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Outdated mental illness terms being removed from law
Waterbury Republican-American ^ | May 9, 2007 | Julie Carr Smyth (A.P.)

Posted on 05/09/2007 10:12:04 AM PDT by Graybeard58

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To: Owl_Eagle
Personally, I like the term “crip” or “super-crip”
41 posted on 05/09/2007 11:31:09 AM PDT by corlorde (New Hampshire)
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To: Graybeard58

Our local University’s “Office of Programs for Handicapper Students” had decided that “Handicapper” was not PC anymore, so they changed their name to “The Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities.”


42 posted on 05/09/2007 11:32:14 AM PDT by Yo-Yo (USAF, TAC, 12th AF, 366 TFW, 366 MG, 366 CRS, Mtn Home AFB, 1978-81)
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To: Yo-Yo

When I was in college, the term was Handicapable.


43 posted on 05/09/2007 11:40:36 AM PDT by freepertoo
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To: Graybeard58
imbecile, lunatic and idiot were purged Tuesday from the Ohio law books

Now if they could only purge them from the Ohio legislature.

44 posted on 05/09/2007 11:59:07 AM PDT by RonF
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To: joshhiggins

“The terms imbecile, idiot, mental retardation, insanity and so on are good examples as these were initially introduced as neutral terminology intended to describe specific conditions.”

Exactly.

These once neutral terms ceased to neutral once the general public started using them as insults.

Most of them are used FAR more as insults now than to describe an actual medical condition, to the point where you can’t describe the condition without appearing to be insulting.


45 posted on 05/09/2007 12:03:56 PM PDT by dman4384
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To: Owl_Eagle

Sexually Motivationally Challenged = F’n lazy


46 posted on 05/09/2007 12:06:28 PM PDT by P8riot (I carry a gun because I can't carry a cop.)
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To: joshhiggins
As soon as a new term such as "Challenged" or "Special", or "Gay" becomes widely used it becomes associated with the condition it describes, and becomes an insult.

I believe the technical term for this progression is "Euphemism Treadmill".
47 posted on 05/09/2007 12:46:10 PM PDT by MirrorField (Just an opinion from atheist, minarchist and small-l libertarian.)
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To: Graybeard58

So, Ohio will no longer have any imbeciles, lunatics, or idiots.

Shudder! What will they do for a future crop of lawmakers?


48 posted on 05/09/2007 12:50:47 PM PDT by azhenfud (The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.)
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To: Graybeard58

Homosexuality used to be listed as a Mental Health disorder.


49 posted on 05/09/2007 2:57:31 PM PDT by Rameumptom (Gen X= they killed 1 in 4 of us)
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To: Graybeard58
moron, imbecile, lunatic and idiot . . .

. . . were once very specific words to describe specific conditions.

A moron was simply mentally slow, but trainable and could occasional perform useful tasks. Somebody like Diane Feinstein.

An imbecile was mentally slow, not generally trainable, but not a danger to themself with minimal supervision. Somebody like Barbara Boxer or Mark Dayton.

A lunatic was someone who needed constant supervision because they were psycho when set off. Somebody like Al Gore.

An idiot, well to put it delicately, was dumber than a box of rocks and normally locked in a padded cell. Somebody like Partica Bin Murray.

50 posted on 05/09/2007 3:01:56 PM PDT by Vigilanteman (Are there any men left in Washington? Or are there only cowards? Ahmad Shah Massoud)
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To: Cacique

btt


51 posted on 05/09/2007 3:02:31 PM PDT by Cacique (quos Deus vult perdere, prius dementat ( Islamia Delenda Est ))
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To: Cicero

A couple fries short of a Happy Meal.


52 posted on 05/09/2007 4:18:46 PM PDT by Lexinom (DH08/FT08)
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To: Graybeard58
To be used in the future, exclusively, at Free Republic

Indeed. These words, rich in history and descriptive power, are finely attuned to the nuances of difference among liberals, 'rats, and other leftwing enthusiasts of great passion and miniscule intellect. They should be protected terms,as should the ever useful "nitwit," which perfectly describes your neighbor, and other people who watch American Idol.

53 posted on 05/09/2007 6:30:38 PM PDT by hinckley buzzard
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