Society is trying to be
politically correct about Cerebral Palsy. Hell, society tries to be politically correct about everything, or as much as is humanly possible anyway. What is deemed politically correct has changed over time within the fabric of society. But I am beginning to wonder if society really can go too far in an attempt to be politically correct. After all, the ultimate goal of being politically correct is to not offend anyone. So, lets explore the terms that have existed to describe people such as myself, everything from
cripple to
handi-capable.
The word cripple originates from before the year 950 and is perhaps the earliest known term in the English language to describe someone (person or animal) that is physically impaired. The word originates from the Old English word creep, as in to carry one's body in a slow fashion.
The word
disabled originated between the years 1925-35. The definition of
disabled is far less flattering then its current public acceptance, being defined as "crippled; injured; incapacitated " (
Dictionary.com). Although
disabled is the most current preferable term, the definition holds so many negative and insulting connotations, I am not sure that I agree. The definition itself implies helplessness and that people who are disabled lack productivity, which isn't true!
I'm not fucking Tiny Tim!
But I digress, society is grappling with the idea of whether or not to take the
"recommendation to put the person before the disability, favoring persons with disabilities over disabled persons and person with paraplegia over paraplegic. Such expressions are said to focus on the individual rather than on the particular functional limitation... but the "person-first" construction has not found wide acceptance with the general public, perhaps because it sounds somewhat unnatural or possibly because in English the last word in a phrase tends to have the greatest weight, thus undercutting the intended purpose"(dictionary.com).
Handicapped (it just keeps getting better) originated sometime between 1910 to 1915. As dictionary.com points out in its usage note, to provide some social and historical background, "some stigma may attach to the word handicapped because of its origin in the phrase hand in cap, actually derived from a game of chance but sometimes mistakenly believed to involve the image of a beggar."
I don't see a hell of a lot of difference between the word disabled and handicapped. They both have the same general meaning and imply a helpless existence. So to those who say that the word disabled is more preferable, they should probably consult with more people who may fall under the definition of disabled or handicapped! At this point, I see the difference as minute. Its like comparing apples to apples, one might be green, one might be red, but they are still both apples, damn it!
Just this past week, I learned of a term when someone referred to me as handi-capable. This caught me off-guard. Apparently alongside this new term is differently abled. With the coining of such terms as handi-capable, I believe that society's efforts to be politically correct have truly completed a self-defeating circle, and shot themselves in the foot. Then, perhaps they can adopt the term handi-capable and keep it, for all I care!
There is no politically correct or incorrect word with which I wish to describe myself. I have Cerebral Palsy but Cerebral Palsy is not me.
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