I was sitting here and just finished posting my latest blog when I heard Dan ask me: Dan: Can they really say that? Me: Say what? Dan: This dance is the spastic ostrich... Me: ... Makes you wonder though doesn't it? I mean this is a childrens cartoon that is on every morning... Wow Wow Wubzy (unsure of the spelling) Do you think that it is ok for childrens cartoon characters to use this kind of language? (Along with everything else negative cartoons seem to promote...)
the word spastic in Australia, is an insult that people call others. It is exactly like calling someone retarded or stupid. People generally call children with disabilities, spastics. Which I think is purely cruel!
Really? Huh. I didn't know that. It's not really used in an offensive way here, other than to maybe mean clumsy. Is it an American show?
I'm sorry, but Political Correctness in terms of skin colour or religion, fine. But PC in terms of a life afflicting ailment that can cause GREAT PAIN and TORMENT to the sufferer, NO. THAT is what spastic means, and it's used as an insult. This is not something to 'lighten up' about.
Well...it's an insult in your countries. The seriousness of those things does not always translate to other cultures. Like (excuse the geek moment) the insult "mudblood" in Harry Potter. Not something a non-wizard would take very seriously. I have a habit of giving thumbs-up all the time. For everything. If I went to Iran and did that, I would probably get shot. Or at least a lot of nasty looks.
Spastic means subject to spasms. Thus a spastic colon is uncomfortable but not politically incorrect. Using spastic as a label for a developmentally disabled human being is offensice, but it can also be technically accurate. A Parkinsons patient suffers continual uncontrolled spasms, and so could legitimately be called spastic. But in human terms it has become too sensitive a term due to misuse, at least in Australia.
If they said something with the same connotations as 'retarded' does in America, I would object. People say "retarded" a lot, and I generally get upset about it, but brush it off. It's another thing to say that in a kids' show, like teaching them that it's okay to insult someone like that.
If a child then went to school and was dancing crazy and said they were doing the spastic dance, they would be in a lot of trouble for doing so. Because it would be seen as that child was taking the p*ss out of other children. I just think that studios should be a lot more careful with some of the messages that they are delivering to our children.
Agreed. However, what if the cartoon predated predated the unflattering use of the word? Today a show about the Gay Caballero would be met with snickers, but the meaning of the term predates the use of "gay" denoting homosexuality. And now we hear people saying "That's so gay!" in a completely derogatory sense that is quite offensive. Context matters, and sometimes time rolls over an innocent usage like a freight train over a rabbit.
I agree. Sometimes, word censoring goes too far, and the people that get offended the most are making the words out to be more offensive than they were originally intended and give more power to them. You are exactly right.
I just feel that they should be far more aware of word usage in childrens programs. We as adults know when something is or isn't acceptable and when something is or isn't insultive. But for a child, they don't know the difference at an early age, they may use the word is a non offensive way or in the way in which it was used in the cartoon, but, they then go to school and use the word in the same context it was used in the cartoons and they find themselves in trouble. Like I said before, if the child did the spastic dance at school and said they were doing the spastic dance, they would be punished for their insultive actions. I mean if they said they were doing the moronic dance, would that be classed as acceptable too? Just because they weren't using it in an offensive manner... or what about the retard dance? Or the whore dance?
Words only have the power you give them. I let people say what they want, unless it really is used as an offense. I see no problem with saying I feel spastic today. They could mean something completely different from the way you interpreted it. They could of meant instead of feeling retarded today, but spastic as in they feel like they are jerky and they feel like they are really ya know.
It probably should be pulled from current children's programming, even is it was prioduced at a time before the word was deemed offensive.
Did they take out Git, twat,etc.? Out of Harry Potter, which initially was for children...or I should say children read it too.
Reminds me of the Black Eyed Peas song "Get Retarded" (or whatever it was called....something like that right?)... They meant retarded in the literal/musical sense, as in "slowed down", people got all up in arms about how it was derogatory.... Sometimes, you just have to trust that people aren't trying to offend you, they're just talking. There's a difference between someone yelling "you stupid spastic" and someone laughing about their friend doing something stupid and calling them "spastic", yknow? Like, yes the term is technically derogatory, but people use derogatives all the time, its just a general insult, not necessarily a personal attack. Like the gay example, in NZ at least (probably in other places too), "gay" is one of the most commonly used derogatives, used to express anything from disappointment to disgust, and yknow, you just deal with it. Its a common expression now, you can't fight against it, and even though if you really think about you know its wrong, it doesnt stop people saying it....so just don't take it so personally, its not an attack, its a part of language.
This kinda reminds me of a time when a bunch of parents got upset over something said on a popular Nickelodean called Angry Beavers. It stars two beaver brothers named Norbert and Dagget who fight a lot. Anyways, on one episode Dagget told his brother to "shut up," which apparently upset a lot of parents who thought their kids would start telling people to shut up. They complained to Nickelodean about it and the episode got censored. Unfortunetly the censored version made it sound much worse and parents complained because they thought that Dagget was cursing. The moral of the story: once you try covering up words and finding ways around them, you can easily make it appear much worse than they were in the first place. Also I have to agree with Cog's post: Technically, at least from the way it was presented in the op, a "spastic dance" only could be misconstrued as something offensive due to the misuse of the word and by people jumping to conclusions. And finally, with most kids once they've heard a word and then you tell them it's bad and they shouldn't use it, you only increase the chance of them using it whenever an authority figure isn't around; when they probably wouldn't have used it if they weren't told that it was taboo.
Well, it's also an American show. And in America, the word does not have those connotations. Though, for airing in other countries, they probably should edit it.
I loved Angry Beavers. It was my favorite cartoon. I think if you watch some of the shows made for children you would find many things not necessarily appropriate. I remember watching some old Disney in high school and being completely blown away by some of the jokes, because they were clearly more mature in nature but in a media aimed at the very young. And it gets worse as time goes on. I agree that they should be more careful about what goes into children's programming, but one method of parenting is very different from another. they'll never make everyone fully happy. It becomes the responsibility of the public to point out offensive language and actions, or not allow young minds to be influenced by it. And yes, words only have the power you give them, but I'm not sure you can apply that to children. If takes time to learn what is and isn't allowed, time to learn how to ignore hurtful remarks, and I'm not sure exposing them young to such things is an effective way to help them learn better, or faster.
