Jessica PingWord of the Week – “Lame”
In this blog post, I will do a close examination of the word, “lame” and explain why you should avoid using this word 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 word is “lame.” Keep reading to learn why these words are inherently ableist and discover alternatives you can begin to use in their place.
Definition Of “Lame”
noun
1a: having a body part and especially a limb so disabled as to impair freedom of movement
1b: marked by stiffness and soreness
2: lacking needful or desirable substance: weak, ineffectual
3 slang: not being in the know: square
Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lame
Why Is “Lame” Ableist?
When you use the word “lame” to describe something, what do you usually mean? For me, “lame” always meant that something was boring or uncool. But, if you take notice of the definitions above, you’ll see that these synonyms are not the word’s true meanings.
In fact, this common definition is referred to as slang. This means that someone, somewhere equated the actual definition of “lame” with its more colloquial meaning and we all just agreed to it without batting an eye.
Consider this blog post as me batting an eye.
According to the 3 dictionaries I checked, the primary meaning of “lame” is still, first and foremost, someone who is disabled. The word “lame” can be traced back to the Germanic, Dutch, and Old English languages in the late 14th century. In all of these languages, it essentially meant the same thing: weak-limbed, broken, and crippled.
Over time, “lame” began to take on another meaning – weak and undesirable. Many people, myself included, take serious issue with this definition. To link disability with weakness or undesirability is offensive.
But now, as a society, we are taking it a step further and equating a word that is meant to describe someone with a physical disability with being boring, uncool, frustrating, tiresome, etc.
People with disabilities already shoulder feelings of shame and many feel like they are a burden to their families and friends. Fitting in is hard, especially when you’re young and disabled. Oftentimes, disabled people are unable to participate in activities at the same pace and quantity as their non-disabled peers. These facts already make disabled people feel like outsiders.
When society uses the word “lame”, in any context, it solidifies these beliefs. “Lame” is not an alternative to “disabled” because of the negative connotations connected to the word. But its modern-day usage is also incredibly harmful to the disability community.
Alternative Words To “Lame”
We must work at removing “lame” from our everyday language. In switching out this one word with some of the alternatives listed below, you will do your part in slowly dismantling the systemic ableism that surrounds us all every day. Making this change may seem small, and it definitely is compared to everything that disabled people need in order to have equal rights, but it is still an important step in the right direction.
- Boring
- Annoying
- Dull
- Stodgy
- Ridiculous
- Silly
- Bland
- Flat
- Frustrating
- Tired
- Mundane
- Conventional
- Ordinary
- Uncool
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