It really is a shame that “retarded” became a word of disparagement and slang for those who are stupid. A word which is widely regarded as insulting more than anything else.
“Moron” was literally something doctors used to describe certain patients once too. Any clinical term used to describe someone of low intelligence (putting aside the difficulties in making that determination in any universal sense) will inevitably be used as a pejorative/insult. It can’t be stopped.
Yep. In the 90s when I grew up, the politically correct term was “mentally challenged”, which eventually started being used as an insult. The current term is “special needs” and already I’ve seen it used as an insult.
The word, Autistic, is just beginning this journey. I’ve seen people use that as an insult, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it is considered antiquated and insulting by the time I am old.
“Moron” was literally something doctors used to describe certain patients once too. Any clinical term used to describe someone of low intelligence (putting aside the difficulties in making that determination in any universal sense) will inevitably be used as a pejorative/insult. It can’t be stopped.
Yep. In the 90s when I grew up, the politically correct term was “mentally challenged”, which eventually started being used as an insult. The current term is “special needs” and already I’ve seen it used as an insult.
The word, Autistic, is just beginning this journey. I’ve seen people use that as an insult, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it is considered antiquated and insulting by the time I am old.
The current term is “intellectual disability” and has been since the DSM-V was published in 2013.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_disability
Special was also being used as an insult in the 90s…
Same with “simpleton”, “idiot”, “feeble-minded”, and “imbecile”. It really is fascinating how language evolves.
The semantic treadmill can’t be stopped.