Jessica PingWords of the Week – “Idiot and Idiotic”
In this blog post, I will do a close examination of the words “idiot and idiotic” and explain why you should avoid using these words in your everyday language.
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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 words are “idiot and idiotic.” Keep reading to learn why these words are inherently ableist and discover alternatives you can begin to use in their place.
“Idiot” Definition
1: a foolish or stupid person
2 dated, now offensive: a person affected with extreme intellectual disability
“Idiotic” Definition
1: showing complete lack of thought or common sense, foolish
2 dated, now offensive: characterized by extreme intellectual disability
Definitions from Merriam Webster
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Why Are Idiot and Idiotic Ableist?
The simple answer to this question is in the italicized words from the definitions above.
“dated, now offensive”
At one point in time, not all that long ago, the words idiot and idiotic were used to describe intellectually disabled individuals. In the world of psychology, idiot, along with other offensive terms to be discussed here on The Rolling Explorer in the future, were used to rank different states of mental deficiency. For example, “idiot” was used to define someone “who had a mental age of two or younger” (Eugenics Archive).
Even though the word has evolved to essentially describe a person who makes a poor decision, the history of the word cannot be erased. Its continued usage is a living reminder of the emotional pain caused by this term in the past.
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Not to mention, some people still use it as a degrading remark. It does not matter if the person using the term understands or is aware of the full etymology. To call someone who struggles intellectually an idiot is incredibly offensive.
Your intentions may be harmless, but the words idiot and idiotic are not. The definitions come with a warning label. And, while only one of the two definitions for each word is preceded by this warning, the entire word, regardless of which meaning you’re intending to use, carries that weight.
Alternative Words To Use Instead Of Idiot and Idiotic
Instead of: He is an idiot!
Say: He is so frustrating!
Instead of: She got back together with her boyfriend, how idiotic can you be?
Say: She got back together with her boyfriend, how dense can you be?
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Other words you can input to make your vernacular less offensive:
- Ignorant
- Lacking Common Sense
- Annoying
- Foolish
- Rude
- Confused
- Uneducated
- Ridiculous
- Outlandish
- Ill-informed
- Unaware
*If you are having a particularly bad day and feel as if you MUST call the guy that just cut you off in traffic a name, try a swear word instead. Society may view this as more vulgar, but it would actually be significantly less offensive.
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