Sloppyfart
Active member
One word in particular that I have encountered some resistance around is the word “stupid”. Numerous people either don’t understand why this word is ableist or think that the value of the word supersedes the harm it causes to disabled communities.
This resistance is oddly pervasive. People who wouldn’t use the word “dumb” because it is offensive to Deaf people and people who cannot speak, or the r-word because it is offensive to people with developmental disabilities, are still willing to describe something or someone as “stupid”.
In my view, the fact that this word is a slur is self-evident. People don’t call you “stupid” unless they’re trying to put you down or undermine you. It’s an insult, and that’s reason enough to stop using it.
However, most people see the term as a legitimate expression conveying unintelligence, ignorance, foolishness, and so on. Even though other words are available, people feel that they need this one. I think it encapsulates the anger, frustration, and exasperation that they feel toward people who are behaving harmfully.
Many of us are feeling these things toward the illogical, destructive, and cruel people who endanger our safety and security. Calling those people ‘stupid’ may be cathartic, but it doesn’t communicate as much about the problem as the other words that are available. Compared to words like “bigoted”, “belligerent”, or “thoughtless”, its only strength is that it’s demeaning.
So it’s an insult. But what makes the term ableist?
First of all, it’s used to insult people with cognitive impairments, autism, Down’s syndrome, ADD, and other developmental disabilities. That’s a good enough reason right there. Its use harms and triggers disabled people, which makes it a source of mass psychological harm for an already marginalized group.
If something is likely to upset the members of a marginalized group, just let it go. If community members and activists ask you not to use a word for this reason, just don’t use it. Listen to those people and don’t make excuses. Ignoring those requests is also ableist.
Secondly, “stupid” is ableist because it creates and enforces systemic and institutional bias. The history of disability in our society is rife with injustices based on intelligence. During the 20th century, the United States government sterilized approximately 70,000 people, starting with women who were deemed to be “imbeciles”. That’s just one example.
Here’s another: children with intellectual disabilities are at extremely high risk for abuse, including sexual assault. Women with intellectual disabilities are also at high risk for abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence – and are underserved by inaccessible support programs.
Our culture promotes a climate of toxicity toward intellectually disabled people, and part of that is in the words we use. By condoning the casual use of ableist slurs, we tacitly permit more severe abuses. Because we undermine the people, we also undermine accountability for their abusers. We fail to construct a healing path forward.
The frustration that we feel over bigotry can be expressed in so many ways. We don’t need to rely on ableist slurs. Alternative phrases are more descriptive, and more accurate; unintelligence is not the prevailing problem with right wing extremists, for instance, nor is it the cause of their actions.
TlDR: Challenge yourself to criticize your opponents without demeaning their intelligence. Even if their actions are ridiculous, offensive, senseless, or malevolent. Pause, think about what is actually upsetting you about their behavior, and choose a different descriptor. You’ll be in solidarity with the disability community if you do.
This resistance is oddly pervasive. People who wouldn’t use the word “dumb” because it is offensive to Deaf people and people who cannot speak, or the r-word because it is offensive to people with developmental disabilities, are still willing to describe something or someone as “stupid”.
In my view, the fact that this word is a slur is self-evident. People don’t call you “stupid” unless they’re trying to put you down or undermine you. It’s an insult, and that’s reason enough to stop using it.
However, most people see the term as a legitimate expression conveying unintelligence, ignorance, foolishness, and so on. Even though other words are available, people feel that they need this one. I think it encapsulates the anger, frustration, and exasperation that they feel toward people who are behaving harmfully.
Many of us are feeling these things toward the illogical, destructive, and cruel people who endanger our safety and security. Calling those people ‘stupid’ may be cathartic, but it doesn’t communicate as much about the problem as the other words that are available. Compared to words like “bigoted”, “belligerent”, or “thoughtless”, its only strength is that it’s demeaning.
So it’s an insult. But what makes the term ableist?
First of all, it’s used to insult people with cognitive impairments, autism, Down’s syndrome, ADD, and other developmental disabilities. That’s a good enough reason right there. Its use harms and triggers disabled people, which makes it a source of mass psychological harm for an already marginalized group.
If something is likely to upset the members of a marginalized group, just let it go. If community members and activists ask you not to use a word for this reason, just don’t use it. Listen to those people and don’t make excuses. Ignoring those requests is also ableist.
Secondly, “stupid” is ableist because it creates and enforces systemic and institutional bias. The history of disability in our society is rife with injustices based on intelligence. During the 20th century, the United States government sterilized approximately 70,000 people, starting with women who were deemed to be “imbeciles”. That’s just one example.
Here’s another: children with intellectual disabilities are at extremely high risk for abuse, including sexual assault. Women with intellectual disabilities are also at high risk for abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence – and are underserved by inaccessible support programs.
Our culture promotes a climate of toxicity toward intellectually disabled people, and part of that is in the words we use. By condoning the casual use of ableist slurs, we tacitly permit more severe abuses. Because we undermine the people, we also undermine accountability for their abusers. We fail to construct a healing path forward.
The frustration that we feel over bigotry can be expressed in so many ways. We don’t need to rely on ableist slurs. Alternative phrases are more descriptive, and more accurate; unintelligence is not the prevailing problem with right wing extremists, for instance, nor is it the cause of their actions.
TlDR: Challenge yourself to criticize your opponents without demeaning their intelligence. Even if their actions are ridiculous, offensive, senseless, or malevolent. Pause, think about what is actually upsetting you about their behavior, and choose a different descriptor. You’ll be in solidarity with the disability community if you do.
