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Date Posted: 12:06:02 09/18/07 Tue
Author: Deep Diction
Subject: Re: Whoa, whoa whoa...
In reply to: EJetson 's message, "Re: Whoa, whoa whoa..." on 06:50:15 09/18/07 Tue

>The excess of political correctness is not from the
>workplace. Political correctness is necessary for the
>workplace. The excessiveness that has gotten out of
>hand is outside the workplace.
>
>
>It's not offensive to refer to someone with Downs
>Syndrome as mentally retarded. Someone who has a
>friend or relative with Downs Syndrome just decided
>one day that the word "retarded" didn't sound good and
>decided that they didn't want that word used anymore,
>and for some reason, that caught on. Now the word
>"retard" has a horrible connotation and has become
>offensive and insulting, when it never really was
>originally.
>
>That's PC gone overboard.
>
>
>Someone who is short is not "vertically challenged".
>They're short.
>
>Someone who needs a wheelchair to get around IS
>handicapped. It's not an insult to say so.
>
>
>That's PC gone overboard.

I would disagree the part about not using the word "retarded". The word "retard" has been used as an insult for most of our lives, and I can understand why a person with Downs would want to distance themselves from a word used more as an insult than as its actual medical definition.

I agree that the other stuff is probably overkill, but I don't have a problem with people saying it. They're just trying not to offend people, and there's nothing wrong with that. If a non-disabled person tries to convince me to say "differently abled" when speaking to them, when no actual disabled people are around, then that's a little much. But I think those types of people are clearly in the minority. I haven't encountered anyone like that in years.

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