You can't say that!

Elderly sounds so much older than Old

Should that be age challenged Jalima?

Passed away, I have already told the children they are not to say that ever with regard to me, I shall die and be proud of myself for doing so (previously having been a non conformist)....as for 'Fell Asleep' grrrrrrrrrrr been doing that for years.

My Ernie will not be going over the rainbow bridge and if the vet sends me a card saying so, there will be words!!

I hate all that prissy stuff.

The problem with this compendium words like 'disability' are that they cover such a huge range of conditions from minor inconveniences to serious problems. They then get bundled together to enable dramatic articles with statistics like '1 in 5 people in this country have a disability'. That sort of figure includes both DD and DDiL, one has a damaged arm following an accident, but beyond not risking climbing ladders and driving an automatic car otherwise causes her no problems, the other has a condition, that may in the future cause her real problems, but currently, apart from sometimes making her very tired, also causes few problems. Neither considers themselves disabled by any definition.

Have to laugh when American furbabies "go potty"

As a teacher there were so many things we were not allowed to say, terms we were not allowed to use. As an example, I couldn't ask my class to "brainstorm ideas." They had to have an "idea shower." The blackboard had to be called the chalkboard (when we still had them) and I've lost sight of how many more.

The dwarf post made me laugh. I had a dwarf child at school, who needed a special chair.

"What's wrong with you?" asked one.
"I'm a dwarf," she answered.
"You can't say that!" said the first.
"I just did,'cos I am," replied the dwarf.

In my mother's residential home in Australia, there is a 'Lifestyle Director'. I have yet to establish what her role is but she rushes around quite a lot.

Have a mixed culture grandaughter, apparantly it's not mixed race now it's all pc
Visually impaired, another I think. We are either short sighted or long sighted I thought.

My problem is trying to keep up with what is considered 'politically correct' (and by whom, I might add). I would NEVER knowingly offend anyone but my civil servant son has smiled and pulled me up a couple of times with 'be careful not to say that in public, won't you?' when he and I are debating an issue. I genuinely don't know what I've said 'wrongly' until he explains some other persons' take on it. Blimey the twisted logic then leaves me speechless which is......maybe where we'll all end up?!!

A family member died lately, sister kept talking about when he passes, then when it did happen said "he's passed" I felt like saying passed what his driving test! I think it's cringeworthy, and I'm going to inform my kids to tell people when it's my time that I've died not passed or passed away, people can talk how they want, but I want it said how it is

An ex of mine who was mixed race (as it was called then) preferred the term half caste. His most preferred way to be referred to was 'mulatto' which apparently means mule coloured.

My husband is visually impaired Sheilasue - he is neither shortsighted nor longsighted, but has macular degeneration, which he described as like looking through fog, with very little central vision. Visually impaired people are entitled to various sorts of help depending on the degree of impairment.

I have a friend who is a paraplegic but he is not disabled - he was my gliding instructor - he just can't feel his legs. Forever wearing out the tyres on his wheelchair.

Its impossible to know each and every persons personal ailments, ills, and preferences, and ridiculous that we're somehow expected to know.. as long as something isn't said with deliberate intent to offend, then that should be that.

...and when did we start using POO? Poo is the smell you get from a number two, a jobbie or just plain s**t.

This visually impaired person has counted her pennies and finally made an appointment at the opticians..
looking at the prices for variofocal,photochromic ultralight specs, it would be cheaper to go on a cruise!
My crutches ( ok carbon fibre, but much lighter to use) cost an arm and a leg and as for things like house adapting, you need to be very well off to be didabled!

DISABLED

Going to an old school reunion earlier this year the conversation got on to people who had been our school friends but who had since passed away! Another one of our friends said no...that's not how it's said now...the term now is to say "they died". It would seem that people are now becoming fed up with all the PC nonsense of dressing words up and reverting back to how things are.

When my daughter was 6 and lost her front teeth I said she was "Dentally disadvantaged!"

When people ask me how I lost dh I get cross. I didn't lose him, I'm not that disorganised! He died!

Don't you think that often the "offence" is felt not by the person who is disabled/short sighted/mixed race/black/gay or whatever but by someone anxious to show their PC side?

A friend of mine once said that he felt those who took offence on his behalf (he was West Indian) were more racist than those who used the n word because they were giving the impression that he wasn't intelligent enough to know when he had been insulted!!

I really dislike the phrase "ended up in a wheelchair". It sounds as if the person has been dumped there and that's that.

Many years ago, my DS told us that a sneaky little laugh should be called a 'snegro'.
We still do that.

If we are dealing with the people directly concerned we can ask them how they refer to themselves or their condition and how they want us to refer to them or it.

However, discussing any group of society as a group, I think we have to try to use the terms the particular group finds acceptable and we must, surely, as a matter of good manners avoid those they find offensive.

That being said, I am with you on the use of euphemisms for death, bodily functions etc. etc.

Not being from the London area my personal aversion as always been the word "loo" - why can people not just say they need the toilet? We all do, regularly! But there you are, you see: euphemisms are a matter of habit.
These days they are abounding and making communication difficult sometimes. Going into hospital for a procedure is a good example - after all a simple blood test or X-ray is a procedure, but obviously not in the sense hospitals are using the word now.

I find it very difficult to ssy the right think. When I was a chid you called domeone a black person. Then that was wrong and it was coloured which became wrong so I said west indian - but that's not always correct because they might be British or African for example . Tgen we were told to say black - i was told this by a black lady training us in inclusion at a new job . But now people are referring to people of colour. We go round in circles!
I qorked in teaching with a black man who deliberately referred to blackboards , black coffee etc as they are simply descriptive and not negative or derogatory in any way ( as are giving someone a black mark for example.)
I have a mixed race grandchild and had no idea that term is wrong!