it all excused by freedom. Its really running the concept into the ground.
 

Orangey

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Doesn't it seem kind of simple-minded to say that because you can't come up with black and white rules about which terms are offensive to whom and when, that you just simply can't be bothered to think about it at all?

I mean, I don't think anybody likes it when people self-righteously try and prescribe what you can and cannot say or else you're a horrible racist/sexist/homophobe/transphobe/ableist, but that doesn't mean the opposite - that you should be thoughtless about the language you use, because you personally feel that no one should be offended by words - is any more legitimate a prescription.
 

Mole

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Ableism and Moralism

Ableism is simply moralism.

And it is important to remember that propaganda is neither good nor bad, neither true nor false. Rather, propaganda is plausible or implausible.

And the besetting sin of propagandists is to believe their own propaganda.

So if we believe ableism is good, then we are committing the sin of believing our own propaganda.
 

Stanton Moore

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Ableism is simply moralism.

And it is important to remember that propaganda is neither good nor bad, neither true nor false. Rather, propaganda is plausible or implausible.

And the besetting sin of propagandists is to believe their own propaganda.

So if we believe ableism is good, then we are committing the sin of believing our own propaganda.

Victor's Krishnamurti Moment(TM)
This is false. If it were true, then it would be common practice, which it is not.
 

Mole

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Lemmings and Propaganda

Victor's Krishnamurti Moment(TM)
This is false. If it were true, then it would be common practice, which it is not.

Even the most professional of propagandists fall into the trap of believing their own propaganda. So how natural for amateurs like us to fall headlong into the same trap.

And the trap is baited with moralism and set by America. Yes, America is unique among nations in conducting its foreign policy not based on real politique but moral principles. So every American and their fellow travellers are moralists.

Moralism makes us feel good, and in a consumer society based on the pursuit of happiness, there is no higher good than feeling good.

And so like lemmings, we throw ourselves over the cliff, feeling good, believing our own propaganda.
 

Viridian

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Doesn't it seem kind of simple-minded to say that because you can't come up with black and white rules about which terms are offensive to whom and when, that you just simply can't be bothered to think about it at all?

I mean, I don't think anybody likes it when people self-righteously try and prescribe what you can and cannot say or else you're a horrible racist/sexist/homophobe/transphobe/ableist, but that doesn't mean the opposite - that you should be thoughtless about the language you use, because you personally feel that no one should be offended by words - is any more legitimate a prescription.

Are you addressing anyone in particular, Orangey?
 

Orangey

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Are you addressing anyone in particular, Orangey?

No, just the following ideas:

1. Everybody is offended by something, so it's pointless to care.
2. People should grow thicker skins.

A couple of people have said these things in this thread, but since they are what I perceive to be the general sentiment among ordinary people IRL, I thought I'd just address it generally instead of making this about me vs. someone else.

Edit: Why?
 

Viridian

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No, just the following ideas:

1. Everybody is offended by something, so it's pointless to care.
2. People should grow thicker skins.

A couple of people have said these things in this thread, but since they are what I perceive to be the general sentiment among ordinary people IRL, I thought I'd just address it generally instead of making this about me vs. someone else.

Edit: Why?

Oh, just curious. I thought it might be directed to the OP, but my position is different from those you spoke of... ^_^''
 

Orangey

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Oh, just curious. I thought it might be directed to the OP, but my position is different from those you spoke of... ^_^''

Ah, no, I wasn't referring to the OP. You didn't really state a position in the OP.
 

citizen cane

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[video=google;4644978654545181303]http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4644978654545181303[/video]
 

Elisius

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In my experience there is no such thing as political correctness run amok. There's a few people here and there that get offended by everything, but they are a very small minority.
Most people use all sorts of mean terms and usually in complete unoffensive ways. The point is the meaning, not the vocabulary.
In the words of Lous C.K; stop being a faggot and suck that dick.
 
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