![]() The blog Learn From Autistics has a very useful article called “Common Ableist Terms You Might Be Using” which compiles a list of the ableist slurs many of us throw around in our day-to-day language (and might want to consider using other, usually more accurate, words instead!). Hopefully a brief explanation about why the word “lame” is insensitive when used as a form of disparagement will help you understand why I have made this decision. Since the term “lame” is disparaging, targets a particular social group, and I don’t feel particularly comfortable using it, I will make sure to employ quotations. The goal is to find something more explicit (as in, the meaning is clear) and not ableist, that does not support a system of power which values temporarily able-bodied people over fellow disabled folks. In this piece, I am zeroing in on the political usage of “lame duck,” as that has been the context in which I have primarily encountered the term, and offering some new terms. And before either of these connotations, the phrase was used to refer to “any disabled person or thing,” which is just plain messed up and the main reason why we should leave the term behind and opt for a new descriptor. Before that, “lame duck” was used as Stock Exchange jargon, referring to a person who has defaulted on their debts (just say “defaulter!”). The sentence in which it appeared did not provide the context needed for my brain to put the pieces together, either, so I turned to the good old internet.Īccording to, “lame duck” as used in a political context began in 1863, with a popular historical documentation attributed to President Abraham Lincoln in 1878. Now, this had been my first time coming across the term “lame duck,” and I had no idea what it was supposed to mean. writer’s Seema Mohapatra touches on similar themes). In it, the newsletter specifically warned that the upcoming “lame duck” period of the presidency was going to be dangerous for women’s rights and equality in general (although not the original newsletter, this article by Ms. president did not mean the hard work of fighting for, securing, and ensuring justice for all was done. magazine reminding us that electing a new U.S. The days following the election, I remember receiving an email from Ms.
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