I just read a post where a person innocently asked:
"I hope this isn’t a dumb question… but is it okay for me, as a cishet female, to refer to myself as ‘femme’?"
The answer was:
"First of all, the word ‘dumb’ is a HORRIBLE, ABLEIST SLUR!!!!! Don’t use that word again!!!!"
HAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!! I love you, Tumblr!!!!!
I don’t understand this at all. The word ‘dumb’ is an ableist slur, and the person didn’t seem to be throwing any names or anything, just saying not to use it. I don’t understand what’s so horrible or assholish about calling out problematic language calmly when they were completely within their right to not be calm about it.
Tumblr is the place that fundie conservatives think liberals are trying to turn the world into. That's not a compliment.
Seriously, it's like tumblr is trying to create newspeak by eliminating all negative terms by deeming them offensive. Someone with a mental disorder pointed out that the new trend of crusading against words like 'stupid', 'idiot', and 'dumb' is harmful because it
has to force the association between these insults and mental disability in order for their point to stand. My guess is they clumsily argue that the since the words
did originate as mental terms, they should be eliminated, ignoring the fact that they're so common and generalized now that the association doesn't really exist in the public consciousness anymore. That's why I don't think it's comparable to 'retard', because 'retard' is still commonly associated with actual mental disability, unlike 'idiot', 'stupid', and 'dumb'. Seriously, try describing the concept of stupidity without these common terms.