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Khoff Posted 14 years ago
Vocabulary
Should "lame" be avoided?
In a thread on another forum about offensive language (like "that's so gay" to mean stupid), it has been suggested that using "lame" as in "a lame excuse" is offensive to people with physical disabilities. I understand that "that's so gay' or "retarded" or "gyp" are offensive, but it seems to me that the figurative meaning of lame has outweighed the literal meaning. Any comments?
Top answer
It seems to me that the expression "lame excuse" is not targeted directly at the person, but at the object. It is also a set phrase, quite removed from a person with physical disabilities. I don't consider it offensive in this context.
- It seems to me that the expression "lame excuse" is not targeted directly at the person, but at the object.
- It is also a set phrase, quite removed from a person with physical disabilities.
- I don't consider it offensive in this context.
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2 Answers
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It seems to me that the expression "lame excuse" is not targeted directly at the person, but at the object. It is also a set phrase, quite removed from a person with physical disabilities. I don't consider it offensive in this context.
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Nah. A horse can be lame, but it can't be gay or retarded. I don't think. My neighbor's dog might be both, come to think of it. It's only when a term is transferred from a class of people who are being denigrated with that term that it is offensive in its new setting. Anyway, you don't hear nearly as much on the schoolbus about the lame as you do about the gays and the retards. "Gyp" is a differen
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