5 ms·

I think "sighted" is preferable to "healthy". Just for future reference.

lmm 14y ago
I was trying to find a succinct way to express that I had no disabilities rather than just that I can see. I'm aware my phrasing was awkward but hope people would realise there is no offence intended.
- GotAnyMegadeth 14y ago
  You could say "fully able".
- ebiester 14y ago
  The politically correct term is "temporarily abled." This sounds goofy at first, until we realize that if we live long enough, nearly all of us lose our abilities in one way or another.
  - alanctgardner2 14y ago
    I've never heard this term, so far it looks like it has pretty niche use. In my experience I would just describe myself as "someone without a disability", "a person who does not have a disability".
  - ars 14y ago
    Have you never heard of the euphemism treadmill? It doesn't matter what you call it - nothing is going to change the reality. You might as well use the first word that was coined for it and stop. Every new word you find will eventually have the same emotional significance, since the underlying reality isn't going to change. And calling something by how you're not going to have it is ridiculous - yes, please walk into my charred pieces of wood, while I search for my soon to be lost keys and give you a ride in the crushed metal.
    - tossacct 14y ago
      Regarding the "euphemism treadmill": sometimes it is necessary to coin a new euphemism. For example, if the common usage of a word is different from its original meaning. "Homosexual" was the name of a psychological disorder, "moron", "retard", and "idiot" were all clinical definitions of mental handicap. Times change, words continuously change meaning. Use the words that your audience understands, not the ones that your audience understood last week or one hundred years ago.
      - ars 14y ago
        That's the whole reason it's a treadmill: The new words will rapidly take on the new, undesired but real, meaning.
        deleted 14y ago
        [deleted]
        tossacct 14y ago
        I think we agree that the euphemism treadmill(ET) exists, and that (ET) means that our words constantly change meaning. Your original post used it as a reason not to coin a new word: >>>It doesn't matter what you call it - nothing is going to change the reality. You might as well use the first word that was coined for it and stop. I am saying that the (ET) is precisely the reason to coin a new word. Otherwise, your audience will not understand what you are talking about. If you speak a language your audience doesn't understand, your audience will not understand your language. This applies to all languages: french, english, perl, python, and the euphemism treadmill. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, including speaking the languages they understand if you would like them to understand your speech.
        lmm 14y ago
        But whether I say "cripple" or "disabled person" or whatever the current euphemism du jour is, surely any audience understands what I mean equally well.

lmm 14y ago

I was trying to find a succinct way to express that I had no disabilities rather than just that I can see. I'm aware my phrasing was awkward but hope people would realise there is no offence intended.

GotAnyMegadeth 14y ago
You could say "fully able".
ebiester 14y ago
The politically correct term is "temporarily abled." This sounds goofy at first, until we realize that if we live long enough, nearly all of us lose our abilities in one way or another.
- alanctgardner2 14y ago
  I've never heard this term, so far it looks like it has pretty niche use. In my experience I would just describe myself as "someone without a disability", "a person who does not have a disability".
- ars 14y ago
  Have you never heard of the euphemism treadmill? It doesn't matter what you call it - nothing is going to change the reality. You might as well use the first word that was coined for it and stop. Every new word you find will eventually have the same emotional significance, since the underlying reality isn't going to change. And calling something by how you're not going to have it is ridiculous - yes, please walk into my charred pieces of wood, while I search for my soon to be lost keys and give you a ride in the crushed metal.
  - tossacct 14y ago
    Regarding the "euphemism treadmill": sometimes it is necessary to coin a new euphemism. For example, if the common usage of a word is different from its original meaning. "Homosexual" was the name of a psychological disorder, "moron", "retard", and "idiot" were all clinical definitions of mental handicap. Times change, words continuously change meaning. Use the words that your audience understands, not the ones that your audience understood last week or one hundred years ago.
    - ars 14y ago
      That's the whole reason it's a treadmill: The new words will rapidly take on the new, undesired but real, meaning.
      - deleted 14y ago
        [deleted]
      - tossacct 14y ago
        I think we agree that the euphemism treadmill(ET) exists, and that (ET) means that our words constantly change meaning. Your original post used it as a reason not to coin a new word: >>>It doesn't matter what you call it - nothing is going to change the reality. You might as well use the first word that was coined for it and stop. I am saying that the (ET) is precisely the reason to coin a new word. Otherwise, your audience will not understand what you are talking about. If you speak a language your audience doesn't understand, your audience will not understand your language. This applies to all languages: french, english, perl, python, and the euphemism treadmill. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, including speaking the languages they understand if you would like them to understand your speech.
        lmm 14y ago
        But whether I say "cripple" or "disabled person" or whatever the current euphemism du jour is, surely any audience understands what I mean equally well.