We’ve come a long way when it comes to recognizing and correcting ableist behavior, but there’s always more work we can do. One of them starts with how we use everyday words. While some of these words originally described disabilities, we often use them to insult and degrade people, which is one of the many reasons we should stop using them.
Here are just a few everyday words we’ve all probably used that are actually ableist:
1. Lame
The word “lame” referred to someone who could not fully use a part of their body, particularly a limb, according to Merriam Webster. However, it quickly evolved into an insult. How often do we call something lame when we think it’s not cool, it sucks, or is otherwise bad?
With more awareness around the fact that many people live with an array of disabilities, and the fact that we should treat people as people, we should definitely stop using this phrase. We only use it to insult people — which says a lot about ableism as a whole.
2. Dumb
When I first read Han Christensen Anderson’s “The Little Mermaid,” I was angry that the prince referred to the little mermaid, who could not speak at the time, as “dumb.” However, he used it in the historical context, which refers to someone who is nonspeaking. It had nothing to do with her intelligence or supposed lack of it.
Like with “lame,” dumb originally did not mean anything offensive but has turned into a way to insult someone’s intellect. We know there are nonspeaking people, so I don’t have to say that it’s rude to use this term.
3. Psychotic
We’ve heard of “psychotic” before and derivative, like “psycho,” and it’s often synonymous with other ableist terms like “crazy” and “insane.” But “psychotic” is actually an adjective of the noun psychosis, which is a psychiatric term for someone who has lost touch with reality. It refers to a symptom common in mental illnesses like bipolar I disorder and schizophrenia—not something you use because you want to insult someone.
Being in a psychotic state is quite terrifying for people, and it’s not something to joke about or insult someone from. No one asks to have a mental illness or lose touch with reality, and we shouldn’t use a medical term in any other way than its original use. Instead, we need to show compassion and care for the very real people who experience psychosis.
4. Deaf
How often have you heard someone snap “are you deaf?” when someone misunderstands something or questions someone? You’ve also probably heard the common phrase “falling on deaf ears” when someone doesn’t listen to someone else.
However, there are deaf people in the world, and using deafness as an insult implies that there’s a deficit with being deaf — which is ableist. Deaf means that someone has hearing loss or does not hear. Someone who is deaf is not inferior to someone who is hearing, and using “deaf” the way we do implies that they are.
5. Blind
Similar to deaf, we often call others “blind” when they refuse to see the truth. We’ve used “are you blind?” to insult someone missing the obvious or the common phrase “turning a blind eye” if someone ignores an issue right in front of them.
But there are people who are blind. You may have met someone who is blind and not noticed. Not everyone can see, and that doesn’t mean they’re inferior to people who can. Just because someone is different from us doesn’t mean they’re inferior to us.
This is not an exhaustive list, but I hope it gives you a good idea of how so many words and phrases ingrained in our everyday life are actually ableist and harmful. We say these things without thinking and because we’re used to them, but stopping to think about what you’re saying and why goes a long way in showing someone basic dignity.
Changing our language is one simple yet powerful way we can do our part to treat everyone with the respect and dignity they deserve.
Featured image via Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
