Increasing Use of Autism as an Insult

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I wasn't really aware of this until I became a Brony (can't provide a link because it's my first post just look it up yourself) , but lots of people are using Autism as an insult. So... Thats fun. Why do you think this is and what are your thoughts?
Also, first post, yey. I'm sorry for the short post.

- Ben Garden, Diagnosed Aspie.

welcome to KoRs world.
theyve been doing that to those of us who also have intelectual disability since southpark made it popular from nineteen ninty five,its even often on this forum but people dont care as they arent ID.

as for autism as an insult,even politicians all over the world have used it as an insult; for example of one see here-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8345282.stm
if the most powerful amongst us can be seen to use it in that manner how are the ignorant amongst the public going to understand its effects?

Indeed, I was considered ID as a child (although they have changed their mind, it still means I had similar experiences) and using disability words as insults is not in the slightest bit new. I mean, idiot, moron and imbecile used to be words to described ID which now are words that people don't even associate with ID because they've been used at insults so much, the same with ret*d (hate that word at *lot* and it makes me cringe to see or hear it because of life experiences). Not in the same way, but I also often see bipolar used as an insult, also schizophrenic.

People who don't understand, or don't want to understand mental health conditions and developmental conditions will just use any they please to insult people. Really I think it says a lot about how they see us, and a not a lot at all about how we really are.

Who was it who said "sticks and stones might break my bones but words can never hurt me"?

Someone who was very, very wrong.

So true. World wars and genocide flow from words. Actions without words are relatively puny perhaps causing a death or two. Words can result in pain and death for millions.

I disagree. I was bullied quite a bit in my lifetime of life, which is 20 something odd years. Yes, words hurt. However, words hurt if you chose to let them hurt you.

In my world and in my personal views

"Words only have the power you give them"

I refuse to give any word power, unless what the person says meets two criteria

-They mean something to me as a person
-But they also have to have had something smart to say

Otherwise words are nothing, but words.

Everything can be an insult, but everything can be a compliment too. Just like, to much chocolate is bad for you, but a little once in a while is good for you.

It's just how you perceive something. If you perceive it as negative and hurtful than its an insult. If you perceive it as positive, even when they meant it to be hurtful, it's still a compliment and you have power over them.

Yeah, okay I think nearly everyone here has been bullied, so it doesn't give you specialised knowledge in this area. I've also been severely emotionally and physically abused by my parents - something I'm sure other people here have too, and maybe even yourself so I'm not saying that gives me specialist knowledge either. But. I will say, some of the things my mother said to me stung way more than any beating I've ever had.

And really, I have no control over how the things other people say to me make me feel. I do have control (to a lesser or greater degree) other what I do with those feelings. But I can't not feel them. If you have such supreme mastery of your emotions, great for you, but don't fall into the trap of 'because it is so for me, so it is for everyone else'.

This isn't about mastery of emotions. And this isn't about working for me so it will work for you. My father was an emotional robot. The woman who gave birth to me was physically abusive and belittled me.

But I was raised different. My father the robot taught me that I have control over what affects me and what doesn't. You have the choice to allow people to control you with the words they say. You have the choice to allow something to control you.

You can choose to have it affect you emotionally or you can choose to not let it do so. It isn't a mastery of emotions, everyone is capable of doing it.

It pisses me off when people use "autistic" or "autist" or whatever as an insult. It reminds me of how a lot of ignorant, immature people use "gay" as a synonym for "bad" or "stupid". I mean, for f**k sakes, there's nothing wrong with being gay or autistic, and using those terms to describe things in a negative fashion just makes a person look stupid. I'm generally a tolerant guy, but one thing I don't tolerate is ignorance.

And also very, very ignorant. Ignorance is not bliss at all.

Yup-- infuriates me.

Makes me so mad, I went on a reclaiming campaign.

"Hillbilly" and "hick" are supposed to be insults, right?? I've called myself a hillbilly for decades now.

So I started calling myself a " 'tard."

What the heck-- jackasses HATE having the tables turned on them.

There will always be jackasses.

"Moron," "idiot," "imbecile," "colored," and "Negro" used to be politically correct. Turnabout's fair play, I've heard good men say, "You're the smartest 'tard I ever met," and taken it as a compliment. I've seen good men say, "You let that spick alone-- that wetback works harder for his living than you ever have," and watched the local bigot back down and the Mexican guy grin from ear to ear. I've seen good men say, "I don't wanna hear about no Klan, 'cause a n****r's just the same as any other man. It's what's under the skin that counts."

I felt pretty darn good when I came out to my family, and the first thing they did was make the stupid South Park AssBurgers joke. That was, like, ACCEPTANCE right there. That was them saying, "You're cool enough to laugh about it." I'd had enough bourbon and cola to relax a little-- so I hiked up my leg and grunted and said, "Sorry man, I'm tapped out. Best I can do is sliders and mustard." That was more than a year ago and I STILL laugh at the memory. It makes me feel good.

Any word can be just a word, and any word can be an insult. It all depends on the heart of the person speaking-- and there will always be people in this world with hearts made of solid toxic sludge.

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Yes, but I think that also depends on your personal history with the people you are talking to. I do agree that the words used are not an indication of how much a person cares about a group - although I disagree about how little they matter. In that *exact* context, of a person using a culturally bad word about a person to uplift that person, or defend them, sure the bad word is of little consequence. But to use your same example, if a white person turned to a black person and said 'My brother married a N-word.' just as a singular sentence, then it's really not likely to be well received. And rightfully so, most of the people know that isn't a nice word to use because of it's long and unpleasant history.

I think there's a thing to these situations also, and that's tone, and body language and context. I have very limited understanding of tone, and body language and only a theoretical grasp of context. So, for me, unless I know as far I can know that the person is a nice person who means well to me, I steer clear of people who want to call me a ret*d (mostly because that word has been used in my own personal history to deny me basic services and human rights, and to justify sexual abuse, so being called that in any situation makes me tear up, maybe I need to man up, but I really can't help it).

I agree the meaning of a word can be shifted, but words still have a shared meaning or else we wouldn't understand at all what people are saying. So, I wouldn't say anything can be an insult, and anything a compliment, but it is more flexible than I can understand in most situations.

http://m.xkcd.com/1216/