World of Weird Al Yankovic

And this is why the complaints about him saying spastic in Word Crimes can't be taken seriously. People will get offended by anything they want to find offense in. I don't want to get on a soap box so I'll keep my feelings on this brief, but this stuff really needs to stop. I get people can be genuinely offended by things, but if they're loud enough, this will become a thing.

I'm sure there's people who think it's offensive that he's called "Weird"......

Well, "weird" or "wyrd" was the Old English word for "fate" or "destiny." As a proper noun, it referred to one of the three Norns or goddesses of fate. After the Christianization of Britain, it was used as an adjective to describe things related to magic or witchcraft. From there it took on the meaning of "uncanny," "strange," or "bad." So I suppose you could argue that it's an offensive slur against Wiccans and Germanic pagans.

But if you're going that far back in history, "bad" was a homophobic slur akin to the Norse "argr/ergi."

seriously who are these smurfin' retards.

The sad thing about this is (well, another sad thing), when she first posted the link on twitter, it wasn't working, so I told her. She thanked me and fixed it. I would respond to her article, but I have no idea what I would say to her. I just think she's really reaching here. She claims she's a fan, too. Al doesn't need "fans" like her.

Is this writer British? If so, then maybe she has a case with "spastic", but wherever she's from she needs to get over "lame." If calling something "lame" is offensive, then everyone in America is regularly being offensive, because pretty much everyone I know uses that term. At least she's a fan, but really think she's looking for reasons to be upset. Imagine how much easier life would be if you didn't get worked up over things that clearly weren't intended to be offensive in the way you want to ascribe.

Well, she did accept Al's apology as far as "spastic" is concerned, but she really is stretching it if she thinks "lame" in this context is ableist *cringes*. Quit reaching, lady. Al owes you nothing.

People are offended WAY too easily these days. Cool off, people.

(sorry if I offended anyone who is easily offended )

algonacchick wrote:A disabled woman just posted this link on twitter - http://rebelwheelssoapbox.tumblr.com/po ... l-fan-with" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
She calls Al out for using the word "lame", and posts both definitions. Not once did I think Al was referencing someone who can't walk. I really think some people are over-sensitive. She used the term "ableist", which I hadn't heard until all of the uproar about the use of "spastic" in "Word Crimes". So, this woman has never referred to anything sub-standard or weak as "lame"? Really? Spare me.

I think she misunderstood the point of the term 'spastic' being used. Al doesn't use it to as a synonym for 'stupid' (her post implies that the gene pool/drool lines are immediately after the term is used... which they aren't); he uses it to illustrate the lack of quality of someone's blog post... and the reason 'spastic' makes sense is because someone who is spastic could have muscle spasms and have their fingers go all over their keyboard, resulting in an incoherent mess. Which is how Al was describing the writing of the person he was singing to. At least that's what I got out of it, and I thought it was moderately obvious. Is it the most sensitive and inoffensive term out there to use? Probably not. But this lady's complaint makes no sense.

Her complaint about the term 'lame', while valid purely on the grounds of the definition of the word, is idiotic. 'Lame' is not an obscure term, and for as long as I can remember people have used it to mean 'the opposite of cool'. If the original meaning was the way most people used it today, I could see why it could make sense to find it offensive... but that's simply not the case. It's like how people say 'dumb'; it seems silly to assume they are making fun of people who are incapable of speaking, because far more often than not it's used as a synonym for 'stupid'.

I'm irritated by people who get offended so easily. It wouldn't even matter, only it can cause people like Al to feel sorry and like he has to be more careful than he has been with his lyrics when he really shouldn't have to. This lady's blog post?

Yup. wrote:People are offended WAY too easily these days. Cool off, people.

(sorry if I offended anyone who is easily offended )

As a person with bad thermoregulation and constantly cold feet, I'm offended by "cool off"

First Inactive, with people being angry at the asthma sound and being obese, then 'spastic', then 'lame'...

You'd almost make a song about people getting upset at nothing, in the style of 'I'll Sue Ya'!