Crazy

Posted on August 26, 2007 in Stigma Words

It’s been suggested several times by several different people on this blog that using the term “crazy” to refer to people who are not mentally ill but bizarre and unrealistic reduces the stigma inherent in the word. I believe this is no more effective or true than using the phrase “she jewed me” against Gentiles reduces the sting of anti-Hebrew language. What we say when we call an outsider “crazy” is that being mentally ill implies that our ideas are valueless, unrealistic, and inane. It comes back to us. We are as broken glass, it says, useless for seeing reality.