Lighthearted (if possible on here?)

[Nogodsnomasters]

Why are you all so annoyed about the word hysterical being used to describe a woman? Even if she IS being hysterical!!? It's a perfectly good word.

I recall an ongoing issue with DS2 on use of the word "gay" to mean something in anyway bad or undesirable. I don't know if it's still a thing in the kidspeak but it was when DS2 was at primary school. I said don't use it because you're saying something being bad is gay because you also think being gay is bad. He was incensed - and, what with being too cool for school with his SPaG skillz - argued against me on the basis of homonyms, lord love the cheeky little shit.

Anyway. I banned the word. He did I am a homonym martyr dramatics for five minutes and then found another word to use when he didn't like something.

Words have histories and those histories are important. Whether or not enough time has passed since the original sense for hysterical to be viewed as inoffensive or offensive is probably in the ear of the hearer. I wouldn't use it.

(Do I get a brownie point for a good faith post?!)

I am non-paragrah-break-phobic. It's triggering...

nogods

If it helps i dont give a shiny shit what you do

Some people will judge you for using the word

Others will not care

And others will not know why its an issue

My understanding of feminism is thats its not overly keen on women being submissive...could be wrong though

Maybe it's generally a good idea to do a bit of googling before starting a thread about a term which upsets people before starting a thread. For instance, a simple search 'derivation of hysterical' gives various links giving the history, and this www.theguardian.com/media/mind-your-language/2012/mar/08/mind-your-language-feminisation-madness.

If your first thought is to start a thread rather than doing a bit of reading and thinking about something you don't understand, then you're either being goady or else you believe your time is more valuable that other people's. There are a lot of such threads started on feminism chat, many by MRA type men, so it tends to make regulars cynical and irritated from the off.

My understanding of feminism is thats its not overly keen on women being submissive...could be wrong though

Well that applies to the OP too. She is the one being told to shut up, being told she is a troll, being told she is a man.

I gave examples of this word being used by men about men ; of Claire Short referring to hysterical press reporting. "Mass hysteria" is frequently used with reference to subjects such as Nazi Germany or Orson Wells' War of the Worlds

Not by me shes not

And i as i explained up above i dont have a problem with the word per se if its used in context that fits

Other people on here think otherwise and thats also fine

There are a lot of such threads started on feminism chat, many by MRA type men, so it tends to make regulars cynical and irritated from the off.

In other words, many in this section of MN see it as 'theirs' and like to try to police others. But of course, it’s not an echo chamber.....

Oh,Lass. You know perfectly well that "mass hysteria" in response to The War of the Worlds is entirely different from "hysterical" when used to describe an angry- or even a mildly annoyed woman. Don't be disingenuous.

Oh and i used to use disabalist words all the time

Not the ones i had been taught were wrong but words like cretin

Following threads on here i try not to use them

( and believe me its fucking hard when i see some of the posts on here)

If you can't think of anything to say to my response go for my lack of paragraphs... Very mature, very on topic. In regards to googling, I can't know to put "historical meaning of hysteria" into a search engine if I don't know that historical meaning is the issue to begin with, all I could have googled was "hysteria" which would have given me the current meaning.

nogods-do you think "hysterical" is a word used about men?

Really, @Buggered? You don't think it's reasonable to get fed up with anti-women types starting goady threads that are there to simply be confrontational and unpleasant? It happens all the time, MNHQ delete numerous threads and these guys keep re registering and popping up over and over again.

And if you think it's an echo chamber here then start threads and contribute to existing ones with alternative opinions, please.

It's never reasonable for women to get fed up. Positively unladylike, that is.

Rufustheyawningreindeer

Not by me shes not

And i as i explained up above i dont have a problem with the word per se if its used in context that fits

Sorry. Apologies for that. Wasn't singling you out.

Oh,Lass. You know perfectly well that "mass hysteria" in response to The War of the Worlds is entirely different from "hysterical" when used to describe an angry- or even a mildly annoyed woman. Don't be disingenuous

One of the examples I found was a man using it about himself. 2 were women using it about their children. A journalist used it for Trump's team of advisers. It is not used exclusively for women.

Is it commonplace for it to be used about men when they're not being hysterical at all, just mildly annoyed or appropriately angry? That happens a lot, does it, in your experience/opinion, Lass?

Test

Is it commonplace for it to be used about men when they're not being hysterical at all, just mildly annoyed or appropriately angry? That happens a lot, does it, in your experience/opinion, Lass?

It isn't a word I can think of hearing much used in relation to any one by any one and then only in the context of the dictionary definition affected by or deriving from wildly uncontrolled emotion.

Test

Thats ok lass

Thats my paranoia showing

Now im wondering why dad is testing

Because Dad is curious about what Mum's up to

It's OK, Dad, the mane change has worked. Fire away.

And so has the the name change....

In regards to googling, I can't know to put "historical meaning of hysteria" into a search engine if I don't know that historical meaning is the issue to begin with, all I could have googled was "hysteria" which would have given me the current meaning.

Nonsense. If you have any interest in the background of a word, the search I suggested ("derivation of ....") generally does the trick. Not exactly hard, is it? Or if you want to know something specific, such as the whys and wherefores of whether a term may be deemed offensive, then something obvious like 'hysterical offensive' will yield information.