Not preaching

[amberdreams]

 Years ago, when I first started reading fanfic from round the world, I was shocked and uncomfortable when I frequently come across the word spaz or spastic being used in descriptions and dialogues. I was told, when I raised it, that it wasn't  considered an insult in the US - basically go away British person, it's not a problem.

 

I'm glad to see both Lizzie and Beyonce have been called out for using the word, and that both have instantly apologised and changed their lyrics. I'm now hoping/wondering if fanfic writers will think about using something else too, because this word really is ableist. It's unpleasant to me, but more importantly, offensive and hurtful to anyone with cerebral palsy. 

 

A tiny bit of history for those unaware - cerebral palsy used to be commonly called being 'spastic' because of the way the condition causes their bodies to move in a disjointed, jerky way. Way back when I was a kid, the charity was still called the Spastic Society, but as society changed, they realised the word mattered, and since one of their main aims is to change negative attitudes, they are now called Scope, and the word itself has largely fallen out of use.

 

Anyway, I'm not suggesting anyone goes back through their back catalogue to weed out any uses, but maybe just be more considerate of it's meaning going forward.

Comments

[walking_tornado]

Thanks. I don't think it's one I've used, but never occurred to me that it was offensive. I'll bear that in mind.