Unacceptable word.

[theheadgirl]

To MN HQ:
Many of us have contacted you, to express the opinion that the word "mong" should not be acceptable.
In the thread in question, the poster, who I am sure meant nothing derogatory, used the phrase "to mong out in front of the TV"
It has been suggested that this meant nothing more than to "veg" out.
However, this word derives from the word "mongol", which many years ago was the acceptable medical term to describe Down Syndrome. Thankfully the medical profession no longer use the word.
As the mother of a beautful, lively girl with Down Syndrome, (who never, ever "mongs" anywhere!) I find this a vile word. It is one that reminds me of the way that those with learning difficulties are sometimes labelled, are treated as 2nd class, and are denied any individuality. Ignorance of its history should not mean it can be continued to be used. Look at the picture of my girl on my profile and ask yourself - would you be happy to hear the word used?
If you feel that this word is unacceptable please add your name to this thread.

I feel that this is unacceptable.

Sorry. The term, not the thread

Unacceptable.

dd is proper gorgeous theheadgirl

what a horrible word, I've never heard it used before, how awful.

Totally agree

Another vote for Headgirl's proposal

I agree

I agree it's not acceptable.

But I'm unsure what you're asking MNHQ to do. What is the point of this thread?

Yes I agree too, awful word

Totally agree this word should not be used.

Why don't you press the red ! on the thread in question to alert MN??

Adding my voice. Dreadful word, and I'm astonished the post was allowed to stand.

It's already been reported Whizzz but many posters are unhappy with the response from MN.

Of course it's not an acceptable word - and I would be prepared to say so on any thread where it cropped up...and most posters who had no intention of being offensive, would stop using it once they realised where it came from, wouldn't they? What do you wnat MNQ to do?

It is so rarely used nowadays (ime) that I can quite see how people have no idea of it's background - especially people too young to remember that 'mongol' was formerly commonly used to describe Down's Syndrome.

In fact - hooray for the very succesful replacement of the proper term in commmon usage!

It is a horrible word and perpetuates discrimination against those who have special needs.

oh sorry. Yes agree it's not a nice term

Agree Blu.

What was MNHQ's response, out of curiosity? I didn't see the thread.

Oh, I see, you wnat MN to delete the post it was erroneously used in?
Won't any ensuing enlighhtening posts on the thread (sorry - I haven't read it or come across it) alert anyone else who comes across it that it is not an ok expression? Isn't awareness raising better than deletion?

Blimey - I searched to see where & how it was used & MN came up with 145 threads where it was used

I agree it's unacceptable.

I think the reason it's being heard more often is because of what you said - the medical profession no longer use the term "mongol" to describe Down's syndrome, so many people (particularly the younger ones) don't know that it has offensive connotations, having never heard the word in that context. So they truly believe that it means nothing more than veg out.

I'm sure that this thread, and some of the others which have preceded it, will go some way towards ensuring that posters are aware of the offensive nature of the word. But I'm not sure what MN Towers can do about it. Leaving a post in place and allowing other posters to draw attention to the fact that it's unacceptable is surely a better way of getting the message across.

i AGREE

Whizz -

unless you have a child wth sn you cannot imagine the hurt these words cause.
It is all very well for people to keep saying the post should stand and people should just explain. BUT would you want to spend your time explaining over and over again. I doubt it.