to politely request people stop using the word 'moron'

[opionated]

it was a medical term

Words change. Meanings change. Move on.
This.

It's like hysterical can mean hilarious or over emotional. That's how it's used in modern English.
But use hysterical to mean over emotional and some wanabe smart arse on MN will come and police you and tell you how sexist you are because the term was once linked to the medical diagnosis of women.

I remember my grandad telling me off for giggling at his use of the word gay, because gay means happy. And he wouldn’t accept that language had moved on over time.

Years later, I found out that ‘gay’ often referred to people being immoral, specifically prostitutes. So someone being gay could mean that they were or used a prostitute in Victorian times.

geekone Mon 09-Apr-18 07:49:37
What about Fucktard is Fucktard offensive?

well yes, as it comes from retard

Worth thinking about why the word "hysterical" is very rarely used about men, though.
And how do the "language moves on" people feel about "mong" and "spaz"?

You can only complain about the word moron if you also want to excise the word idiot from the mass vocabulary. And cretin.

They aren't medical words any more, they are just insults. Are we not allowed to insult anyone anymore?

maisy for me, hysterical is a little different. When used to describe something funny, no problem. When used to describe someone being ‘in a tizz’ I’m not a fan, because it’s so rarely used to describe men and so often used to describe (and shut up) women.

You are wrong, we can complain all we like, freedom of speech I am afraid.

Yes YABU.

Cretin is just a great insult, sorry!.
It doesn't mean the scientific term for 'person of low intelligence' any more than gay still means 'happy'. What you are effectively objecting to is having any words at all to describe stupid behaviour, which is amazingly, well, idiotic. Who made you queen?!

You are wrong, we can complain all we like, freedom of speech I am afraid

well sure, but if you want to make no sense about it at all, why should anyone listen to you?

I like a numpty myself.

Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thought-crime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it.

Those words were written as a warning, OP, not an instruction manual!

So. Anything goes? No constraints on language at all?

You can request people “stop using the word” but until people stop actually being morons, I and many others shall continue to use the word.

Ideally no constraints whatsoever. Freedom of thought and expression is priceless, and infinitely more valuable than some people's hurt feelings.

And how do the "language moves on" people feel about "mong" and "spaz"?

Those are different. They were used as medical terms until very recently - I’m relatively young and still remember The Spastic Society before it changed its name. Mong was definitely used as a derogatory insult meaning ‘like a Down Syndrome person’ when I was school-aged. Idiot and moron were certainly of a much older generation meaning ‘medical terminology’, for people my age there is no connection between ‘idiot’ meaning stupid and ‘idiot’ meaning ‘low cognitive abilities’.

Perhaps younger generations will use mong and spaz as we do idiot and moron. Perhaps they will die out. It certainly makes me feel uncomfortable just thinking about my children using those words, but language does change as has been shown several times on this thread (and previously, as we’ve had this argument before).

So. Anything goes? No constraints on language at all?

What constraints do you suggest?

Repeal i expect the poster means constraints on words that are considered racist for instance.

I find this an interesting debate. Not sure where i stand on it.

Anyone remember that great 70s song: Gordon is a Moron? We used to be childishly amused by it because it was my then FiL's name - and he was.

To those who believe there should be no constraints- is it ok for someone ( not you) to call a person with a learning disability, a retard or to refer to them as a retard?

It makes perfect sense to me not to use words that hurt those who often have difficulties in their lives that we can't even begin to imagine.

totally agree OP, it really offends me and others like me who can remember being called these unacceptable words at school, by teachers.
They used to use these terms to bully us if we struggled with work.
I've had years in therapy due to these words being used to bully me.

Think folks, if people tell you certain words are offensive they know why.
They may be used to describe learning difficulties in the past, however, they are totally unacceptable now.

I agree with you bird, but who decides which words are/are not acceptable? Why is idiot ok, but mong not ok? The word 'mental' is used often but many would consider that a slur.

I do think that language evolves and as such it's difficult to impose formal rules.

To those who believe there should be no constraints- is it ok for someone ( not you) to call a person with a learning disability, a retard or to refer to them as a retard?

Would I like it? No. Should I somehow be able to stop them? Still no.

I don't understand what kind of constraints you are looking for. Arrest people for their terminology?

There is pretty universal social consensus that some words (such as mong, retard) are offensive and should not be used. (This is country specific, 'spaz' is apparently pretty acceptable in the us in a way it definitely isn't here). There is no such consensus about cretin and moron. Attempting to create one artificially is theoretically doable, but I hope you don't succeed.