Jessica PingWord of the Week – “deranged”
In this blog post, I will do a close examination of the word “deranged” and explain why you should never use this word to describe someone’s behavior or actions.
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Introduction To The Ableist Language Series:
Ableist language perpetuates the inferiority of people with disabilities. At its core, it is oppressive, derogatory, and hurtful, no matter the intention behind its usage.
I guarantee that you use ableist language every single day without even realizing it. It rolls off the tongue naturally because it’s hardly ever questioned.
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Here on The Rolling Explorer, I am going to start questioning it.
As an advocate for disability rights, I was appalled when I realized how common ableist language was in my own vocabulary. Of course, like many of you, I was uneducated and unaware of the implications behind my word choice. Our systemically ableist society has allowed these words and phrases to grow in popularity for too long. It’s time for a change.
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Every other week, I will be sharing a blog post that highlights one of the words from the downloadable glossary above. These posts will provide definitions, explanations, as well as alternative words and phrases to use in place of the one being examined.
Today’s word is “deranged.” Keep reading to learn why this word is inherently ableist and discover alternatives you can begin to use in its place.
Definition of “deranged”
- mentally unsound
- disturbed or disordered in function, structure, or condition
- wildly odd or eccentric
All definitions are from the Merriam Webster dictionary
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How is “deranged” Ableist?
The definition above is the most developed version I could find for the word “deranged” in my research for this post. Most consisted of only two words: “insane” and “mad.” Now, as the ableist language series is currently being written in alphabetical order according to my freebie glossary, I have yet to formally discuss the ableism entrenched in the words “insane” and “mad,” but I assure you, they are, in fact, ableist terms. So, with that knowledge in mind, I am sure you can see where this conversation is about to go.
Anytime a word is defined by solely using ableist words or phrases, you have to ask yourself, is this word, too, problematic? In the definition I did provide, you can see the ableism clearly in the phrases “mentally unsound,” and “disturbed and disordered in function, structure, or condition.” The only part of the definition that is not inherently ableist is the last part. And therein lies the biggest problem of all.
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Deranged has transitioned from being a label of someone’s health to being an insulting slur. This transition blurs the lines between the two and, therefore, simultaneously creates a divide/stereotypical lens for anyone with mental illness. It also completely resets the tone of the word. Instead of purely being a label, it is now rooted in disgust, discomfort, and annoyance. These are not feelings we want to inherently place on the mental illness community, are they? If you’re reading this post, I am assuming not. So, your best bet is to just erase this word from your vocabulary and opt to use one of the alternative words I provide below instead.
Alternative Words and Phrases
- odd
- strange
- eccentric
- outlandish
- wild
- silly
- ignorant
- ridiculous
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