PS - the deaf

Last night during a retrospective on the year 1986 on the VH-1 cable channel, they censored the word "retarded". This was in a reference to the TV show LA Law, which featured an actor playing a retarded office assistant at the fictional Mackenzie-Brackman law firm. The person who was censored then continued her comment, using the phrase "mentally challenged", which was not censored.

There was a little old man... sorry! There was a vertically challenged, chronologically advanced person... Political Correctness is everywhere!!

I'm in agreement with the "People-First" concept. From: www.vsarts.org/ bestpractices/dag/language/

"People-first" language helps us remember that people are unique individuals and that their abilities or disabilities are only attributes and do not define who they are. The following "people-first" phrases may serve as a helpful guideline:

Affirmative Phrase: person with a disability; people with disabilities
Negative Phrase: the disabled; handicapped; crippled; suffers from a disability

Affirmative Phrase: person who is blind; person with a visual impairment
Negative Phrase: the blind

Affirmative Phrase: person who is deaf; person with a hearing impairment
Negative Phrase: the deaf; deaf and dumb; suffers a hearing loss; afflicted with a hearing loss

Affirmative Phrase: person with a mental illness
Negative Phrase: crazy; psycho; lunatic

Affirmative Phrase: person with a developmental disability; person with mental retardation
Negative Phrase: retarded; mentally defective

Affirmative Phrase: person who uses a wheelchair
Negative Phrase: confined or restricted to a wheelchair; wheelchair bound

Affirmative Phrase: person with a physical disability; person with a mobility impairment
Negative Phrase: cripple; lame; handicapped; deformed

A woman that works with the deaf community here in the U.S. told me that they prefer to be called "the deaf." At least some of them do.

That last bit about "the deaf" proves my point. (My point is in another strand of this thread: that I considered the use of the R-word in the TV show last night to be legitimate).

Ever hear someone shout in frustration "What are you, deaf?!" An insult to the truly deaf, is it not?