Name Calling and Expired Psychological Classifications Have Become Profanity and Abuse
74A Need For Change
© 2012 b Patty Inglish, MS. All rights reserved.
An interested Hubber asked what the difference is between the words and concepts of stupid and idiot and placed this question under the Hub Topic of Business and Employment and, further, under the subtopic of Respect and Appreciation in the Workplace.
At the outset, let us recognize that adverse name calling using either term mentioned above or using any other term shows at least:
- A lack of vocabulary and ability to communicate, sometimes triggered by frustration;
- Verbal Abuse and Bullying in belittling the target of the name calling;
- Direct reference to and denigration of people with IQ scores of lower than 90 to 110 ("average), taken from an expired psychological system of classifying IQs that was once used on a daily basis; and
- Adverse Labeling.
Further, name calling is not classy behavior and the truth of this phenomenon is seen in muckraking proliferating political campaigns, perhaps more so than ever previously in the lead-up to the 2012 General Elections; in religious arguments; and in intellectual/educational discussions gone awry. Perhaps you have seen it in other discussions. Notice that by the rules of real debate, name calling is disallowed.
What Is "Stupid"?
Reference: Miriam-Webster Online Dictionary, 2012.
Stupid (adjective) -
1a : Mentally slow - obtuse
1b : Hallmarked by unintelligent decisions or acts : behaving unintelligently or carelessly
1c : Without intelligence or reason : brutish (rather like an animal or Neanderthal)
2 : Dulled in feeling or sensation, as in "still stupid from the sedative."
3 : Results of unreasoned thinking or acting : senseless, as in "a stupid decision."
4 a : Having no interest, point, or practical application, as in "a stupid event."
4 b : Vexatious or exasperating: The broken down car is stupid.
More Politically Correct or Less Abusive Meanings Sometimes Taught:
Stupid (adjective) -
1 An action is stupid, but not a person.
1a An action is stupid, because a) it went wrong and b) the person performing it actually knew better than to do it; that is, the person knew it would go wrong. The person needs to exercise better judgement.
2 Try not to use the word stupid at all.
Expired Psychological Classifications
References: Psychology 301, Professor Richard Hothersall, OSU; The Three Stooges body of work..
If you enjoy The Three Stooges, you hear them calling one another names that were formerly assigned to conditions of low IQ among patients in state hospitals in America and psychiatric institutions in England in the 1800s and first half of the 20th Century: Idiot! Moron! Imbecile! Feeble-Minded! In the early 1900s, Americans still thought it was funny - no, hilarious - to see people slapping and slugging each other in comedy routines. Audiences received what they paid for - verbal and physical abuse on stage, abuse because it was very strong and very exaggerated, until movies allowed the Stooges to fake much of the physical contact.
The Expired Psychological Classification System:
Reference: The Stanford Revision and Extension of the Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale; IQs 70 and below; 1916.
- Feeble-Minded - IQ below 70 (all of the below)
- Moron - IQ 50 - 69
- Imbecile - IQ 20 - 49
- Idiot - IQ below 20
Note: an inanimate object has the IQ of 15, the last time I was instructed.
Progression to Profanity and Abuse
Let me add that in reviewing films regarding suitability for children ages up to 17 years for one organization, I must record all cases of name calling in each film and list them under the category of Profanity. Certainly, some name calling profanity is very mild and innocuous, but if one is still screamingly calling people "poopyhead" (or has graduated to "sh_thead") at work at age 40, this is not good communications skills. Similarly, if most readers were a parent to a three-year-old calling that parent "blockhead" 23 times a day, such readers may wish to eliminate this behavior from the child's repertoire. Stronger forms of name calling often differ by degree - higher magnitude and more damage.
If it is true that one teaches others how to treat oneself by the treatment one permits and accepts from others, then accepting name calling is a bad road to travel.
Traditionally, turning the other cheek does not invite the assailant to strike again so that we can be the bigger person and suffer blow after blow without rebuke. In the Old Testament, turning the cheek after a slap placed one's face in a position to be backhanded on the second strike and that second strike, if taken, caused the assailant to lose face and to be shunned by the community. Would that were true in the phenomena of Abuse and Bullying in the workplace or anywhere, but that is rarely the case.
For information about the procedures for handling Workplace Bullying from documentation to court case, see especially the first link below.
Help Is Here
- A Better Alternative! -- Office-Safe and Other Fake Swear Words
Ever accidentally swear at work? OOPS! Hope the boss wasn't listening! Here is a list of safe (and highly creative) swear words for the workplace and elsewhere! - Do You Know a Bully at Work? How to Handle the Office Bully
Al types of bullying can occur in the workplace. Be aware of what may happen to you or your children at work, and help to spread the word. Some US States are considering Anti-Workplace Bullying laws. - Death In the Classroom - A School Bully Can Kill Your Child
Designing and studying effective Anti-Bully Programs have been one of my priorities in my fields of Preventive Medicine, Sports, and Education. I began anti-bully activties while still in high school and they have worked. While Canada is ahead of the - Origins of Hate, Bullying, Hate Crimes, and Hate Gro...
- How to Stop Bullying When the World Urges It On
Bullying is deeply ingrained in American culture long-term and may not have the...
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It was a long time ago, so many people are surprised by it.
Oh, the history of pysychology is full of terms that are no longer valid anymore as well as conditions that were considered psychological diseases at one time.
I happen to hate political correctness while still appreciating the intentions of people who use such terms. I would prefer that people either use neutral terms like you find doctors using or simply did not talk about the condition at all.
In regards to movies:
I try to keep in mind when I am watching movies from the studio system era that these movies were not made for me as an audience member. I find this does allow me to watch the movie and accept it for what it is.
A more extreme example of this than stupid or name calling of any kind is the use of black face. I hate it. But Holiday Inn wasn't filmed in 2012 and I shouldn't judge it as if it had been. I an less likely to watch it than White Christmas as a result, however.
As the victim of bullying through grammar school and high school, your article caught my attention. I am very much against name calling and labeling. It is interesting to learn that some labels were actual medical "conditions" at one time.
Thanks Patty for publishing a page for my question and providing clarity between these two words, stupid and idiot..
This is a really compelling hub. I think more people should speak out about the dangers of bullying and how it affects people. I watched the news recently and I heard another story about a girl who killed herself because she was being bullied at school. It's so sad to hear about stories like this.
Unfortunately, these terms are still being used frequently today.
Some individuals even still believe that they deserve to be able to name call and profane others with these terms and more.
I'm not sure who came up with "Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me" rhyme but it's an idea that has been promoted as stoically the right one. It puts the physical self above the psychological self which is a pretty antiquated view.
What surprises me about the hoo-haa about bullying is the hypocrisy of our culture. We apparently want only to watch violence in picture theatres and we're surrounded by examples of extreme and unjust violence often perpetrated by our governments, yet we expect children to be as sweet as pie to one another and not emulate society.
The problem is not bullying in the classroom it's bullying in society and it's rampant.
That's right. When reviewing films at pre-release screenings, I've seen too many parents taking young kids with them to violent films. Occasionally, a film studio representative will not permit the children in to see it. After film release, I've only seen one case of theater management not permitting elementary school kids into an R film with parents.
My fiance and I are always quarelling because he has a habit of calling people foolish. The Jamaican slang is "fool-fool" but it basically means the same thing. I hate labels and I realize that people who do name calling are actually the ones with the low IQ. I know I might get a lot of flack for that statement but it's my own personal experience that people compare their own knowledge and understanding with others and end up seeing themselves as superior, that's why they use name-calling as a way of pushing their ego or trying to show how "intelligent" they are. I could be wrong but that's the way I see it.
Another right-on-target Hub -- thanks.My grandmother used to liken name calling to profanity and considered it the lack of ability/education to carry on a civilized conversation. Voted Up. Best, Sis
Patty, You did a great job on this hub...very thorough and informative....Thanks
Good subject, Patty ... sadly a lot of name-calling has now moved beyond 'idiot' and 'stupid'.
I put all the deeply unpleasant profanities bandied about without thought between today's youth down to modern films and TV programmes. There must be some way to back pedal on such vile and violent language?
We have some un-thought-about talking done in our society, I think more than 20 years ago. Sometimes the abundance of words becomes static in the environment; some of it is directly abusive; some of it is an attempt to control another person's time (which is abuse); and much of it is unprofessional in a workplace setting - especially name calling and profanity.
Rewind and start over? I think we can do that individually by not accepting name calling and profanity and by disengaging (walking away from, not having conversations) with individuals that dump it toward us. If we own a company, we can disallow name calling and profanity as unprofessional and the dis-allowance is not a violation of Freedom of Speech. For instance, these are not legally allowed on our City Bus system, under penalty of ejection from the bus and action via police. Many Greyhound Bus Drivers announce this (company policy) as well at the beginning of trips and at rest stops and each station. One I know is a Vietnam Vet that says he did not fight for us to disrespect ourselves and others in these ways.
That's a few things we can do.
This is incredible. Fantastic job; I wish I could share it with the whole world!
At least share with a few friends!
In the UK I have never heard name-calling in any place I have ever worked or on public transport. We have a leaflet up in the doctors saying staff are not to be abused. I'm not sure if that is pre-emptive but I've never seen anyone abusing staff.
As a general rule here we only hear abuse (usually more colourful than idiot or stupid) from teenagers showing off or fighting or in incidents of road rage. I once owned a public house and all the young men used the 'f' word as a normal piece of their vocabulary. I asked them to mind their language in the pub and they did.
Perhaps I am just lucky or perhaps we are not so easily angered on this side of the pond?
Hi Angie -
I've been taken aback by patients calling clinic staffers here all sorts of obscenities as soon as they walk in and glad when some offenders have been ejected. I have stopped frequenting restaurants that permit very loud streams of obscenities from a few among patrons that don't want to hear them -- managers are afraid of being literally shot, so they say, and send crew after these people, then the crew refuse to go as well. Patrons are walking out as I hear in newscasts, which will likely cause these places to close.
I'd say in your experience are people that can express themselves effectively and people that have the manners for smooth interactions.
One of my summer school students saw pro wrestling on TV and copied it at his first summer job by slamming a filled 6-foot pamphlets table over near customers. He was fired and not permitted to participate in the city programs for the remainder of his 4 years of high school. When the case worker prescribed Anger Management training he said, "I wasn't even angry; I was just doing what they do on TV. Everyone thinks it's OK."
If it was OK, he would not have been fired.
Angie: What an interesting contrast between your own experience in businesses and those of us in North America. Perhaps UK media doesn't show such examples in their TV shows or films? Canada gets both British and American programming as well as our own shows. I have to say that at least in terms of the British programs I have seen I do not remember such language in programs in general. Meanwhile, I do remember Basil in Fawlty Towers having lots of frustrations at work while not attacking anyone.
Patty,
As always, your shine. :)
I had a seventh grade English teacher who once told our class that if we had to resort to name calling for description, and "curse words" to express ourselves, she had little hope for us.
She made her point and nearly 30 years later, I still remember her making it.
femme
That's what I usually think as well. Thanks for your experiences.
Three Stooges: I have always felt that anyone who finds them "funny" is of low intelligence or immature.
As to name calling.. I have mixed feelings. It certainly can be cathartic!
Let's see how the new Stooge movie does at the box office! The bio-pic on TV several years ago showed how sad the physical part of it all was.
Fortadam Level 1 Commenter 4 months ago
What a great article! I had no idea that those names were once accepted as medical terminology. Guess that shouldn't surprise me though ...