on language: AH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. FREAKING JESUS CHRIST ON A FREAKING POGO STICK.
Posted on 6:00 PM, under freaking jesus christ on a freaking pogo stick, language fascism, whiny people
person 1: Maybe hate isn’t the right word for this particular billboard. How about “Billboard of Crazy”?
person 2: I beg your pardon, those of us with actual mental illness don’t appreciate being used as everyone’s metaphor for violent irrationality.
I am surprised that stupid people's use of the Internet has not given me a stupidity-induced aneurysm yet. But let's dissect this, shall we?
My friend Merriam-Webster has this to say about the meaning of crazy:
1 a : full of cracks or flaws 2 a : mad, insane
b (1) : impractical (2) : erratic
c : being out of the ordinary : unusual 3 a : distracted with desire or excitement
b : absurdly fond : infatuated
c : passionately preoccupied : obsessed
Saying something is crazy doesn't, as you can see, automatically mean it's a synonym for mentally ill. It might not even be meant as something offensive. Likewise for ableist words like lame, idiot, insane, and ... seriously, it's going to come to a point where even walking and brain are going to become ableist words. Freaking pearl-clutchers.
Why be so knickers-in-a-bunch about language? Words are as offensive as the person that says them means them to be. Calling a kid retarded could very well mean acknowledging said kid's profound mental retardation, without the intention to insult. And calling that board crazy could very well mean calling it impractical, as opposite to comparing it to bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. It could be very, very far away from meaning to insult people with mental illnesses.
You'd be surprised by the amount of mentally ill people that do not give a crap when something's called crazy or insane. Just like many LGBTA aren't offended by fag, queer, homo, dyke, and the like. With chants like "we're queer, we're here", and movements like "mad pride", it's surprising to stumble into posts like the one above, or comments like this:
LAME? Cringe. Oh, my. I couldn't possibly let that one slide.
I've called cigarettes fags for as long as I can remember. And not once, not one single fucking time, have I been scolded by my gay friends. Because they're the sort that would rather campaign to have equal rights regarding marriage and adoption, that bitch about how much calling a cigarette a fag hurts them.
Social-justiceists, pick your fight: you can fight how people speak, or you can try and open people's minds and maybe change the way they think and thus make an actual difference. What's it going to be?
