Using ableist language as insults is always bad, even if the words seem innocuous. Some may reference the "euphemism treadmill" to try to justify their behavior, but it's crucial to understand that the treadmill is merely a linguistic observation. It does not exist to normalize ableist behavior.

what is the euphemism treadmill for those who dont want to google

more reading if bored

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[–] inv3r5ion@lemmy.dbzer0.com 40 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Neurodivergent isn’t an insult…

[–] knightly@pawb.social 20 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

"Cisgender" isn't an insult either, but that doesn't stop Elon Musk and his flunkies from treating it as such.

[–] spujb@lemmy.cafe 8 points 1 month ago

mega fax

[–] spujb@lemmy.cafe 19 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

correct, it’s not (or shouldn’t be), but it’s being used as one, especially recently!

precontext: i said i could see both sides of some non-important debate. something about whether a community mod should be heavy or light with bans, and i was like, “well it depends on what the motivations and needs are.”

their response to that?

in this post i hope to call attention to the same destructive processes happening to “neurodiverse” as to all the other terms. particularly i want to call out the ableist motivations behind it.

[–] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 26 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It's an insult because of intent, not because of the word itself, though.

[–] spujb@lemmy.cafe 3 points 1 month ago

oh absolutely :) would never disagree with you here 💯💯💯

[–] RandomVideos@programming.dev 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

You can use gay, homosexual, homo habilis as insults

That doesnt make these words bad

[–] spujb@lemmy.cafe 8 points 1 month ago

precisely? never said otherwise :) to quote another person right in this thread whom i agree with:

It’s an insult because of intent, not because of the word itself, though.

[–] inv3r5ion@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 1 month ago (9 children)

Without the context it doesn’t come off as insulting.

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[–] julianh@lemm.ee 19 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Interesting. Feels like there's a bit of a paradox, where we need a term to address a group of people who are being "othered," but while that's the case, there will be people who use that term as an insult.

[–] spujb@lemmy.cafe 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

the better strategy might be to investigate and challenge what forces cause people to use ableist insults

[–] julianh@lemm.ee 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

True. Or just discard their attempts to taint the language. Like how some slurs have been reclaimed.

[–] spujb@lemmy.cafe 4 points 1 month ago

yea! reclamation is my personal fav cuz its so gorgeously petty

[–] Sivecano@lemmy.dbzer0.com 17 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Idk man, a good chunk of these are just sorta not that associated with their origins anymore. A lot of insults are historically demeaning towards certain groups (especially poor people).

[–] spujb@lemmy.cafe 9 points 1 month ago (2 children)

as always, act everything considering the window of present you are in. “idiot” means a lot less offense today than it did back in the day.

[–] Sivecano@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 month ago

Reasonable.

[–] anothercatgirl@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 1 month ago

I agree. "idiot-proof" is a common term in the design industry and it's somewhat synonymous with accessibility, fault tolerance, and resilience.

[–] sunbather 14 points 1 month ago (2 children)

seeing as ableist terms are always rooted in previously uncontroversial medical terms i propose the term "the swag ones"

[–] spujb@lemmy.cafe 8 points 1 month ago

just got diagnosed with cool guy syndrom so now i take.. adderall

[–] Comment105@lemm.ee 2 points 1 month ago

There is no group except the mentally challenged with anywhere near this amount of cycles of "medical term > insult > new medical term > repeat", it's a category completely resistant to value neutral definition.

People just don't respect people who are ________, no matter what they're called.

[–] juliebean@lemm.ee 13 points 1 month ago (1 children)

today i learned that 'cretin' has ableist origins. just hearing the word, and being completely unaware of its origins, i assumed it had racist origins and was somehow related to the isle of crete.

apparently 'cretinism' is an old-timey word for congenital iodine deficiency syndrome.

[–] spujb@lemmy.cafe 6 points 1 month ago

okay wow TIL too! i was just pulling from memory and a few online examples but i never dove into the specific histories of that particular word!

[–] SaltyIceteaMaker@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

du hast doch lack gesoffen "idiot", "neurodivergent" & "lame" als abelism zu bezeichnen.

was so angry/disappointed in that post that i couldn't get the message across with English.

[–] unyons@feddit.org 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

That's angry. (0o0)

[–] SaltyIceteaMaker@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 month ago

eh angry doesn't fit how i felt. upset maybe? anyway i could only bring across my emotion via german

[–] absGeekNZ@lemmy.nz 6 points 1 month ago

Just about any term that refers to someone else can be used as an insult!

So as the old saying goes "offense is taken, not given". If you want to be insulted, you will be.

I find, people who insult others are saying more about their own character, than that of the target.

[–] krimsonbun@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 1 month ago (2 children)

how is special needs ableist?

[–] Draconic_NEO@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 1 month ago

Anything is ableist if that's the intention is to be ableist. "Cognitive impairment" or "Brain damage" are clinical terms, but if one decides they can also be ableist insults.

[–] spujb@lemmy.cafe 3 points 1 month ago

it’s not, unless there is intent. i see draconic left a great reaponse to you so i will give that my seal of approval instead of rewriting.

[–] AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Also, “brave”

[–] spujb@lemmy.cafe 2 points 1 month ago

never thought of it that way, but yeah, lowkey! though it’s definitely in a different class of “insult” when compared to the ones in OP. more passive agression, snide rather than forced.

[–] nanoswarm9k@lemmus.org 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

... would you like to walk away from Omelas..?

[–] spujb@lemmy.cafe 2 points 1 month ago

i get the reference but not how it applies here

[–] BearGun@ttrpg.network 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Idiot is ableist?

[–] spujb@lemmy.cafe 4 points 1 month ago

it isn’t necessarily, unless it’s used with ableist intent. good explanation someone made