Fucking stupid people

[knittedbreast]

They have only gone and burnt down 50k worth of play equiptment at the local play park.

Thanks

Why?

I will tell a story now. It is purely to show you the situation of using words which could be offensive - and also when people assign meaning to words that may not have originally been there.

I grew up with the expression for being pissed as being 'monged'. The online dictionary descibes this as 'being so drunk your falling asleep' or 'stoned on weed'. Used it innocently all through my drunken early adulthood.

One day someone told me off for using the word. I couldn't understand why and she told me it originated from the slang word from someone with Down Syndrome - that people with DS have facial characteristics that can be associated with the stoned/ drunk look. (Can't actually see it myself ) I have never since used the word as I would not ever want to unwittingly offend a person with DS or their family - I work with 3 children who have DS and feel so awful.

However - on a search there is nothing that indicates this is where the use of the word originated from so it could be a word that then had a negative impact meaning thrusted upon it when it was realised calling someone who has DS a 'mong' was highly offensive and disablelist.

I guess the difference here is I stopped using the word and finding it acceptable - but it shows sometimes you really do not know or associate a negative meaning to a word.

No don't worry Afternoon! Not patronising at all!

'the disabled' did it for me as after id posted in response i thought about it a bit more.

It's so subtle. I can't really explain it, but in some way it IS a bit different to saying 'the women', but i guess it probs has something to do with the way we're conditioned to think? I.E. if we see someone with a disability, people tend of them in terms of the disability but i wouldn't think of you as being a woman, id think of you as just a person? I dunno, it's late and im probably not making any sense at all

Ok I did point out that I wasnt having a dig.

But ok.

heliumballoons

Here you go
"Actually, the term Mongoloid is no longer used to refer to the Mongols, who are natives of what was formerly the ancient kingdom of Mongolia in Asia. Too, the term is considered offensive when used to describe one afflicted with Down's syndrome. However, the two uses of the word are related. Originally, people suffering from Down's syndrome were noted to have flattened features and slanted eyes, looking somewhat like Mongols. Hence the name. Mongol supposedly is a native name which comes from mong `brave.'"

Taken from www.takeourword.com

sweetgilly, blimey, I'd forgotten about that. Was a pretty lame joke when MN brought in the profiles - people used to say we could all be hairy-handed truckers for all anyone knew, not mothers at all (no offence to trucking mothers or hairy-handed MNers) I need an 'I remember when it was all fields round these parts and all that...' emoticon!

I really do think the yob element is greater in the UK than a lot of places. What is going wrong that this is happening.I am in teh states now and i k=just do not encounter that feral youth on the corner ever.I am embarrassed of some of our UK young people I really am.

may have somthing to do with the rich/poor divide and schooling system that it starts at such a young age.

we have the biggest divide in education in the world apparently

This thread turns around at the end and went nice :)

I really don't think AIBU is for me

Joni your Dh sounds wonderful.

I guess thogh that people vary; ds3 hasn;t really got the chance of being anything other than defined by his disability (autism, hasn't yet developed capacity to understand the autism- we didn;t think he's speak though so who knows?). And plenty of otehrs, especially on here, are still in that early diagnosis shock stage where equilibrium has to be reached.

Intention is ultimately everything; I will confess at times we;ve divided the houshold jokingly into NT and naughty auties (although ds3 is the least naughty child i ever met)- we have 2 and one todddler being watched by health due to emerging traits of ASD. however when MIL cornered ds1 thinking I was busyy adn called him a freak, that was the last she ever saw of us.

Mn is often a landing point for those early on in the whole sn process. It is by definition going to be largely populated by people in the early satges of the whole process and I believe that extra care over terminology is warranted by that. On our part, as the Sn community oldies we have to realise that it's also a learning curve and using a phrase accidentally happens and should be explained and moved on from; I did it myself, I used taking the mick without understanding the origin, it was explained and learned from and am still friends on FB with the lady who called me on it.

Just returning to original subject : our local park (where our kids sledges were nicked) just go the new lamp post and play equipment vandalised. It makes you wonder......Maryz - thanks for the explanation. Re: other debate on name-calling: actually, that's what it is and it is offensive. Why persist when you've been told people are hurt by it? Using terms referring to disadvantaged people (women, disabled, race etc) is just gratuitously rude. The use of PC as an insult shows how entrenched it is and how big a role these terms play in maintaining the status quo. If words really don't matter, why not just humour peoole who think they do?

' The use of PC as an insult shows how entrenched it is and how big a role these terms play in maintaining the status quo'

yes

The thing is, it seems to me it is easy not to know; but if people, especially those who amy well be mroe vulnerable, say the phrase or word upsets them why woudl anyone want to keep using it? I woudln't. I will gladly rearrange my language to avoid causing upset to anyone. My right to use a word is nothing in comparison to my wish not to hurt someone elses's feelings.