AIBU to find this term offensive

[wakeupandsmellthecoffee]

A colleague at work in reference to someone sitting down relaxing in a chair said "he's monging out"she was surprised when I said I was offended by the term and that it was disabilist.
What is your definitions of the term mong.

So it's okay to say that unpleasant racist politicians are acting like they're mentally ill? Cause I don't think bigotry is generally considered to be a symptom of mental illness. I think if you'd had "fucking nutter" repeatedly thrown at you in the street when you were obviously mentally ill might change your mind about the gentleness of the insult.

I think if you'd had "fucking nutter" repeatedly thrown at you in the street when you were obviously mentally ill might change your mind about the gentleness of the insult.

Perhaps I would if that was generally how the term was used. The fact the politically correct BBC responding in the way they did reflects that the word 'nutter' does tend to have a more gentle definition as commonly used.

Have read a few things on line and some do find 'nutter' offensive it seems.... If not that word (which is far milder than any other I can think of) what adjective could I use to describe someone who is being a (genuinely struggling here) a bit daft

Just looked online and see that 'daft' has 'slang word for insane' as one of its definitions..... I'm genuinely lost now having deliberately tried to use the most innocuous word I can! Surely it's got to come down to context. To seek to describe behaviour of 'this type' without being able use any word because at some point, some people who didn't understand mental illness used it to describe mental illness incorrectly is (once again, a load of words went through my head, but each one potentially has connotations of mental illness). Where's the common sense here?

It was used commonly in my age group and region in the late Nineties. It did not have any other meaning apart from relaxing, usually associated with smoking and sitting on the sofa. I rarely hear it anymore. You may never have heard it or heard it used in a different way.

Words mean different things to different people at different times. That's how language works.

It's fine to be offended, but it's very difficult to police language.

Not read thread. But yes without a doubt its offensive, however the good news is, it is dying out...when I was younger it was very common for all these words to be trotted out with out a thought, I hear it much less now.

People who know/are related too, people with LD are very sensitive to language like this.

Agree with this ^^ it totally depends on the context.
Mong as an insult to describe someone with DS, or any other type of disabilities is highly offensive.
Monged (out) meaning relaxed/stoned is unrelated imo and therefore not offensive or disablist.
I'm not that young and I don't think I've ever heard anyone use Mong/mongoloid in relation to Down's.
I work in learning disability and 'special needs' is a term that we never use any more because it has negative connotations now. It's still used on mn in almost every post but no insult is meant so I don't find it offensive in this context.

Xpost - my ^^ was to differentcats

www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/why-are-the-words-mongol-mongoloid-and-mongy-still-bandied-about-as-insults-9878557.html

LaChatte - "Monged (out) meaning relaxed/stoned is unrelated imo and therefore not offensive or disablist"

You're incorrect.

Out of interest, what phrase do people use in your workplace instead of "special needs"? "Additional needs?"

You are wrong LaChatte.
Monged out is used to describe someone who looks stupid and vacant. Someone who is incable of doing anything but lie around and dribble.

MrsDeVere I think your response to LaChatte is patronising. 'Monged' may be used in the way you describe. If so, that's clearly insulting and offensive. Just because that may be the case doesn't mean that 'monged' can't mean relaxed. It's a bit like saying "You are wrong, 'spring' doesn't mean a coiled piece of metal, it's the season after winter!"

However, mong and its derivatives are clearly too associated with the offensive uses of that word for it to be used in my view - it clearly causes a lot of unnecessary offense.

Yes, instead of just calling people by their name

i've started to think i'm just a sentimental old fool and too nice to people though.

MrsDevere - in schools the term Special educational needs and disabilities is still used.
Special needs was a long time ago what we now call learning disabilities. The terminology changes often because, sadly, whatever label is give eventually takes on negative connotations. I have often heard comments like "you are so special needs"
retardation is still used in American literature - I assume it doesn't have the same connotations there.

Language is fluid and so much depends on context/perspective/intent.

But it's ok to use words like fuckwit, halfwit, idiot, simpleton, crazy, nutcase, maniac etc which all have negative connotations about a person's mental capacity?

Why is that?

"'Monged' may be used in the way you describe. If so, that's clearly insulting and offensive. Just because that may be the case doesn't mean that 'monged' can't mean relaxed. It's a bit like saying "You are wrong, 'spring' doesn't mean a coiled piece of metal, it's the season after winter!""

That comparison doesn't really work. "Monged" is used to mean relaxed for precisely the reason MrsDevere gives - it's associated with someone so relaxed they're barely conscious.

It just shows how much prejudice there is towards those with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and complex and severe disabilities, when the only thing people keep going back to is terminology to designed to describe particular conditions or umbrella terms.

If people think thats fine, to carry on using something to mock someone so vulnerable, they really are vile.

Your 'spring' analogy doesn't really work Flash, as spring is a homonym; a word with multiple accepted meanings.

The word 'mong', even when used to describe relaxing, still derives from the original meaning. That is different from a word with two entirely separate and unrelated meanings, like 'spring'.

Sorry I don't think my post above was very clear. Was responding to loftslags question.
SEND is the current terminology in education. I would be very surprised to see "special needs" written down or said in any official capacity as it is not PC, though of course people may say it as an abbreviation as "Special educational needs and disabilities" is very long winded.

Thanks for the explanation, Relupetto. I suppose I tend to think of "special needs" as shorthand for "special educational needs and disabilities". I was wondering whether LaChatte meant that her workplace used a different term entirely.

"Monged" is utterly offensive. The meaning is clear.

Not sure why people don't have enough imagination to think of another phrase

As for comparing it to 2 meanings of "spring" that's entirely different. One of he meanings of spring isn't offensive.

I think she meant that you would say learning disability rather than sn. Ld is a bit different to send.