Another link about ablism and language. (Edit: Now with moar links!)

[nenena]

An excellent post about ablist language. The comments, that is. Not the post itself.

(The post isn't bad, per se. The OP asked an honest question and got many thoughtful, polite responses. Then for some reason the OP decided to strike out hir entire post and tell everyone to "forget it" even though there is still a meaty discussion going on in the comments. Er, no. That's not how linguaphiles rolls.)

ETA: furikku has an excellent post on -isms and insults, and there's a new post on linguaphiles collecting -ism free insults.

Comments

[pheonee.livejournal.com]

Hm. Just today, I was thinking about my recent "don't use 'retard(ed)' as a pejorative" campaign at school, and what that means for my common usage of the word "lame".

My reasoning was that "lame (uncool)" and "lame (walking difficulties)" have basically evolved into two different words by this point. Lame (uncool) has actually got linguistic nuance, in that you simply couldn't use it in certain situations, and it has a pretty distinct meaning. This meaning is not always exclusively negative, either. Pejoratives like "retarded" and "gay" are far less nuanced, and one could throw it around to apply to any negative situation you wanted.

Those who use "lame" as a catchall pejorative, I raise my eyebrow at.

Of course, I didn't even know what ablism was till a few weeks ago (a reflection of just how little progress we've made), so you know. What I say likely doesn't carry a lot of weight. >____>;

[furikku.livejournal.com]

I suppose it's good that they struck it instead of just deleting outright? :/

This reminds me that I really ought to do that post I've been poking at in the brain re: alternatives to -ist language.

[nenena.livejournal.com]

Hm. Just today, I was thinking about my recent "don't use 'retard(ed)' as a pejorative" campaign at school

That is awesome!! You are awesome! ^____^

My reasoning was that "lame (uncool)" and "lame (walking difficulties)" have basically evolved into two different words by this point. Lame (uncool) has actually got linguistic nuance, in that you simply couldn't use it in certain situations, and it has a pretty distinct meaning.

I don't think it matters that "lame (uncool)" has nuance and isn't a catch-all term. The same could be said for plenty of other pejoratives that perpetuate -isms (such as "ghetto" or "gyp"). Just because a pejorative has a specific meaning, that doesn't change the fact that it can still otherize/insult/put down whole groups of people through its usage. Regardless of how, when, or where you use "lame" to mean "uncool," that doesn't change the fact that it's still a slur against people with disabilities. It doesn't make it less of a slur just because it's not a catch-all pejorative. Er, if that makes any sense. I'm not articulating very well today. ^^;;

[nenena.livejournal.com]

Yay, post! I have read your post and it is a good post. ^__^

[furikku.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I am often nervous about making such posts because I have some Clueless Entitled friends who get all annoying and it is A Pain, but maybe I can help like two people!

[corinn.livejournal.com]

From The Transcontinental Disability Choir: What is Ableist Language and Why Should You Care?:
"...there is a plethora of words which rely on a shared assumption that to be disabled is inherently bad, inherently less than a person without a disability, inherently unworthy of attention, consideration, or care. For example, I see the word "lame" tossed around regularly, not just in pop culture commentary ("Dude, Holden [Caufield] is so lame!") but used by people criticizing pop culture from a feminist perspective, such as a blog awarding the "You're So Lame Award of Shame" to BET for featuring Chris Brown in their tribute to Michael Jackson. When the term is used that way, it is not meant to imply that Holden Caufield actually had a physical disability that caused his gait to be uneven, or that BET has a body that could be disabled in that way. Instead, it is used to mean that the character or the network are uncool, disfavored, and worthy of scorn and shame. Using the word this way would not be effective or meaningful unless both the speaker/writer and hearer/reader understood the word to mean that the person or thing it describes falls short of some agreed upon standard for people or things. This means that continued use of the word "lame" to mean lesser or scornful reinforces and strengthens the underlying assumption that people who are lame due to a disability are also lesser and worthy of scorn, which in turn reinforces the underlying assumption that people with disabilities are inherently lesser."

[Side note: I loooove that poooost! Even though they quote an example of replacing "She's being bitchy about [something]" with "She's an enraged, educated woman (Vagina dentata intellectualis)." They were doing well until they got to "vagina dentata" (warning: TVTropes link), which is just a different sexist term. So even people trying to change their language use stumble into it anyway. I'm having problems with sexist language in general, myself. Boo~ I seem to have more success eliminating -isms in my language by focusing on eliminating one -ism at a time. Several months about a year ago were concentrated on racist language. Since autumn, I've been working on ablist language. I've noticed it's more entrenched than I first thought. I've made good progress in the mental health language (probably in part because of my own mental health issues), but the language derived from physical disabilities is being stubborn. (Ugh, my first thought was to say, "is being a bitch." Boo, sexist language, GTFO my head!)]

...Watch me have said something problematic without realizing it.

Anyway, babbling aside, also:

Blogging Against Disablism Day: Addressing Ableist Language

Ablist Word Profile



Bonus aside: The lack of consistency in the spelling of "ablism/ableism" bugs me. Possibly because I read "ableism" as "ab-LAY-zmm." We don't say "raceism." Hrm. B\a

[pseudo_tsuga.livejournal.com]

Great posts! I only became aware of it after having mental health issues of my own, so it's still a struggle for me. "Lame"'s the hardest the get rid of.

[nenena.livejournal.com]

Me too. It's definitely something that I struggle with.

[pheonee.livejournal.com]

Thank you! That makes me feel infinitely better about all my little "campaigns". Let me tell you something: trying to convince a grade of 15- and 16-year-olds that being ablist/racist/sexist/homophobic is a Bad Thing is the most impossibly frustrating task ever, in the history of forever. I think I've been irreversibly labled "the class crier" by now. I take everything, even rape jokes, too seriously. *whinge whinge complain bitch whine*

Regardless of how, when, or where you use "lame" to mean "uncool," that doesn't change the fact that it's still a slur against people with disabilities.* Have sum pejoratives to pick from:

Mouldy sock, abandoned booger, leaf without chlorophyll, egg, baby turtle, cuckoo bird, spiteful hornet, lichenous rock, just plain ol' rock, wisdom tooth, poopyhead, troll, Izaya, waste of carbon molecules, tube of acrylic paint, mosquito, headlouse, compassionphobe...this is surprisingly fun.

[nenena.livejournal.com]

♥ that list of insults. Have you considered posting that in the linguaphiles post?