We already do this with some slurs, right? We can start enforcing these words, too.
Not calling anyone out, I’ve been guilty of it too. And we don’t have to do it all at once. Like, we can start with these:
Ableist words and alternatives.
Stupid, R€tarded, Idiot(ic), Cretin, or Moron(ic): People say this to imply something, or someone isn’t intelligent or worth their time, but the words refer to people with intellectual disabilities. Instead, say that a situation or person is frustrating, ignorant, dense, unpleasant, cheesy, or awful.
Dumb: This word refers to a person who doesn’t speak verbally, but people often use it to mean that something or someone isn’t intelligent or wise. It’s listed separately from stupid and its synonyms because it references a physical disability instead of an intellectual one. Try using any of the non-ableist synonyms like irritating or uncool.
Crazy, Nuts, Mad, Psycho, or Insane: “Wow, that’s crazy!” may not seem like a harmful statement, but if you think about someone with a mental health condition hearing that statement, it’s easy to realize that it is. So instead of using one of those words, try outrageous, bananas, bizarre, amazing, intense, extreme, overwhelming, or wild.
but the words refer to people with intellectual disabilities
No, they don’t. They haven’t in a long time. They can be used in an ableist way, but most use of those words aren’t. They’re very different from stuff like the r word.
Instead, say that a situation or person is frustrating, ignorant, dense, unpleasant, cheesy, or awful.
That just sounds like a euphemism treadmill. But also I’d argue those words could also be used in ableist ways. Frustrating, dense, and unpleasant I could definitely see being used against autistic people (like me), but that doesn’t mean they should be avoided in general, even to describe a person.
Dumb: This word refers to a person who doesn’t speak verbally
Does it though? Has anyone used it that way in the past few decades? Hell the way it’s used has absolutely nothing to do with the inability to speak, it’s unrelated.
It’s already too restrictive, just leave it alone.