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!?

Since no one can agree on where div comes from I think it's still ok. So div, plonker and wally are all we've got. We'll sound like Del Boy but at least no one will get upset.

Ow mn hq think disablist language is thorny issues
Bloody hell really so much for their campaign

You can't say fuck all on here these days without someone giving them self a nosebleed

This.

And where does all this end? Which word will be next? Will it still be ok to call someone stupid?

I always thought div was short for divot.

Moron is used constantly on US TV shows (check out The Goldbergs). Someone needs to send the studios a memo.

The M word
Can't keep up.

I love that show. He does say it all the time. And to his kids.

Regardless of the M word, what about offending non- Christians/ non- believers with " God bless you"?

soon there will be so many offencive words there will need to be a coding system. For example idiot is the I word, imbecile is the I(a) word, ignoramus is I(b)

Me to alrayyan...we had loads of them recorded but have now caught up unfortunately.

Moronic is offensive? You're having a giraffe?

Everything is offensive nowadays

There are some words and phrases which make you question why they are offensive?
It's always good to give the benefit of doubt and question how rather than why?
How did this word become offensive well

Many of my generation grew up with this as a label along with retard. Dyslexia, dyspraxia, and all the other learning disabilities have a diagnosis. Suffering your entire childhood with teachers more so than children calling you these names and taunting you.
Thick as two short planks, divvy, moron, imbecile, stupid. Oh and the best bit these were alongside the usual won't amount to much.
This is why I find Moron so unacceptable, it's only a word until you have experienced this and other "just words" ruin your childhood.

Surely, if you want to describe someone as being of low intelligence then use of a word on the IQ spectrum is acceptable?

I'm NOT equating that with SN through disability unless I misunderstand a lot.

I have epilepsy. Slightly notice if someone uses "has an epi" or "had a fit" in conversation to describe extreme reaction, but it isn't disablist I would say and it would never occur to me to take offence, only feel awkward for them if they twig.

It's not discrimination on disability grounds (is it?) where moron or idiot is used. But statement. Is use of genius in some way unacceptable because it might imply disablist views about autistic traits?

Agree with others about acceptable terminology. I use c word in extremis but they have to be a proper arse and I have a potty mouth otherwise, some barrier with c word exists though.

NewLife - I'm also hypersensitive about words/suffered bullying myself, I do get how harmful words can be.

Also, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other LEARNING DISABILITIES have a diagnosis. They may have been massively misunderstood, historically, and unfortunately labelled sometimes as stupidity which can only be highly distressing for the individual. I believe we have progressed significantly. But there are, purely statistically, individuals who are less than the average intelligence, by definition.

I sometimes describe people as "should be a candidate for the Darwin awards". Wonder how that sits with other MNetters

When I read the title of this thread, I thought uhohhh here we go, I bet the topic of the OP will be derailed by the word used in the OP!

When DP sneezed on our first date, he went

Guhhhhhzzz-ollocks!!!

Which is completely off topic (just hoping to lighten the mood a leeeeeetle bit!)

I can't stand the c* word it's just so ugly and angry sounding, and used way too much on MN.

I suggest that the word "nice" be used. It originally meant stupid or ignorant.

But where does that leave the Mn perennial "naice"?

Well, is it stupid ham or is it naice ham?

Language evolves and Mumsnet could take a lead on this.

Quite. Some people need to learn a little bit about language change and stop locking on to a few words because they think knowing an obsolete definition and trying to apply it to other people's language use makes them seem clever. It just makes them look ignorant and like they lack more productive things to do.

Since we're obviously getting excited about obsolete terms, how about calling all the above-mentioned posters a load of insufferable Zoilists?

I suggest that the word "nice" be used. It originally meant stupid or ignorant.

I had forgotten this.

It's highly educated naice ham, with Uni degrees from redbrick/some other ludicrous qualifying requirement

Fan - dyslexia and dyspraxia are learning DIFFICULTIES not disabilities.