It's now considered offensive to use the word "retarded" to refer to stupid behaviour, but do you think it's offensive to use the "insane", "crazy" or "mad" to refer to irrational, immoral, dangerous or destructive behaviour? Someone was offended because I casually used the word "insane" to describe terrorists; they thought I was maligning people with legitimate mental illnesses. In order to reduce stigma for mental illness, is it necessary to stop calling people "crazy" when they do messed-up things?

(Mods: If you think this is POOPy topic, please punt it over to POOP)

It would definitely be inappropriate to name specific mental disorders.

Saying that something that is manifestly destructive - and in particular self-destructive - is crazy is not. If you have a mental disorder, that doesn't make you crazy.

I would certainly call someone who blows themselves up to kill other people crazy or insane.

Sane, and any derivatives of that word, is entirely a legal term. And we use the terms moron, imbecile and idiot rather freely considering the fact that they were originally used to describe levels of mental retardation.

I generally don't like it when people use "retarded" as an insult mainly because it implies that there's something shameful about having a mental disability. However, I also recognize that most people aren't really thinking about what they're implying, and are just saying it because they grew up hearing it. I don't have any problem with the word being used clinically, although there are more accurate terms these days. I have a little bit less of a problem with "moron," "imbecile" and "idiot" only because the English language seems to have evolved to the point where these terms aren't really used to describe mental illness anymore. "Retarded" may end up going that way, too, at some point.

I absolutely agree that crazy ≠ mental disorder. I know from my personal experience with my daughter that some people who seem "crazy" are actually perfectly capable of rational thought, but they operate under compulsions or limitations that make it seem otherwise to the casual observer.

It already has, AT. A long time ago.

Words like these start being used in this manner on a broad basis when they stop being used to describe specific conditions.

Am I not allowed to say something is "lame" because it puts people who cannot walk in a bad light? Or to call someone "dumb" because it puts people who cannot speak in a bad light?

I never thought I'd be the one telling people to stop complaining about the evolution of the English language, but I guess maybe kirby is starting to get to me.

I don't think I've ever used retard or retarded to describe anyone with a disability.


I second the curious Kirby influence notion.

I have encountered one or two people who were offended by "lame".

They were used that way at one point, but definitely not originally. Moron is just fool in Greek, and the other two entered English long before there were psychologists to adopt them.


There's a Rob & Elliot on that...