Is "special" a negative or positive term?

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It doesn't matter what word you use - if it gets associated with being disabled in any way it will soon become a new slur. That's just how language and prejudice works. I don't like someone intentionally trying to insult me, but context is always important when dealing with language.

The thing is, because of the special olympics, the word "special" is associated with the disabled, and yet is far from being a slur.

It fully depends on the context the person is using these words in.

Although the term "Special" can be a neutral term, it is now practically cognizable as a predominantly euphemistical definition; therefore, it tends to carry negative connotations due to it's politically correct and covinously applied usage as an euphemism for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The term "special" was derived from the coined term "Special Olympics" in order to establish a political euphemism for "mentally ret*d or handicapped," and substitutionary terms such as "special needs" or "differently abled" may also carry an equivocation. A positive stereotypical illustration of someone being internally reinforced as "special" would be a person with High-functioning autism or Asperger's syndrome whose exceptional giftedness or artistic talents were adulated by others in epitomized expressions such as "The ascendancy of your talents is very special" and "You have a special gift;" whereas, a negative stereotypical illustration of the term "special" would be denoted to a severely mentally challenged person with multiple disabilities being stated by normal people in a complimentary sense by the statement: "That kid is very, very special," or in a more pejorative denotation: "Ha ha, look it's a special kid."

Personally I loathe the term "special" as it does an immutable favour for the intellectually disabled, even though it minimizes the prejudice that may be attached towards them, although I sincerely agree that the term "ret*d" is dehumanizing to those with developmental disabilities (with the inclusion of those with mental retardation). "Special educational needs" (SEN) is far more congruous and is not a pejorative euphemism in any form. The term "exceptional" carries a lot more positive connotations than "special" because it may be construed as synonymous with the psychological label "Twice Exceptional," which is typically applied to a person endowed with gifted intelligence or superior talents, but with some form of neurological "disAbility" such as Asperger's syndrome, autism, and dyslexia.
_________________
Diagnosed with "Classical" Asperger's syndrome in 1998 (Clinical psychologist).
Alexithymia Questionnaire Score: 158/185
Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised (RAADS-R): 231/240
Aspie score: 186 out of 200
Neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 12 out of 200
AQ: 48/50 EQ: 9/80

It started out as a positive term to use instead of handicapped, disabled, etc and now it's used just as often in a negative sense.

Exceptional makes me think of gifted. Either that or really bratty.

If I'm going to be referred to in any derogatory way, I'd rather hear it straight with "ret*d" than the simpering pity of "special".

I think neutral because it depends on how it's used. Special can mean something negative like someone's spoiled brat who's always the exception to the rule or special needs. Same with Queer. I use that word to mean odd or strange but others give it a sometimes (depends on who uses the word) negative meaning. Exceptional isn't bad though, as it has a positive meaning.

you're talking about 'special' as applied to homosexuals, or to gender benders, or the like.

Its also used for the handicapped, or for the mentally ret*d.

For the former usage- it was the national 'thing to do' for about one year around 1972 when I was in highschool.

"Special" meant gay for about eight weeks- then it died out. Havent it heard used that way in decades. So the question is moot.

The more common usage of 'special' is as a euphemism for 'handicapped'- but most frequently for 'mentally handicapped'. A good example from my own life was a guy on our job who had more extreme aspergers than I do- who was refered as "special Dave" ( to distinquish him from another employee named 'Dave' ) because of his 'special' ( ie 'odd' behavior).

About THAT usage-its a euphemism. All euphemisms are polite ways of saying something unflattering. Eventually the euphemism itsself becomes the nasty epithet- and then they will have to make up a euphemism for THAT euphemism- which will last for ten years- until they have to make up a euphemism for that euphemism for that euphemism... .

In the thirties scientists stopped using words like "imbecile" and "moron", and started to use the nicer more polite fancy French word for "delayed"- that word being "ret*d". By the Fifties the word "ret*d" itsself had not only gone into the popular lexicon but was used by every school kid on every playground as an epithet itsself!

Thats just the way things are.

It started out as a euphemism, or maybe a good-hearted attempt to encourage people to acknowledge that disabled people have value and redeeming qualities and all kinds of good stuff if you bother to see it.

Like everything else intended it help people see the good in what is nonstandard, society turned it into a pejorative in very short order.

"Idiot," "imbecile," and "moron" used to be clinical terms referring to degrees of disability. "ret*d," if you look it up in the dictionary, simply means "slowed down or delayed." "Developmentally delayed" is currently in the process of becoming pejorative; right now it's still in the PC-pity stage.

Get the message?????

We-- and all the ADDies, schizos, schizoids, other-than-heterosexuals, folks with cerebral palsy, and people with other behavioral and/or learning disabilities are broken. Less. We will always be broken and less, no matter what pretty ribbons people wrap it up in with "neutral terminology."

I always thought special meant for a child with a disability or who is different. Like I was a special child. But I can also see how it can mean a negative thing too. People also refer it as to someone who can do no wrong and someone who wants special treatment or thinks rules don't apply to them. Or it can mean a child who is a spoiled brat. It can also mean someone who gives them special treatment and they are their teacher's pet. It all depends on the on the context.

I agree with this, and I also voted yes for this reason. The other reason is because my mom used to say that I m special and when she noticed that I took it negatively she started saying that everyone is special in their own way. Just like the kid on the Incredibles, my reaction was that no one is special if everyone is and it was a way to point out my negative "special" aspects.

I agree with this, and I also voted yes for this reason. The other reason is because my mom used to say that I m special and when she noticed that I took it negatively she started saying that everyone is special in their own way. Just like the kid on the Incredibles, my reaction was that no one is special if everyone is and it was a way to point out my negative "special" aspects. I see the word gifted the same way.

I'd rather be called stupid or ret*d than special. Using the term "special" implies I'm too stupid to even understand that it's an insult.

Similar note: I'd rather be called "fat" than some nonsense term like "curvy" or "fluffy", for the same reason. All of those are better than "overweight", though, which rather just describing a shape, tells us more: "there is a correct weight, and this person is over it".

Same goes for "broken". I am not broken. What was I before I "broke"? When did I "break"? Maybe I'm stupid or annoying or helpless, but "broken" is worse still (which is probably exactly why the internalized-aspie-hatred contingent around here seizes onto that word so eagerly).

Just a label to go with Aspergers.

This.

To me special is just another word for ret*d, one that is supposed to make people with DS feel like better about themselves (not that they seem to lack in self-confidence, though). I'll never forget looking through the books about 'special needs' in one of the local bookstores. One aimed at children was called "I am something very special!". I assumed it was about DS, and was shocked to see it was about AS (Asperger's that is, not general autism). I almost felt my tongue thicken just the sight of it!
Special is very very negative and not something you use about anyone of normal intelligence if you have any respect for them.

The other type of special I hear, is also negative. "He's very special" is just another way to say "He's such a freak!"


The only time I have ever used the word special as something positive, has been talking about my pets, or other animals.