Post AkQwIvHpbDov5MvDAe by byobattleship@mastodon.gamedev.place
 (DIR) More posts by byobattleship@mastodon.gamedev.place
 (DIR) Post #AkQtDGiugXoRyFCY6q by ZachWeinersmith@mastodon.social
       2024-07-29T19:40:21Z
       
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       Wow, I was reading a book from the 1940s that referred to a blind and deaf person in the 1890s as "the village idiot." And, it turns out the original meaning of the term is not the modern "stupid guy from a small town" but... handicapped people from small towns?https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_idiotYEESH
       
 (DIR) Post #AkQtUFBfeLtc84kMzI by shinydan@mendeddrum.org
       2024-07-29T19:43:33Z
       
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       @ZachWeinersmith it gets worse.
       
 (DIR) Post #AkQtlEOVqoqIapqzhI by Instrument_Data@livellosegreto.it
       2024-07-29T19:46:40Z
       
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       @ZachWeinersmithYeah it always has been its meaning
       
 (DIR) Post #AkQu52MsH5Bj5MX1dI by cstross@wandering.shop
       2024-07-29T19:50:12Z
       
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       @ZachWeinersmith This is also why we shouldn't use the term "dumb" as a synonym for uninformed/foolish/stupid.It means mute, unable to speak (and was usually, before the invention of sign languages, a side-effect of being profoundly deaf).
       
 (DIR) Post #AkQv9W4HtLXaJNXNwG by neverbeaten@mas.to
       2024-07-29T20:01:54Z
       
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       @ZachWeinersmith Older media can be shockingly cringey these days, even some classics. I recently read Vonnegut's "Cat's Cradle" for the first time and was taken aback at his treatment of certain groups (even though he was obviously trying to be "kind" for that era in which it was written).
       
 (DIR) Post #AkQwIvHpbDov5MvDAe by byobattleship@mastodon.gamedev.place
       2024-07-29T20:15:04Z
       
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       @ZachWeinersmith It is genuinely hard to find insults that aren't ableist, sexual, or scatological.
       
 (DIR) Post #AkR17g20TeCkMEycds by wikicliff@fosstodon.org
       2024-07-29T21:09:09Z
       
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       @ZachWeinersmith Nowadays we look back at the 1800s and think they were cruel for their language. People in the 1800s might look at today and wonder why we are so cruel to our disabled adults. At least in the past one might let the "idiot" sleep in their barn (garage nowadays), or share leftovers from a meal.Government assistance today does help avoid a lot of suffering, but far too many "fall through the cracks" (more like pushed out of sight).
       
 (DIR) Post #AkR1YKT4l1RlIaLZBo by ahmetasabanci@mastodon.social
       2024-07-29T21:13:59Z
       
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       @ZachWeinersmith in Türkiye it’s always known that way possibly because it’s a solid part of the culture. It’s called “köyün delisi” in Turkish and in movies and novels, it’s always the person who’s mentally disabled but usually ends up being one of the wisest person in the story and/or causes a big revelation.
       
 (DIR) Post #AkR2t3fqUaDvFSlgg4 by ZachWeinersmith@mastodon.social
       2024-07-29T21:28:19Z
       
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       @wikicliff I think part of this though is due to the changing nature of work. Like, in an agricultural society, where there's lots of physical work, and where there isn't a huge credential/educational barrier to entry, you only have to be marginally useful to be part of the community. I was reading a book from the 20s where a guy talked about how he felt people with Down's were valuable because of their facility with animals, for instance.
       
 (DIR) Post #AkR2uxHpDB7g18RAcS by ZachWeinersmith@mastodon.social
       2024-07-29T21:28:52Z
       
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       @wikicliff But in an economy that's oriented around skilled and service labor, it's just a lot harder to naturally fit differently abled people.
       
 (DIR) Post #AkRCic05WflE4AtU4e by wikicliff@fosstodon.org
       2024-07-29T23:19:05Z
       
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       @ZachWeinersmith Thank you for the reply. I think we agree in many ways on the difficulties of the modern economy (heck, just *applying* online for an "unskilled" job nowadays can be  quite an ordeal). We do have much better assistive technology now--maybe AI assistants could let them take over executive jobs. 😜My main point was about people who aren't going to be net contributors to an economy.  Despite (some) economic views, those people do have value even when inconvenient.
       
 (DIR) Post #AkRLhszLmJlo3HHGIy by ZachWeinersmith@mastodon.social
       2024-07-30T00:59:47Z
       
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       @wikicliff I have a kid who's one of those people so I think about it a lot!