People over Planners question-educate me

[cdnfroggy]

So after Planners go wild got weirder and crazier I joined People over Planners. I didn't realize it had such a huge lean towards social justice (which is totally cool) but I've notice a lot of posts/comments about ableist language. I had no idea that terms like crazy, stupid, dumb could be offensive when used in a (to me) non-offensive way (such as, "this weather is crazy hot" or that "season finale was dumb" etc). I'll admit, I use those three words a lot in my vocabulary, again, hopefully in non-offensive way, have I been in the wrong this whole time? Please help me understand why it causes such an uproar in that group?

I also hope this doesn't come across as me trying to be ignorant/being privileged, I really do want to understand. 

ETA-I abhor the use of the words retard, gay etc in any kind of offensive way, there are so many other words that can be used in place of those.

[McBenny]

I too have an issue with this. I like the idea of People over Planners and I get why and where they started from. I just want to be in a group about planners. I don't want to see pregnancy posts. My kid graduated etc.

I don't get into these discussions and never heard the term before there either.

[kitchen]

While "dumb", "lame", "stupid" etc. have become part of widely accepted vocabulary, the reality is that they are disability slurs.

For people who are triggered by, harmed by or aware of these slurs, everyday FB discourse is simply an exhausting minefield of hurt. Carving out places that at least try to be free of that seems over the top at first glance (perhaps) because it's a really big hard change to remove SO MANY things from our everyday language.

My child is essentially nonverbal (dumb)
My child has intellectual disability (stupid)
I have or have had clinical anxiety (crazy)

I'm privileged in that I generally can ignore it, but I still don't like reading the above. The history of the words idiot and moron in relatively recent psychological texts, legal decisions, etc. is beyond vile. (this Fresh Air was stomach turning, for example).

All of the above applied to the words retard and gay being used as slurs before more of society got on board.

[justkeepmoving]

I with you McBenny.

[cdnfroggy]

Thanks kitchen for the response! It's definitely made me consider my language

[McBenny]

I agree with it for the most part and try not to call other people names anyway. I'm not perfect. Most times when I use them I'm talking about myself.