Calling a disorder 'stupid' or 'rediculous' - offensive?

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Do you find it offensive if someone calls an involuntary condition 'stupid'?
Yes 68%  68%  [ 15 ]
No 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
Depends on the context 32%  32%  [ 7 ]
Other (please explain) 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
Total votes : 22

mitharatowen
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18 Feb 2009, 11:27 am

I had a discussion with someone recently who said that anxiety disorder was 'rediculous.' He has also called my AS symptoms 'stupid' in the past. We had a long discussion about it and he doesn't seem to understand why I find these terms offensive. He says that he just means that such conditions are not beneficial. Which I can agree with.. but I object to the terms he uses. I do not beleive that an involuntary condition can be described as 'stupid' or 'rediculous' since it is not the person's choice and I beleive those two terms imply that it is. Perhaps this is just nit-picking? What do you think?

Would you find this offensive?



Maditude
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18 Feb 2009, 11:32 am

I would counter by saying that ignorance is "stupid."


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__biro
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18 Feb 2009, 11:39 am

I voted 'depends on the context' because someone who is frustrated my say something like "I hate my stupid AS" but if someone said "AS is stupid" then I would find that offensive.


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mitharatowen
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18 Feb 2009, 11:42 am

__biro, that seems to indicate that only those with AS are allowed to call it stupid? Because if you swap the person.. "I hate your stupid AS".. it becomes offensive again, correct?

That seems kind of hypocritical.

(btw I'm not trying to insult or attack anyone.. just to analyze this very thoroughly)



Last edited by mitharatowen on 18 Feb 2009, 11:44 am, edited 1 time in total.

Sora
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18 Feb 2009, 11:43 am

Depends on the context for me.

I don't mind people saying AS symptoms are stupid in the sense of 'useless', perhaps 'painful to have' or just 'annoying' 'hard to life with' 'insensible' 'impossible to understand' and so on. I might say that myself.

I very much mind it if they say stupid and mean to say the symptoms are not real, are silly, not truly a problem, that you could stop having these, that they make you less of a human, that they're a flaw, mean you're defective, ugly, disgusting, that they make you an idiot and so on.


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mitharatowen
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18 Feb 2009, 11:45 am

^ That is a good point but how is one to decide which meaning the other is intending to convey?

According to his explinations, the person I mention seems to be indicating that they meant the first meaning but I take the terms to mean the second. Is that just me applying my own meanings while his words were acceptable? I find the words you used to be inoffensive.. I guess I just think there are better ways to say it other than stupid or rediculous since those are generally insulting terms..?



Sora
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18 Feb 2009, 11:57 am

mitharatowen wrote:
^ That is a good point but how is one to decide which meaning the other is intending to convey?


I usually do it the old fashioned way. I ask 'how do you mean it's stupid?'


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mitharatowen
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18 Feb 2009, 11:59 am

Ok then I guess I should accept his definition then.
Thanks for the input :)



__biro
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18 Feb 2009, 12:07 pm

mitharatowen wrote:
__biro, that seems to indicate that only those with AS are allowed to call it stupid? Because if you swap the person.. "I hate your stupid AS".. it becomes offensive again, correct?

That seems kind of hypocritical.

(btw I'm not trying to insult or attack anyone.. just to analyze this very thoroughly)


Hmm that is true I didn't really think my answer through. Thanks for pointing that out. :)


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