"Moron" was once considered a technical term for mental disability. Then, kids starting using it, and it became offensive.
It was replaced by "mental retardation". We all know how that term evolved in kind.
Many people now use "disabled" (including this list's suggestions), but that is now often seen replaced by "differently abled". If I were a betting man, I'd say that in 5 years even "differently abled" will be co-opted by the crude and become offensive.
Comic Doug Stanhope did a bit about the euphemism treadmill. For example, before "retarded" was a medical term doctors used the terms "moron" and "imbecile" which people co-opted to call someone that does something incredibly stupid. In turn, "retarded" ended up co-opted as well because it stuck.
What's he saying though? That connotations of words change over time? Everyone should know that. 'Retarded' used to be a medical term, now it's a 4chan term, so it needs canning.
He's arguing that any term that replaces a previous one due to its offensiveness and insensitivity will most likely become the new offensive term.
>'Retarded' used to be a medical term, now it's a 4chan term, so it needs canning.
That's exactly Doug's point. Soon enough terms like "neurodivergent" might become offensive when it's co-opted by people in general, e.g., "you're such a neurodivergent", "you're a neury", etc
I remember joking years ago that "disabled" would become a slur, after "retard" became less and less acceptable.
I didn't think it would actually happen, but the endless treadmill is being proven again and again. I would also bet that "differently abled" is absolutely considered offensive by the end of this decade.
I think you didn't stay on top of developments for 2 weeks, because the new thing is to basically call any activity "ableist".
Ableist and privileged, magic words to bring anything down.
You can also get more specific. For example, we all know that white people suck. When white people do a good thing, they're white saviors. Or center themselves. When they're quiet, it's white silence. When they get angry, white fragility. When they learn about other cultures, cultural appropriation. Even when being bloody on time for a meeting that's "whiteness".
It's a divisive, anti-progress, hateful, cynical death cult.
It was replaced by "mental retardation". We all know how that term evolved in kind.
Many people now use "disabled" (including this list's suggestions), but that is now often seen replaced by "differently abled". If I were a betting man, I'd say that in 5 years even "differently abled" will be co-opted by the crude and become offensive.
It is an endless treadmill.