I notice a lot of people use terms like “psychotic” or “psychopath” as insults and negative descriptions on here. These are clinical terms that are used to describe real people with difficulties, not boogeymen! I don’t disagree with the sentiment that these people are doing wrong, but if you wouldn’t use the r-slur or “autistic” as an insult (which you shouldn’t) then you shouldn’t use these words either. And I get the idea of calling someone delusional, but take care that you don’t just mean “I disagree with them.” Though by posting on neurodiverse I imagine I’m preaching to the choir.
Sincerely, a casual schizoaffective disorder haver.
Agreed 100%.
Many words like these reside in a cultural space where you know they’re punching down on ND people, but you somehow end up being treated like the asshole the moment you call someone out on it.
I think that’s partially responsible for the term “brain worms” taking off in leftist spaces. Rhetorically, we all want some way to mock someone for being particularly intellectually lazy, naïve, or uncritical in their analysis, but it seems like all the words that have the intended weight on the receiver are all just direct comparisons to people with learning or psychiatric disabilities.
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.