I usually open people’s eyes on the term crazy when I have the right audience because our discourse around that term is the obvious stuff but also it implies that someone should be locked up or deprived of rights but it’s also very common to use it to imply that someone “deserves” to be taken advantage of (“our prices are crazy” and “we’ve gone completely mad”).

Kinda gross when you think about it, especially in the context of the stats on mentally ill people being abused and exploited.

I’m personally a big fan of understatement, so I like using ridiculously underwhelming insults. Like for this South Dakota governor, calling her meanie of rude when atrocious might be a more appropriate word.

“lame” and “crippled/crippled by” were pointed out to me by a friend who has muscular dystrophy a few years ago, they are also both incredibly common. I’ve sadly had quite a bit of pushback when trying to correct comrades on it (even in the old r/CTH sub)

deleted by creator

Vampiric is another potentially good one

This should be an emote lol

Yeah, it can be almost surprising to see how much ableist language can sneak into our everyday language.

Also there’s this weird problem straight white males over a certain age have where their bigoted ass co workers just assume you’re cool with it, and You’re faced with the choice of causing a stink and facing being fired or ostracized, or you can let it roll off your back. There’s definitely a middle ground, but it comes with risks to your livelihood just the same

This one sucks, and I personally struggle with it surprisingly often. Ableism is the most common where I work, but of course these coworkers smuggle in other shit too. It’s hard to find the line of correcting coworkers vs protecting your job (right to work state, so of course employment never feels entirely secure). That being said, I have had pretty decent luck with a few more senior people at my current job, there’s just a lot of pushback on anything they do not immediately understand. Still don’t feel comfortable enough to unmask around these people or be out at work by any means, but there is that sliver of a silver lining.

I have found workplace wise that most of the ‘above a certain age’ crowd is finally mostly out ofnthe work force. I’ve certainly seen a big turnaround working kitchens that way, probably cause line cooks age out earlier, once you start getting to around 50, you gotta find something that destroys your body less. They used to be absolute cesspits of toxic masculinity and it’s almost completely reverses what was normal just like 7 years ago will get your ass fired now cause the chef is an older millennial, the more senior staff are in their 30s and the main bulk of grunts are Gen z, that and the demographics of the working poor have gotten way further left and a LOT more queer.

Mods aren’t omnipotent and omnipresent Cthulonic cosmic horrors

Speak for yourself

I think it’s also important that the site - both moderators and users - have a culture of proportional justice rather than “Black and White” morality.

Users typically treat the “Report” button as a “I think this user should be immediately, indefinitely, and irrevocably banned” button, and are hesitant to use it in cases where they don’t think such a harsh punishment is appropriate (and also because, especially on Lemmy, their account is visible to moderators who might retaliate against an apparently-overzealous reporter).

If someone calls something crazy/psycho/etc. in apparently good faith they, at worst, deserve to have their comment removed and get a bit of scoldmail nagging them about their language.

Vicious, monstrous, sadistic, depraved, detestable or reprehensible (especially morally)

“Bloodthirsty warmongers” might work here and there? (Thinkin about alternative insults for imperial core governmental people)

I just steal from old movies: Dog-brained, good-for-nothing, layabout, brickminded, ass-handed, shitspreading, flearidden amateurish ignorant SOCIAL DEMOCRATS.

Language to go off on someone for being a dickhead that doesn’t catch ND or marginalized people in the collateral is a lot more common than language for telling someone their ideas aren’t good, which all seem to be predicated on insisting they instead actually have a neurological condition that many people struggle with.

Yeah. They can be hard to cut out, but I am trying. Ableism is just so ingrained in US culture it can be hard to even become aware of things you’re saying that can be ableist. But it’s definitely worth it.

I do want to show some grace, though. Like, the language is so common and socially accepted that it can be hard to realize you’re stigmatizing people. Though I agree people who double down would be problematic.

Exactly! Those descriptions are definitely the sense we often go for, but they don’t carry the mocking tone we’d sometimes like to include, though it may just be inherent that something with a hurtful connotation must be harmful to someone. Otherwise it wouldn’t really be hurtful.

Oh some years ago I stopped using h*steria after I learned about its targeted usage towards women (sexist) and in an ableist way towards women or girls who acted “out of line”.