Will We Ever Get Off Of The Euphemism Treadmill?

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The Euphemism Treadmill is common in the areas of language related to race and ethnicity, disease, and disability.

The so-called “Euphemism Treadmill” is when a word becomes pejorative because of its reference to offensive concepts, and so a polite word is introduced to replace it. All related words will eventually stigmatize because the very subject matter is taboo. Over time, a euphemism becomes tainted by association and is also replaced. In the well-meaning search to find a stigma-free term, this cycle repeats itself. No matter how benign the euphemism appears at first, it will become offensive and be replaced by another word that in due course will also undergo the same process

A good example of the Euphemism Treadmill at work is the language used to talk about disability. Historically, idiot, imbecile and moron were part of a now disused classification system of intelligence that was used by doctors to describe what we today call “intellectual disabilities.” Idiot dates back to the fourteenth century, imbecile is from the sixteenth century, while moron is a relatively new term that replaced the older terms simpleton or feeble–minded. These are no longer used as clinical terms, but they still exist as ableist insults.

In the mid-twentieth century, mental retardation and mentally ret*d were also introduced as diagnostic terms to replace the offensive outdated words. These phrases labeled a person with an IQ of lower than 70 who had limited social and practical skills. Almost immediately, these words fell prey to the euphemism treadmill. ret*d and the abbreviation ret*d became strong insults, especially when used to describe people with disabilities. The recent abbreviation tard is also highly offensive, which is commonly used as a suffix to form new insults, such as liberal (“liberal ret*d”).

In an effort to convey a more positive image, special was adopted in place of mental retardation. The word was chosen to imply positive connotations, that people with disabilities are somehow exceptional, distinctive, and unique. However, the word has been criticized as patronizing, and for singling out people with disabilities when they want to be treated as equals, not as special.

Today, these older terms are mostly considered to be ableist, and have been superseded by the preferred term disabled, while cognitive disability, developmental disability, processing disorders and learning difficulties are also considered to be appropriate by stakeholders.

So what words do you have in mind? Autism maybe for a start someone forgot to tell this man?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhldLhxcCOM

We should get off of the Euphemism Treadmill. Staying on it just lets bullies win again and again. Better to reappropriated terms as the LBGTQIA community did with "queer" .

I think it helps to use verbose terms like "intellectual disability". I can't see that replacing the r-word on the playground.

About the video, I think he had reservations about using "autistic" in such an odd way. He immediately throws in the r-word to clarify it.

The r-word is already now vilified in public use except for teenagers, rappers and uncouth comedy.

It's interesting you should say that, as "ret*d" has started to be unvilified in the Californian skate and surf scene.

Have a listen to this interview with Bob Balch of stoner rock Fu Manchu, he uses the term at least twice in a gently self-depreciating way but with positive overtones.

Yeah, throw in skaters and surfers into that "esteemed group"

No, because this variant is not aggressive or insulting.

They're using "ret*d" to represent something so cool it can only be unexpected, or a personal attitude that's unconventionally laid back and deliberately simple (as a good thing).

So it's taking the negative connotations and twisting them back into positives.

Possibly cool dudes/culture in the US and UK (I don't have experience of them there). Here in Australia the lifestyle attracts human garbage.

It's pretty easy to tell whether he's malicious or not, just by listening to the man.

To me, the eufemism treadmill seems to originate form mistaking causes with effects.
Hate doesn't stem from use of offensive words.
Use of offensive words stems from hate.
Words can become offensive because of hate.

Focusing on banning offensive words does exactly nothing to adress hate and prejudice that made them offensive in the first place - so, different words will be found to carry the same meaning.
You could ban them again and again until you deconstruct the whole language and nothing will change if you fail to adress the complex social issues fueling the hate.