Alright folks I don't want this to be a struggle session so let's operate from "'stupid' and 'dumb' are ableist terms, now what?" I would like people to offer up alternative insults/negative remarks.
While I said I don't want it to be a struggle session, cool headed good faith discussion is also appreciated. This just came up with some comrades of mine and I couldn't find the last post about it so if anyone has the link that would be great too.
I think the problem is that people try to replace one ableist word which can be used in a ton of circumstances with a drop in replacement. That will inevitably lead to more ableist language because the whole function of an insult like that is to associate the target with a Bad Type Of Person, which disparages both. Insults should be descriptive and pointed, which “stupid” never is.
The underlying thought process needs to change, not just the word.
the whole function of an insult like that is to associate the target with a Bad Type Of Person
i don't agree with this. maybe for the r-word but not for anyone under the age of 130 with the other words americans actually use. (except the more recent autistic (derogatory) which is just the euphemism treadmill applied to the r-word), for me growing up "dumb", "stupid", "imbecile" and so on were fully removed from their etymological origin and therefore no such association was being made.
i think it's valuable to have a concise term for the faulty reasoning and errors in thinking that people commit. "heuristic bias" and "false consciousness" are not gonna cut it with our literacy rate
So do you only say actions or things are stupid? Or do you sometimes think of people as stupid? Because my point is that people have a category of person labeled “stupid” in their head. The fact that it doesn’t map specifically or completely onto historically disabled people is irrelevant. I’d argue that most slurs don’t map well onto the groups they refer to.
i think it's a temporary condition that any of us can embody at any time. Some people spend more time publicly performing stupidity than others and maybe that short-hands into calling, say, "i didn't think the leopards would eat my face" people whatever defanged slur but that doesn't preclude them from having subject matter expertise outside of politics.
i also think I disqualify people with actual disability from these labels? like it's not funny if someone with a mobility problem falls down because of it but able-bodied people tripping on stuff is frequently very funny.
i also think I disqualify people with actual disability from these labels? like it's not funny if someone with a mobility problem falls down because of it but able-bodied people tripping on stuff is frequently very funny.
might just be the usual "how comedy works" punching up vs punching down kind of thing.
I think back to some of the high support special needs kids i was around in school and (without looking up a bunch of terminology) the deal with them was totally different from the antics and bad decisions the rest of us got up to and should've known better.