use of the word 'moron'

[StepAwayFromTheEcclesCakes]

could it be banned? do others find it offensive? I have seen it on 3 threads today already, should I report or just ignore? it has come up before and yet still I feel we have learnt nothing when users still put in in their posts.

This may help some of you

www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/media/20386/Ato-Z-of-Offensive-language-FINAL.pdf

informal
A stupid person:
we can’t let these thoughtless morons get away with mindless vandalism every weekend

Early 20th century (as a medical term denoting an adult with a mental age of about 8–12): from Greek mōron, neuter of mōros 'foolish'.

clearly lots of you disagree, I just wish that people could find insults that were not disablist / racist etc, plenty of them around isn't there. if people don't challenge such language then we won't evolve it. and to the pp who called me a moron, nice aren't you. personal insults... way to go in a civilised debate.

Of course, there'll always be those who take pride in trampling over other people's sensitivities hmm, even when evidence has been provided that the words are not acceptable. this

I don't find it offensive.

I find any poking fun at people with learning disabilities offensive. This term was used to do exactly that really suprised at how many find that acceptable.

Whether any of us find it inoffensive is besides the point. Actually, I don't care too much if someone finds it 'offensive'. I do care if someone explains why its hurtful and people go 'meh, sticks and stones' and carry on using it.

well said errol

I do think it depends where you are from. It is a common term in my neck of the woods and definitely not a disabilist term. As I said, also used on a tv program shown daily around 5pm, so surely censors have deamed it ok (correct me if I'm wrong here)

These too may be helpful.

blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2015/06/9-words-with-offensive-origins/

A person of mild mental retardation having a mental age of from 7 to 12 years and generally having communication and social skills enabling some degree of academic or vocational education. The term belongs to a classification system no longer in use and is now considered offensive. mo. ron'ic (mə-rŏn'ĭk, mô-) adj.
Moron | Define Moron at Dictionary.com
www.dictionary.com/browse/moron

I find any poking fun at people with learning disabilities offensive. This term was used to do exactly that really suprised at how many find that acceptable.

I don't believe that was widespread if it happened at all. Adults use it to insult other adults as in saying they are stupid.

I've also found that spazz has taken on a new meaning now probably due to American tv. A lot of people say it when someone does something clumsy.

Apostrophe

There are thousands of us who can testify it happened, it may not be a big deal to you and others who didn't experience a childhood made miserable by such bullying from those supposed to teach us.
Yes, it was widespread, there weren't technical terms for people with learning disabilities. No dyslexia, ADHD, dyspraxia, slow processing, or any other explanations we have today.
We had moron, imbecille, cretin and a whole heap of words used to bully and humiliate.
If you had learning disabilities during the 60's and 70's and maybe other decades, this was your life.
So pardon me if I stand up and say that such words are deemed unacceptable for this reason.

I don't think that it is remotely feasible or desirable to ban all words which hurt ( not merely 'offend') but perhaps it would be possible for a post which contains such terms to be reported and for MN to send an explanation of why it is better to voluntarily avoid them? this actually answered my questions, I asked could it be banned, I actually agree this is not feasible, I still live in hope that such targeted words will become universally unacceptable words. Actually I dislike the whole thing about calling anyone stupid. It feels very brutal and unnecessary, a real attack on a person rather than the words used as a gentle ribbing when someone has done something a bit silly. There again I guess words like foolish, silly, numpty etc all started with poor connotations too but somehow they seem less harsh, more gentle in a less attacking way.

there again, I guess that depends on the person using them and the context / tone of voice so who knows. I just know I don't like the word or cretin for that matter and I think they still have the negative connotations about learning disabilities whereas many other words don't so why not use a less horrid one eh?

It's fine for you to say what you believe, no one would say otherwise, that is your experience but it isn't mine.

I grew up in the 50s and 60s and never heard it used as an insult to DCs with learning disabilities. I taught from the 1970s onwards and never heard it used in that way, either. Only ever heard it aimed at adults.

I'm with Gipsy. If you're that offended by a relatively inoffensive word, I would avoid the Internet. You will come across a lot worse. I would also consider it to be your problem, not anyone else's. I might find the word 'hat' offensive and it might result in me being a puking, quivering wreck, but I'm not going to start threads asking for it to be banned my problem, my extensive therapy bill!

Didn't they have the belt back in the 70/80s, I don't think anyone was having a good time of it

The op's point is that some people (this debate pops up often enough to show the op isn't in any way alone) consider moron to be disablist because of it's origins. You think it's a relatively inoffensive word mumoftwo, the op doesn't. Your example of you finding the word "hat" offensive doesn't work because there are no grounds on which it could be offensive and I'm guessing you'd be the only one calling for it to be banned.

There is a reasonable debate to be had about the M word and the op is perfectly entitled to start it.

No, not in England, no belt.

I might find the word 'hat' offensive how ridiculous, the word hat does not have any history of being used as a derogatory term for a person with a disability and I didn't ask for it to be banned I asked could it be? which I have since agreed is not feasible. However I would have thought that in this day and age we could find better words to insult someone. there are plenty of words out there that have lost whatever negative connotations they had years ago and moron imo is not one of them. you hat

Apostrophes - your 'belief' based on an absence of your own personal experience of an issue has absolutely no weight versus the evidence of people who actually have experienced the use of this term as abuse.

As to the idea that people just shouldn't use the internet ... yeah, lets blame and penalise the victims rather than trying to clean up our little corner of it by simple civility.

I might start using hat as an insult. Or maybe types of hat. "You utter trilby" has a nice ring to it.

Where do you draw the line through purple, as someone said up thread, they don't like the word 'cunt'. Again, a very very very common word in certain parts 😳
(Honestly we're not as bad as we sound 😟)

The slipper, cane, board rubbers thrown, legs smacked until they bled as a 7 year old, soon healed.
The humiliation, mental abuse, never goes away.

I was involved in a small forum a while back where people posted case studies, if I can find I'll post. Otherwise a quick google with the right words should give you all an indication what it was like.

You utter trilby 😂 Love it