We’ve discussed this issue on the site before. The reason a word like “dumb” is considered ableist here is not its previous meaning as “mute,” it’s that it currently is synonymous with “stupid” which is an intelligence-based insult.
Are all intelligence based insults ableist? I’m skeptical of this because I think lacking intelligence is not something inherently linked to disability. Plenty of disabled people, even mentally disabled people, are perfectly intelligent. Many neurotypical people are not intelligent, and much of that lack of intelligence is born of laziness and uncuriousness. I don’t think your average person who denies climate change because it was cold out yesterday is disabled in anyway, they just reject facts because acknowledging them would be too much work so they’d rather enjoy their ignorance.
Sorry, meant to defer to ND comrades, not to be dismissive. My personal take is that insults based on intelligence are ableist, despite ability not being equal to intelligence, because someone’s mental functions are never the reason for them doing or saying something reactionary. When you use someone’s perceived lack of intelligence as an insult, you’re reinforcing the idea that someone’s worth is (at least in part) based on having the correct mental ability.
FWIW I’ve used those words in an ableist way on this website before, even pretty recently. It’s one of the harder things to correct.
We’ve discussed this issue on the site before. The reason a word like “dumb” is considered ableist here is not its previous meaning as “mute,” it’s that it currently is synonymous with “stupid” which is an intelligence-based insult.
Are all intelligence based insults ableist? I’m skeptical of this because I think lacking intelligence is not something inherently linked to disability. Plenty of disabled people, even mentally disabled people, are perfectly intelligent. Many neurotypical people are not intelligent, and much of that lack of intelligence is born of laziness and uncuriousness. I don’t think your average person who denies climate change because it was cold out yesterday is disabled in anyway, they just reject facts because acknowledging them would be too much work so they’d rather enjoy their ignorance.
https://hexbear.net/post/5702644
Okay, doesn’t answer my question
Sorry, meant to defer to ND comrades, not to be dismissive. My personal take is that insults based on intelligence are ableist, despite ability not being equal to intelligence, because someone’s mental functions are never the reason for them doing or saying something reactionary. When you use someone’s perceived lack of intelligence as an insult, you’re reinforcing the idea that someone’s worth is (at least in part) based on having the correct mental ability.
FWIW I’ve used those words in an ableist way on this website before, even pretty recently. It’s one of the harder things to correct.