Acceptable terms....

[posieparker]

A colleague said someone was 'mental', this colleague is very PC...well likes to think she is.

Is it ever acceptable to call someone 'mental'...she was referring to someone wioth poor taste in men, should that make a difference.

Why thanks.....a certain BNP poster said it on another thread, terrible MN form to post a thread about a thread. I objected but then got all uncertain that I should be offended....which I was.

Sorry, I had to tell a white lie.

daftpunk, surprised?

far be it from me to be an apologist - but I couldn't swear that I never use that one - and I do have a history of mental health issues! ~NB would only use it conversationally to people I would know wouldn't be offended, would never I hope use it on here.

This is PC territory, I feel. Although I am pretty PC or rather not offensive.

Hmm, I sometimes call people 'loons'. Again have had MH issues of my own, not to mention ds with asd i.e. odd behaviour.

I don't think it is the worst thing tbh, but it is a bit insensitive and certainly worth challenging. Is it because a particular poster said it?

although I can understand your feelings.
to start this thread about DP is mean, if you have a problem go tell her,.

ok, cancel my last post, I went and looked.
aand she deserves it

Off-handed insults such as 'mental', 'crazy' or 'lunatic' are commonplace and they usually escape censure...just listen to any soap opera or radio show and up they pop . I wonder whether it's because the people who are affected by mental disabilities are usually unable to stand up and say, 'wait a minute, that's offensive'.

I think it's one of those things in life that you may not necessarily be aware of, or think about, until you are living in the world of mental disabilities.

strange, I read and posted here and then went on fb and had to hide a lovely girl I know as she used mong.....
this is thae same lovely girl who used to play with dd.
(should I send her a message telling her what it means?? she is only 14)

I suspect that at 14yrs, she is using the word because she thinks it is 'cool'...it's likely that she has no idea that it could cause offence so perhaps you could mention something to that effect, after which she will be better placed to decide how to express herself in future.

I looked at her profile and it is gone, so I think she realised, as I said sh is lovely

I also used the word 'moron' until someone linked to the meaning on MN....it's now another nabbed word in this house.