Official policy for handling problematic language?

[Adelene]

I just popped into the 'songs stuck in your head' thread, and:

Doing some early 1900's research, I was re-reading Harpo Marx's biography and he referenced a song called "Waltz Me Around Again, Willie" a few times (it was the first thing he ever learned to play on piano). Figured I'd look it up.

Sonuvagun, it is irritatingly catchy. The refrain, anyway. It's so stupid, but it will. Not. Leave.

I really have a problem with 'stupid' being used like that. The post in question is nearly a month old, and the conversation has moved on, so I'd feel weird about interrupting the current flow of conversation to point it out there, but I'd still like something to be done about it so it doesn't look like that's generally considered acceptable. In this particular case, pointing it out here should do the trick, but perhaps there could be something a bit more formalized for handling future instances? (I'm sure there will be some; ableism in particular is so prevalent and has so few good alternatives that it's really hard to consistently avoid even if you're very aware and trying to. :\ )

[Hattrick]

What do you find problematic about "stupid" being used like that? What language would you have used?

[Adelene]

I'm not especially up for doing 101 about this right now, and don't want to set a precedent of those conversations happening outside the 101 space. You can start a thread over there and I'll make a point of dropping by when I have some words put together, though.

[Adelene]

Guys, I really do need a response to this, whether here or via PM or whatever. Otherwise I'm going to end up assuming that the answer is 'just suck it up, nobody cares', and I'm not going to stick around for that.

[Katepreach]

Hi Adelene,

Have you seen the 'report' button, which is a little triangle with an exclamation mark in it, just next to the 'quote' button in the top right?

If you press that button, an email goes to all the mods alerting them to the post. They have requested we use it because otherwise they may not see everything.

[Also, if it helps: I know the answer to Hattrick's question and can answer it if it would be hard for you to answer, but I didn't want to step in without your permission.]

[Adelene]

Hi Adelene,

Have you seen the 'report' button, which is a little triangle with an exclamation mark in it, just next to the 'quote' button in the top right?

If you press that button, an email goes to all the mods alerting them to the post. They have requested we use it because otherwise they may not see everything.

Ah! Okay, that works. Perhaps that information could be put somewhere more prominent?

[Also, if it helps: I know the answer to Hattrick's question and can answer it if it would be hard for you to answer, but I didn't want to step in without your permission.]

I was serious about not wanting to be responsible for 101 conversations happening outside the 101 space, but aside from that concern - yes please.

[Katepreach]

What do you find problematic about "stupid" being used like that? What language would you have used?

The problem with 'stupid' used like this is that it's a stigmatizing word, very often used to attack people with learning difficulties, people who are not neurotypical, people who are not a native speaker of the language in question, people from minority populations, and probably others.

This means that using it is hurtful.

Depending on the context, replacement words could include 'ridiculous', 'ludicrous', 'infuriating', 'repetitive' or 'basic'.

[Katepreach]

I was serious about not wanting to be responsible for 101 conversations happening outside the 101 space, but aside from that concern - yes please.

On my head be it! :)

[Adelene]

What do you find problematic about "stupid" being used like that? What language would you have used?

The problem with 'stupid' used like this is that it's a stigmatizing word, very often used to attack people with learning difficulties, people who are not neurotypical, people who are not a native speaker of the language in question, people from minority populations, and probably others.

This means that using it is hurtful.

Depending on the context, replacement words could include 'ridiculous', 'ludicrous', 'infuriating', 'repetitive' or 'basic'.

I would probably have gone with 'frivolous' or 'silly' in that particular situation, actually, which is a use of the word with its own problems - the stereotype of people with intellectual disabilities and cognitive impairments as frivolous is definitely a factor in our concerns about issues like having real jobs, being allowed to live in the community, being allowed to make meaningful decisions about our lives, medical care, etc, not being taken seriously.

The use of those words to mean that sort of thing is certainly more an effect of that issue than a cause, but 1) it's still a bit of a punch in the gut to be reminded, and 2) even if it's more of an effect than a cause, it still contributes to that aspect of culture.

(My brain and its problems with initiating things. I do appreciate your response, Kate; this is intended to be an addition, not a correction.)

[TheR.J.]

Adelene, we're working on this, but the mods and admins all have careers and lives outside this board. Thanks for your patience!

Edit: There is extensive 101 material on this word in the Decolonize Your Language thread in the 101 section.