moronic colleague

[zara020]

My colleague is an odd one at the best of times but she's just called me 'a bit rude' for not blessing her when she sneezed. Yeah... sorry about that. WIBU? (I know the answer) is anyone else expected to work under these conditions!?

hotfuzzra, Benny derives from the character in Crossroads who was not the sharpest pencil in the box.

The parachute regiment did not think much of the Falkland islanders and referred to them as Bennies. They were told to desist. A senior officer heard a squaddie referring to them later as Stills. He asked why. "Because they're still Bennies, Sir".

What reality cheque said.

There was a man I used to know who every time he sneezed he went
'Atchoooofuckssake!

Sorry, sebsmummy1 , I just adore the word pleb!

Agree with Pagwatch about cunt.

Was Benny also a slow but sweet character in LA law (racks memory of Bennies past...)?

A pleb is someone who is common/uneducated.

Pagwatch, So it sounds like you want to own the word like some black people say they own the N word, I don't agree with that either.

Pleb is your 17 Century Chav. Clutches pearls.

Benny was a character from Crossroads.

Vulcan That's fine.
You don't have to agree with me. I really don't mind.

The point is that if in looking for an insult you chose a word which in your head represents a learning disability then of course that's insulting! Anything you throw at someone in order to be abusive is obviously going to be offensive if the word is meant to recognisably representative of a group of people

Except to the vast majority of people it has no connection to the learning disabled population. Probably because it ISN'T connected to them. And hasn't been for a very very long time.

Some existing words were taken and attached to a system of rating IQ's, for a time. They words were in use before that and are still in use after that. They are offensive in the sense that you are using the word to question their thinking ability. Moron is no different in that sense than idiot, or stupid, or ignorant fucker. So unless you rate every single word connected to the rating of intelligence as offensive, you're not making any sense.

But Vulcan, we do own the word, we all have one inside our knickers.

Good poin, Urethra, I never knew that the archaïc meaning of moron was somebody with a learning disability.

Hahahahahaha!

People are actually complaining that moron is offensive when trying insult someone?

Hahahahaha! How offensive is 'bunch of ludicrously overreacting fuckwits with nothing better to do'?

Ureathra

You took one bit of my post in which I was talking about the way in which people justify using potentially offensive words - the idea that it's ok to use retard if you are not shouting at someone who actually has learning difficulties.

If you read my opening bit I already said (in agreeing with an earlier poster) that for me it depends upon whether a word is "commonly associated with learning difficulties"

She sounds like a knob head, very high maintenance. What did you say back OP?

Tbh, I would probably pointedly ignore her after every sneeze or just mile and ignore and focus on work.

I clicked on this because I knew someone would object to the word 'moronic'.

Two replies in and someone did.

We've had this debate about historic medical terms and disablist language a number of times.

In one of them MNHQ weighed in by replacing the word 'moron' with the word 'idiot' which is from the same lexicon .

Someone yesterday was berating people for using the word 'hysterical' because it has a historical reference to the uterus and therefore misogynist.

Most people had no idea but I did because I'm a scholar.

I like imbecile myself.

I have been described as one.

I've also been described as asinine which is a gross insult to donkeys.

This thread really isa n education! Where do we stand on "plonker"?

Oh please!!! I have a son with learning disability, goes to s special school. No I don't find the word moron offensive unless it is used about him. Clearly the op was not referring to her colleague's mental capabilities but to her annoying personality.
Lighten up people.

To be fair, I think OP's colleague has an annoying personality because of her limited mental capabilities. Which makes it entirely reasonable to call her a moron. Although I'd probably go with "fucking moron", to remove any ambiguity about whether I'd intended to be offensive.

If you read my opening bit I already said (in agreeing with an earlier poster) that for me it depends upon whether a word is "commonly associated with learning difficulties"

I know that, and I was making the point that it isn't, and hasn't been for a very long time.

Urethra

Yes. And so I haven't objected to it.
I have said I have a problem with words commonly associated with learning difficulties.
I agreed with sticklebrick.
My first line was I agree with sticklebricker.

Did you read sticklebricker.

Is there another way to phrase this? I only have a problem with words which are commonly or primarily used in reference to learning difficulties?

Excellent. Someone uses a word to offend someone and people complain that it's offensive.

You have to toe the MN line. Twat and cunt are perfectly fine. Moronic isn't.

Fine, so we agree. It's a little odd to join a thread to point out that you have a problem with something similar but not the same as the point at hand, but ok, if you feel the need to keep saying it, thats fine.

• UrethraFranklin1 Fine, so we agree. It's a little odd to join a thread to point out that you have a problem with something similar but not the same as the point at hand, but ok, if you feel the need to keep saying it, thats fine.*

'm happy to stop saying it if you stop holding my posts and asking me about them.

And of course people only join threads to comment on the op. Conversations never evolve.
I joined the thread to agree with sticklebricker.