Trifein
Well-Known Member
Hm I have to say as being a newbie it feels like my threads don't get much acknowledgement because I'm not well know but hey that's the way the cookie crumbles! 
People often use words/terms that others find offensive without realising it. Unless it is said with intent to cause offense , i tend to ignore it. If i got upset/offended every time someone made a derogatory reference to being ginger I would spend a hell of a lot of time being upset.
My son has tourettes, it's a very misunderstood condition, people assume he must swear all the time but he doesn't. Do i get offended when people use it in jokey descriptions of a person or animal?, no, i know from experience it is misunderstood and i feel sorry for their lack of empathy for people with the condition. if someone uses it as a direct insult to my son I'll knock their heads off![]()
Surely my horse has "special needs" or is "speshul" is just as derogatory as this has a modern meaning of someone who needs additional help to get along in life (for many different reasons) and is commonly used in a derogatory way.
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My gripe is people seeing something offensive when no real offence is meant![]()
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How long ago did you leave the UK now pickle? I know in the states (and presumably Canada) spastic is totally inoffensive but here it's a real no-no now. Might have changes since you were gone?
Oh and the other thing that I must say does rather irritate, is when two or three posters veer off into a long flurry of 'in joke' banter that has no relevance to the original post. Why don't you do that by pm rather than clog up the OP's thread? I actually think that is quite rude. I imagine people like this would talk over everybody else at a dinner party, guffawing loudly at their own perceived wit, whilst the poor hostess tries desperately to bring the conversation back to a more inclusive level for all her guests.![]()
6 years that is all.
Spastic is not a word I like to hear, or use myself. It used to be a derogatory term for those with autism (mongols as they also used to be called) but I hadn't heard it for a very long time, even when I was in the UK.
What I was more startled about was the fact that just using it would cause someone to report the user!Is it now classed as an obscenity then?
I have never heard the word used here at all, and I have several friends with autistic family members, I must ask them about that.
6 years that is all.
Spastic is not a word I like to hear, or use myself. It used to be a derogatory term for those with autism (mongols as they also used to be called) but I hadn't heard it for a very long time, even when I was in the UK.
Sorry but it's something I feel strongly about as my friend had a disabled daughter and it was very distressing when the local neds called her a spastic or spaz.
6 years that is all.
Spastic is not a word I use myself. It used to be a derogatory term for those with autism (mongols as they also used to be called), amongst other conditions, but I hadn't heard it for a very long time, even when I was in the UK. Sad, but not unusual, that an ordinary word based on a medical condition should end up as an insult, but that's the way of the world. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spastic
What I was more startled about was the fact that just using it would cause someone to report the user!Is it now classed as an obscenity then?
I have never heard the word used here at all, and I have several friends with autistic family members, I must ask them about that.
I thought mongol was for Downs sufferers due to the mongoloid features they often have? Obviously outdated now of course.
I guess kids in the playground tend not to get into the particulars and any insulting term is as good as the next!
I use loads of 'offensive' phrases. But I don't mean anything by them and honestly, where do you draw the line?
If I can't say BH is special, can I say he's fat? Can I say he's retarded? If I can't say retarded am I even allowed to say he's stupid? I call him a retard all the time. I refer to myself as a retard and a bit special too. Obviously I don't mean to offend but I guess I am being offensive by some people's standards.
O well, as I've been known to say the 'c' word I doubt there's much hope for me anyway![]()
Agree with Nah, when did it become cool to have bad horses? Duh, mirror Pet. I'd be mortified if the horses I bred, brought up, and started were psychos. And if I buy a well schooled animal and it stops being so, gee who's the idiot. When it concerns my horses, I think you'll find I will always blame myself. No mine aren't perfect, but they're pretty darn good and all are rock solid under saddle.
Terri
OMG not the C worddamn thee to hell you blasphemous hag
it's one of my frequently used words and i make no apologies for using it.
If one "insult" word is deemed offensive, it is just replaced by another insult word until that is deemed too offensive. As long as people want to throw insults (lightheartedly or otherwise) there will be offensive words, that is, after all what they are for. You can't insult someone by calling them pretty or clever or perfect can you? You need something offensive or you are giving a flipping compliment.![]()
You could use the ultimate insult and call them..... nice.
I would hate to be called nice. What an insipid, horrible thing to say. It's basically a polite way of saying 'you're so insignificant I CBA to think of a single unique characteristic of yours so I'll use this naff generic one instead!'
Obviously I don't mean anything by it. I'd be the last to discriminate against anybody for any reason. Genuinely. I guess that's why I just use them all as words. They are just words to me. I don't attach connotations to them so wouldn't I just say them?
That drives me nuts too. Or the ones with a very brief post asking for help but no matter what anyone suggests they've tried it all despite not mentioning anything in the original post. Then they get cross with people for suggesting things they've already done!
Another of my major pet hates is the ones asking for free copies of dressage tests because they "can't find it anywhere" they're £1.50 on Dressage Diagrams, surely if you can afford to compete you can afford to pay that too? Oh and the requests for Preloved advert details. It's 10p a week, hardly breaks the bank! Grrr!
Whoops looks like I got out of bed the wrong side this morning!![]()
mongol used to be used for downs syndrome not autism, that was changed as it was termed derogatory,
I hate it when threads go well off topic.
But isn't that the point? They are just words to you. But to someone with cerebral palsy or Down's syndrome they are not 'just words' - they are offensive and derogatory terms. Why would you continue to use a word when it has been explained to you that it could be upsetting to some people whose lives are quite challenging enough anyway?