about this story in today's Metro?

[EyelinerQueen]

DP sent me this from the bus this morning. An excerpt from a story about the World Cup opening ceremony.

I know it's not exactly The Washington Post and I'm not at all one of the P.O. brigade but I am genuinely baffled at this.

It's not just me is it?

I'm always a bit puzzled at how many people get bogged down in the Politically Correct jargon.

I work with a mainly elderly but some younger patients with a variety of health conditions, and it is interesting how they describe themselves.

They rarely say "I have diabetes" more usually "I'm a diabetic"

Or they say "I'm a cripple with this arthritus"

And I have never heard a patient say "I have a paraplegic condition"/ "I;m a person with paraplegia"
Maybe they describe their condition as how they feel? Not how some PC code dictates.

But , as I said, these are mainly older patients.

Oh, I forgot, they aren't called "Patients" now, it's "Service User"
Can you imagine if a 92yo came to my surgery door to ask "Can I make an appointment"
And I ask "Are you a Service User of this department" ?
They'd be

But there's "Customer"or "Client" PC crap.

I think in terms of the suit the mans condition was relevant because the suit in question was invented to help people with restricted movement to experience movement. Maybe the article missed that out completely.

I don't disagree with you, but the Metro is not known for it's accurate spelling / grammar / editing, so it is entirely possible that they a word out (man / woman) - impossible to know the intention really.

However on the other hand:

"Oh thank feck some sane posters have turned up!"

Are you really suggesting that those who do not agree with you or don't see the offence have some kind of mental illness that renders them 'insane'?

Really, if you are going to pick up national newspapers on their correct use of language you should really watch your own. Sensible may have been a better word to use?

Good one blooming.

Dawndonna's dd here. So glad I'm on study leave.

Politically Correct Jargon means it's not okay to refer to me as a crip on the street.

Politically Correct Jargon means it's not okay to refer to me as a Spaz.

I am allowed to say I'm a cripple. I call my wheelchair the spazchariot. I'm allowed to. You are not. I am allowed to describe myself in anyway I choose. You are not. You are not allowed to belittle me, reduce me in any way whatsoever, how dare you think that you can 70.

70isalimit - did you know that AgeUk now have a policy of not saying 'the elderly'. I did some work with them recently and they insisted that it's 'older people'.

Its not PC 70 it is common courtesy.

Being polite.
Treating people as human beings.

Who the fuck uses the phrase PC anymore anyway? It was invented by those who resented the change towards accepting diversity and listening to groups who had previously been dictated to.

Reuters: 'A standing paraplegic patient...'
Washington post: 'A paraplegic wearing..'
BBC News: 'A paraplegic man..'
Independent: 'A paraplegic patient...'
NBC: 'A 29 year old paraplegic literally...'

Despite peoples concerns it appears the world media considers the terms 'A paraplegic' and 'A paraplegic man' politically correct.

Then minnie, they are wrong.

They deliberately wanted a disabled person in a super snazzy techno whizz suit that helped him not be hindered by his disability (oh dear, I went PC there, rather than saying "overcome" his disability...)

Anyway, the fact of his disability was a really important reason why they chose him and what his role in the ceremony was. Would be wrong to merely say "a man" when describing the event.

More here about the background of the suit & the kicker. All Brazilian development. It was part of Brazil showing off how modern a country they are, etc.

lljkk
It's also wrong to say a paraplegic. He is a man with paraplegia. That's not so hard to write. It doesn't diminish him as a person, it doesn't remove his identity and it includes his disability. Nobody is suggesting missing out the part about paraplegia, we are objecting to not including him as part of the human race, referring to him as 'other', by not including the fact that he is a man.
(I didn't see this, so don't know if it was a woman, but the same rules still apply).

yabu for using the vile PO expression in your OP

I think describing someone as the paraplegic is disgusting. I have a brother that is profoundly deaf and I'd be fucking livid if I heard him described as a disability as he does have a name. Ok they may not have known the name/sex of the person but would it have used up that much ink to simply say "a person with paraplegia"? I can just imagine the fighting on here if someone started a third discussing 'the SNs'. Absolutely no offence intended to those who have family members with SN.

No need to be so aggressive dawndonnaaagain's daughter, some people do not have such a comprehensive grasp on such things therefore in order to educate people it is not helpful or necessary to berate them.

I for one do, however what Escaped me with was the correct grammatical use of paraplegic and paraplegia. Without needing to be attacked for that, I was able to grasp that far better once someone pointed out the term should be used as an adjective. I could then deduce for my self what the correct use of langue would be. It would not have been helpful to just simply attack.

It seems to be the American media using the term "a paraplegic" and the British ones saying along the lines of "a paraplegic person", which fits in with how words like 'retard' are acceptable over there.

70isalimit you're meeting these people in a medical setting where their condition is very relevant to you speaking to them at all so it's not comparable.

DeVere, I had a consultant call me 'the trophoblastic tumour' it was as though I was ceasing to exist as a person, I cannot imagine how painful it must have been to have your beautiful dd referred to in that way.

PC, PO - bollocks, it is being thoughtful and intelligent.

Postman - the word 'retard' is not acceptable by a lot of Americans, there was an outcry when it was used by Ann Coulter.

www.r-word.org/

I think the whole point is that the man was wearing a special robotic suit that enabled him to stand and kick a football. You would need to know that he was a paraplegic to understand why this was significant. Otherwise people would think what is so important about a man in a robot suit?

But I do agree that maybe the way they worded it was insensitive.

I understand that, but why couldn't it be 'a man who has paraplegia'?

The point is though crinkle to say he is paraplegic or a paraplegic is not acceptable. What is acceptable is to say the man has paraplegia. That way his condition is made relevant without reducing his identity to the condition.

He is a person first over and above the condition.

"which fits in with how words like 'retard' are acceptable over there."

And where, may I ask PostmanPat, did you hear or read that? Because that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

I understand what you mean OP

It irks me when I read on MN, "My child is ASD" or "My child is SN"

But maybe that's the pedant in me

Canthis
Dd has gone into school now. Just for a second though, see it from the point of view of a 17 year old, who is continually attacked for being 'other'. As she has pointed out on these boards, fairly frequently, the internet brings this into your home. This means that the safe haven your home should be, often isn't. She is called a fucking spaz on the street, she has been kicked off buses before, harrassed and bullied, and then somebody brings things up on the internet (many threads about how buggy users have more rights to a space on the bus) and the bullying is right there, in your lap.
She is an incredible, articulate young woman. I would tell her off for being rude (although she rarely is) I would tell her off for many things, but this, no.