4 ms·
We will look back on these times and feel terrible for the words we used because of the Euphemism Treadmill: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphemism https://
by andrewmutz 4y ago
We will look back on these times and feel terrible for the words we used because of the Euphemism Treadmill:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphemism https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphemism
> Frequently, over time, euphemisms themselves become taboo words, through the linguistic process of semantic change known as pejoration, which University of Oregon linguist Sharon Henderson Taylor dubbed the "euphemism cycle" in 1974,[17] also frequently referred to as the "euphemism treadmill"
> Mentally disabled people were originally defined with words such as "morons" or "imbeciles", which then became commonly used insults. The medical diagnosis was changed to "mentally retarded", which morphed into a pejorative against those with mental disabilities. To avoid the negative connotations of their diagnoses, students who need accommodations because of such conditions are often labeled as "special needs" instead, although the word "special" has begun to crop up as a schoolyard insult.[
- tzs 4y agoIs the implication supposed to be that we should just have stuck with the N word and the F word because whatever we replaced them with would eventually come to be used the same way as the original words?
- nathansherburn 4y agoOr is it that using the "euphemism treadmill" may help us slowly move toward a healthier world?
- _v7gu 4y agoThere are people trying to call out Montenegro for its name, and there are people that use "get help"/"you need therapy" as an insult. The treadmill never ends and it's trying to eat everything
- acoard 4y agoI don't think there's an implication per se. It's just a description of fact. This has happened before, and likely will happen again. It's helpful to be aware that we're in a cycle rather than a one-time process.
- Eddy_Viscosity2 4y agoThe implication is that people will use whatever tools are available to be shit to one another - someone that cannot be altered by updated terminology.