Language Sensibilities

[nouveau_monday]

Words that I wonder about ...

Is it offensive for a character to describe him/herself as a "spaz" or as "spastic"?

Is it wrong for someone to say, "That's so gay" when he/she means stupid? What if the person who said it were gay? Does that change things?

I had another word as well, but those two were the first ones I though about.

Comments

[poisontaster]

I think a lot of things like that depend on context. Certainly my mom and I will kiddingly call each other "bitch" and it's used affectionately and non offensively and therefore, not a problem...but if it's random person on the street, then it's definitely a problem. Same thing with 'nigga' used affectionately or kiddingly between two black people or the various homosexual epithets between two people who have that kind of affectionate relationship...etc.

But it's always a fine line. Especially if you're doing it in a written medium, like if you're writing about two gay friends kidding each other...your context has to be REALLY clear and you still run a huge risk of some readers being offended.

[nouveau-monday.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's sort of what i was thinking with all of this. It was the word spastic that made me ask something here. The first time I ever said I was spastic in front of someone who didn't grow up around me, I thought I was going to be killed. He was so offended by the term and I had no idea.

[boymommytotwo.livejournal.com]

yeah, totally depends.

for example, i have much less trouble using "spaz" with a behavior (kinda like a freak-out). calling someone a spaz, i think goes into that disrespectful tone (even if it's "in fun"), where the insensitive world sometimes meets people struggling with serious and persistent mental illness or an intellectual disability.

"gay", i think, if used by someone who is homosexual is pretty much okay - much like any term that a racial/ethnic or other group could use within themselves. by others, not acceptable unless the meaning is explicitly "merry and gay" like during the holidays.

my 2 cents.