the euphemism treadmill is a description of linguistic patterns, not a get out of rule free card (files.catbox.moe)

submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by spujb@lemmy.cafe to c/196@lemmy.blahaj.zone

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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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[-] riodoro1@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

Who are you to tell me which words I can and cannot use? You can judge my intent, not my vocabulary. Im asking for permission to smoke and swear.

[-] agent_nycto@lemmy.world 6 points 2 hours ago

Can't wait till neurodivergent becomes the new slur and we invent a new word to describe it so people use that instead of a slur which then becomes the new slur so we invent another new word to describe it so people use that instead of a slur which then ...

[-] spujb@lemmy.cafe 3 points 2 hours ago

i hope instead the cycle could be broken in some way. :/ other folks in the thread are pointing out that ND is a term created by its own community, which could add to its resilience. i hope they are right!

[-] absGeekNZ@lemmy.nz 7 points 22 hours 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.

[-] Klear@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago

You would think that, you pencil...

[-] Squorlple@lemmy.world 35 points 1 day ago

I’ve been thinking about how we call people “right-handed” and “left-handed” instead of “handedness-typical” and “handedness-divergent”

[-] CubbyTustard@reddthat.com 15 points 1 day ago

sinister used to just mean left handed!

[-] Obi@sopuli.xyz 5 points 1 day ago

Didn't know that one, it's a nice one.

[-] spujb@lemmy.cafe 13 points 1 day ago

actually GOATED INSIGHT my friend keep it up

[-] anothercatgirl@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 day ago

Well there's right handed and left handed threading which assumes a person with two hands and joints that turn in the opposite directions.

[-] Sivecano@lemmy.dbzer0.com 27 points 1 day ago

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 12 points 1 day ago

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.

[-] anothercatgirl@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 day ago

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

[-] Sivecano@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 day ago

Reasonable.

[-] krimsonbun@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 1 day ago

how is special needs ableist?

[-] Draconic_NEO@lemmy.dbzer0.com 22 points 1 day 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 2 points 1 day 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.

[-] BearGun@ttrpg.network 6 points 1 day ago

Idiot is ableist?

[-] spujb@lemmy.cafe 2 points 1 day ago

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

[-] SaltyIceteaMaker@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 day ago

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.

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[-] inv3r5ion@lemmy.dbzer0.com 60 points 1 day ago

Neurodivergent isn’t an insult…

[-] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 day ago

Not YET!

[-] inv3r5ion@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 day ago

With that theory, any word could become an insult.

[-] spujb@lemmy.cafe 4 points 18 hours ago

Bingo. I assumed more people understood this, so I apologize for not communicating clearly. Any word can become an insult—with the right people in control. What’s particularly hurtful is seeing words that marginalized or oppressed groups use to describe their own experiences being co-opted and turned into insults, reinforcing their otherness.

It happened with “retard,” as with “idiot,” and so many others. Recently, I’ve seen it happen with more niche phrases (look up “is X acoustic” if you’re unfamiliar). Just the other day, I made a comment that I could see two perspectives on a matter. Instead of simply calling me wrong, someone said, “You must be neurodivergent, you’re so gullible.” In that context, “neurodivergent” was clearly being used as a stand-in for the r-slur.

To be clear, I am not against any language. I’m against the weaponizing of language.

[-] inv3r5ion@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 17 hours ago

👍🏻

What’s interesting about the word retard specifically is it’s still used as a technical term that has nothing to do with developmental disabilities - for example, fire retardant - to slow/stop something.

[-] spujb@lemmy.cafe 0 points 17 hours ago

right, i mean thats just kind of a side effect of language existing

a similar concept appears in the terms “dumbwaiter,” “dumbfounded,” “dumbstruck” wherein “dumb” literally just meant mechanical/nonspeaking, and had none of the other implications of disability-related muteness it has now.

obviously “dumb” carries a lot less weight these days than the r slur, but the existence of etymologically related terms doesn’t give an “out” to people using them for offense and denigration in either case

[-] inv3r5ion@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 3 hours ago

but the existence of etymologically related terms doesn’t give an “out” to people using them for offense and denigration in either case

Never said it did. I remember the first time I saw retard being used in a technical sense and being thrown by it’s usage in todays world. Ultimately though you can’t police language, people are gonna say whatever dumb shit they want, doesn’t mean you have to listen. And no, anyone using “dumb” or “idiot” today is not referring to disabled people, those words stopped being used to describe disabled people multiple decades ago and are far removed from being associated with disabled people. Retard is a lot more recent, but even as a kid growing up in the 90s where calling people gay, queer and faggots were acceptable, even retard used as a slur back then was frowned upon.

[-] spujb@lemmy.cafe 2 points 2 hours ago

Never said it did.

no worries! i wasn’t saying you said that, just returning to the thesis of my post :)

again, as i said two comments above. this is a descriptive post, not perscriptive. my main concern is to make people aware of the pattern, not to tell them what to do about it.

[-] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 day ago

That's the attitude one would expect from such a high class individual.

[-] CommanderCloon@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 day ago

Correct

[-] knightly@pawb.social 36 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

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

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[-] sunbather@beehaw.org 14 points 1 day ago

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 day ago

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

[-] juliebean@lemm.ee 22 points 1 day ago

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.

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[-] Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works 44 points 1 day ago

If one of the words needs an asterisk instead of a letter, I don't think all of them are equal...

[-] VerdantSporeSeasoning@lemmy.ca 16 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I have an older family member who is severely mentally disabled and always has been. His medical records diagnosed him as r*tarded. The adults diagnosing him at the time didn't understand enough about mental conditions and their differences when he was a child. So kids like him were diagnosed with that. It did have more 'legitimate' uses than it does in our current context. Doesn't make it good or right, doesn't mean they shouldn't have tried to be more specific either. That legacy leads to now where we have the nuance and resources to do better. I am glad it's more and more relagated to the past as it's consistently been used to dehumanize people.

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[-] julianh@lemm.ee 26 points 1 day ago

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.

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