Jessica PingWords of the Week – “Insane and Insanity”
In this blog post, I will do a close examination of the words “insane and insanity” and explain why you should avoid using these words in your everyday language.
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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 words are “insane and insanity.” Keep reading to learn why these words are inherently ableist and discover alternatives you can begin to use in their place.
Insane Definition
- in a state of mind which prevents normal perception, behavior, or social interaction; seriously mentally ill.
- (of an action or quality) characterized or caused by madness.
- extremely annoyed.
- extremely foolish; irrational.
- shocking; outrageous.
Insanity Definition
- the state of being seriously mentally ill; madness.
- extreme foolishness or irrationality.
Source – https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/
How Are Insane and Insanity Ableist?
Insane stems from the Latin word insanus, which literally means not (in) healthy (sanus). Similar to words like “crazy” and “deranged,” insane, and its partner word, insanity, are deeply and historically connected to mental illness. But, as you can see from the definitions above, both of these words have evolved. Insane and insanity now have multiple meanings, many of which seem harmless.
The real problem is in the evolution itself, not in the new, colloquial definitions provided. In other words, it’s okay to call someone foolish or outrageous. It’s not okay to use the word “insane” to do so.
Regardless of how you use the word insane, it is still connected to mental illness. Getting around this fact is impossible. Therefore, every time you use the word insane to describe someone’s behavior, even if you aren’t directly intending to call them mentally ill, it is still implied.
Calling someone mentally ill is not the issue here because mental illness is a diagnosis, not a reputation. (Though, unless you are someone’s doctor, you shouldn’t be providing a diagnosis – but that is a discussion for another day). The real problem is that all of these other negative connotations are now wrapped up with mental illness and perpetuating stereotypes and assumptions about what it’s like to be mentally ill.
Annoying, foolish, irrational, outrageous – these are generally not positive descriptors of someone’s personality. The evolution of the word insane shows society’s true, deep-seated beliefs about disability and mental illness. To put it simply, because we have allowed this term to evolve beyond its original meaning, we have crafted society’s view of mental illness in a negative light. We have given mental illness a bad reputation.
And, ultimately, because of this, the casual use of the base word insane is ableist.
Alternative Words To Insane and Insanity
Insane
- Wild
- Bananas
- Odd
- Strange
- Eccentric
- Outlandish
- Silly
- Ignorant
- Ridiculous
- Unnatural
- Outrageous
- Out of this world
- Exciting
- Infatuated
- Passionate
- Enthusiastic
- Impractical
- Senseless
Insanity
- Foolishness
- Silliness
- Irrationality
- Absurdity
- Ridiculousness
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