Mumsnet Talk

Yes, in the SW. All of the face gurning and hands screwed up with arms flailing around in the playground

The 70's and 80's were a grim time of intolerance and a total lack of understanding towards any disability. It was totally over looked on the playground by teachers and playground supervisors

DS has mild CP and delays and I am thankful everyday that a lot of those children of the 70's are now raising their own children to be completely different than our generation were allowed to behave. We must have collectively looked back on that parenting style of ignorance somewhere along the line and thought 'No way' will my kids ever get away with that.

I havent worded it very well..

I remember this well too, I don't remember anyone telling us it was wrong teachers parents etc all must have heard us

Yes, I remember it at school. Same meaning as 'spaz'

Yep, extremely common at my junior and senior school.

I cringe at our ignorance.

At DS's school I see how tolerant the children are to those with differences to themselves. It's humbling and gladdens my heart.

I remember this, also pulling arms up in school jumpers to mock thalidomide victims. A lot of the 70's was grim.

AsI recall "Joey" was a mild and 'friendly' insult - used perhaps as one might use 'idiot' now. For example
Person 1 "Aw shit, I've spilled coffee on my trousers"
Person 2 "You idiot"

Obviously as school kids we weren't drinking coffee. 'Joey' would be the sort of thing you'd get called if you tripped over your shoelaces.

'Deacon' was a nastier, more childish insult meaning 'you don't know something I don't know, or I want to draw attention to you in a negative way' and was pronounced with a long stress on the first syllable - accompanied by a 'belm' face (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=belm)

All most unpleasant. Primary school in the 1980's, North West.

Yes, you have to have been in primary school in the early 80s to remember it, really. And anybody with the name Joseph really suffered... as did anyone with the surname Deacon, Deakin or anything vaguely like it...

Sadly, i think there are just as many insults bandied about nowadays.

Yes this happened at my school as well, and I'm ashamed to say we also used to laugh at the brittle bones children that the Magpie programme raised funds for . Children are just horribly mean.

Yes. Early 80s in NW. Almost exclusively used by boys though.

A quick google brings up the scope wiki entry

Amazingly they didn't change to their modern name until, 1994, I'd have thought it was long before that.

Sometimes, I think it is necessary to think how far we've come in a very short time, and then remember how far we still have to go.

I remember the Blue Peter programme at the time - I think I was in what would now be year 6, but then was the 4th year.

And yes, gangs of boys & girls (but mainly boys) did run around the playground calling people Joey and doing impressions of Joey Deacon.

I was a sensitive wee child, and found the whole thing very sad

Yes, was definitely overused in our playground too. Would have about around 1980/81 when we were about 7. Horrible As someone said upthread, Joey Deacon's story was inspiring.

Hopefully this hasn't been replaced by something equally awful, but wouldn't be surprised if it has. Sad world.

Yes I remember it. Awful.

I had never heard of this until my brother (3 yrs older) brought it up in conversation a few years ago.

Yes, it was, I'm afraid

Yes I remember this insult, although I had no idea where it came from. Hideous.

Same, early 80's. Boys used it as an insult, but I only found out a couple of years ago what it meant/who it was about.

If I remember correctly he was a lovely old man with cerebral palsy.
His speach was extremely unclear and all his life no one had understood him, until he met another disabled man at his care home.

At the age of about 70 he finally found his voice and between them they wrote his life story.

There was a TV documentary and other things on TV. It was a very touching story.

It speaks reams about how far we've come that instead of seeing a brave human being, the children of my generation saw a spastic (apologies, but collecting boxes using that term were still common then) old man, who talked funny. That they were allowed to use his name as a term of abuse makes me very angry indeed.

By that time parents and teachers attitudes should have changed, sadly many hadn't.

Yep, same here (early 80s, W. Yorkshire)

Joey Deacon. He spent fifty years in an institution but eventually wrote a book, bought a house for him and his friends with the profits and was able to live fairly independently.

It really is awful, poor little old man trying to do a bit of good

Yes, I`m afraid it was standard in the playground. As someone upthread says, not the 80s finest hour.

Yes I remember it, so does dh, it was a common insult at school, usually accompanied by a face ( think Ricky Gervaise's awful Mong face), people also used to call each other Sefton, who was his friend, who appeared with him to help him communicate.

I would like to think it wouldn't happen nowadays, but unfortunately it does with people using, retard and autistic as insults.