Idiot used to be one of my "favorite" words to use until I found this...
id·i·ot sa·vant
| Noun: |
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An idiot is a term used for someone who does not have the mental capicity over the age of a 3 year old. it is termed as a foolish or stupid person. A derogatory classification applied historically (as with "moron") to mentally deficient individuals.
Originally, the Greek root applied to those with no skill or training, until its adoption by French and Old English as "simpleton" or fool.
Mental deficiency used to be more finely classified using the following technical terms that later began to be abused by the rest of society (5):
IQ Range Classification
70-80 Borderline deficiency
50-69 Moron
20-49 Imbecile
below 20 Idiot
These are now largely obsolete and mental deficiency is now generally called mental retardation. The following is the currently used classification of retardation in the USA (5):
IQ Range Classification
50-69 Mild
35-49 Moderate
20-34 Severe
below 20 Profound
IQ Range Classification
70-80 Borderline deficiency
50-69 Moron
20-49 Imbecile
below 20 Idiot
These are now largely obsolete and mental deficiency is now generally called mental retardation. The following is the currently used classification of retardation in the USA (5):
IQ Range Classification
50-69 Mild
35-49 Moderate
20-34 Severe
below 20 Profound
Main Entry: idiot [id-ee-uht]Part of Speech: noun
Definition: very stupid person
Notes: an idiot is a stupid person with a mental age below three years, while a moron is a stupid person with a mental age of between seven to twelve years
Every once in a while, I get new people who don't know my forbidden words. Some of you may (and have) found this to be ridiculous but that's ok. I feel I'm entitled to a bit of ridiculousness every now and then. My son, Alex (seen above) has severe autism. He functions on around a 12 month level.
I do not believe he is worthy of being used as an insult any more than a person with an intellectual disability, *formerly* known as Mental Retardation... Just because it's a "former* medical term does not make it any less offensive today. An "Idiot" is a level of "Retard" scoring right below moron and imbecile.When you call someone a "retard" or an "idiot", you are saying that the people you are talking about are just as stupid as the people who "earned" that label.
My son scored in the idiot ranges and when I see that word flash across my page, it's like a knife in the heart. For this reason, those comments will be spammed or deleted.
My son scored in the idiot ranges and when I see that word flash across my page, it's like a knife in the heart. For this reason, those comments will be spammed or deleted.
thank you for a lesson in etiology. I won't be using THAT word ever again!
ReplyDeleteMakes perfect sense to me. Despite the definitions you can look up, that's not how they're used in every day speech. Those words are derogatory and denigrating.
ReplyDelete