Is The Ubiquity Of The Words "Crazy" And "Insane" In Skateboarding Problematic?

[links, pics, and quotes]

https://www.thrashermagazine.com/search/crazy/
https://www.thrashermagazine.com/search/insane/

https://skateboarding.transworld.net/search/?search=crazy
https://skateboarding.transworld.net/search/?search=insane


https://www.npr.org/2019/07/08/739643765/why-people-are-arguing-to-stop-using-the-words-crazy-and-insane

The word "regular" has fallen out of use as sensitivity to the disabled has grown. Now, a similar dynamic is beginning to play out around the word "crazy" and those with mental illness.

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

We're about to discuss sensitive words and why we decide to stop using them. For example, one word used to be a standard schoolyard insult. We would not say it today without this warning first. It is the word regular. Now some people say the words crazy and insane should fall into the same category. This came up recently when our reporter NPR's Neda Ulaby was chatting with a friend.

NEDA ULABY, BYLINE: My friend and I were talking about something. I don't really remember what. And she said...

ZARENA ASLAMI: It is so crazy (laughter).

ULABY: I called my friend Zarena Aslami to reconstruct our conversation because she did something then that surprised me.

ASLAMI: And then I stopped myself, and I was like, oh, you know, I'm trying not to use that word to describe negative situations.

ULABY: Much in the way that many people now avoid using the word regular. This reckoning with the word crazy began similarly among disability activists and is trickling into the mainstream. Azza Altiraifi researches disability justice issues at the Center for American Progress. Crazy might seem harmless, she says, but she thinks giving negative value to crazy or insane contributes to marginalizing people.

AZZA ALTIRAIFI: One in 5 Americans at least have lived - are experiencing mental illness. And of those people, we're talking about your neighbors. We are talking about family members. We are talking about people in your community.

ULABY: People at higher risk to be hurt, homeless and discriminated against. But isn't not using the word crazy a little bit, well, crazy?

...

ULABY: Obviously there's no language police that'll force people to stop saying this word. It's an individual choice, says Zarena Aslami.

ASLAMI: I miss the word sometimes.

ULABY: But she's embracing not saying it as an intellectual challenge as well as a chance to be more thoughtful.

ASLAMI: And as, you know, an English professor, I also felt the burden of, like, well, you know, I should be able to be more specific. When I say something's really crazy, what do I really mean? Like, it's really stressful. It's really busy. But as you and I talked about, those words don't really have the force of saying, like, something is insane.

ULABY: It might feel unrealistic to lose words with such force. I asked Azza Altiraifi what she would say to the people who are rolling their eyes right now at the notion of rethinking crazy.

ALTIRAIFI: What it tells people like me is that my life is not worth that adjustment. And if that is where people are, then it's really no surprise that people living with mental illness face such disproportionately high levels of violence and harm.

ULABY: Language is living, she says, and using language that brings more dignity to people with mental illnesses maybe not such a strange idea after all. Neda Ulaby, NPR News.

https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-blog/2018/september/that-crazy-why-you-might-want-to-rethink-that-word-in-your-vocabulary

Want to hear something really crazy? I’m about to give you a tip that might change the way you experience virtually every casual conversation: Listen for the word “crazy.” Most likely, you and the people you talk to are using it all the time without even noticing.

Here’s another tip: There are good reasons why you might want to stop using that word. In fact, I first noticed that “crazy” was ubiquitous when a friend told me she was trying not to use it anymore. “Crazy,” she said, perpetuates mental health stigma. After that, I started hearing the word constantly, in my own speech and others’.

...

The fact that the word “crazy” draws on stereotypes, and specifically a stereotype that is stigmatized, is the crux of the problem with using that word.

Stigma, Curtis explains, is a situation that arises when two key ingredients are present: a negative stereotype about a group of people or condition, and actions people take to distance themselves from being associated with that group or condition. Stigma is a kind of social distancing that happens when we perceive a group as “other” and “not like us.”

“One of the common stereotypes around mental health and substance use disorders is the idea of a moral failing,” Curtis says. “A lot of people will think, ‘oh they're just sad, get over it,’ or ‘oh, if you don't want to use drugs, just stop, no one forced you to.’” She also notes that the ideas about mental illness perpetuated by words like “crazy” include the idea that people with mental illness are divorced from reality, irrational, or incapable of making decisions. These stereotypes and the sense of blame they place on a person with mental illness tend to cast people in a category of “others” that few people want to claim as their identity.

...

Like me, Curtis has started noticing how widely we use the word “crazy” in casual conversation—in all kinds of different contexts, for all kinds of different reasons. She equates it to the way her parents taught her not to use curse words in casual conversation; when you use a curse word as an adjective or noun in a sentence, it’s not just rude, it’s also a lazy way to avoid thinking of the more precise word you really mean.

People use the word “crazy” to mean silly, strange, or outlandish; they use the word as a modifier like “extremely” or “intensely”; they use it to mean irrational or unexplainable; and sometimes they use it to describe mental illness.

“Why can’t we use a different word?” Curtis asks. “When a person becomes aware of the connotations that ‘crazy’ has, can we just start using a different word? You're using it as a catchall. We should replace it with multiple words, not a different catchall.”

https://www.mic.com/articles/146806/stop-saying-crazy-and-insane-if-you-care-about-mental-illness

Words like "crazy" and "insane" flow freely in contemporary English — from Kanye West lyrics to popular fitness products.

You may have casually used the words to describe a rollicking party, an unexpected weather

But here's what you might not realize: Using "crazy" or "insane" in everyday speech — be it as a throwaway adjective or an insult — can be hurtful to people who live with mental illness. It's the same reason you wouldn't use "regular" as a synonym for "ridiculous."

People with mental illness are your family members, friends, co-workers and neighbors. At any given time, millions of Americans are living with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. One in 5 U.S. adults experiences mental illness in a given year, and 1 in 25 experiences a "serious mental illness" — one that "substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities."

"Using that kind of language sends the message that it's OK to trivialize mental illness and lazily substitute real people's lived experiences for 'wild,' 'silly,' 'dangerous' or 'out of control,'" Lydia X. Z. Brown, an activist, writer and speaker focused on disability justice, said in an email.

"For people able to change their everyday language, becoming conscious of how often they use ableist words like 'crazy' or 'insane' is one small way of reducing the stigmatizing effects of casually ableist expressions," Brown said.

Here's what to say instead: The English language contains plenty of great, descriptive words that don't trivialize or stigmatize mental illness. In fact, choosing a more precise word or phrase — instead of using a filler word like "crazy" — makes your language more accurate and powerful.

https://mashable.com/2015/06/04/ally-vocabulary-banned-words/

If you're using the term "crazy" countless times a day, you're probably in the norm. But that doesn't mean it's OK. Terms like "crazy" — or "insane," for that matter — make light of mental illness in a way no ally wants to support.

Your boss isn't "crazy" for her serious, intense demeanor; she's stern. Your friend isn't "crazy" for dating her ex; she's a little misguided. Your cashier wasn't "crazy" for putting your bread and laundry detergent together in the same bag; he just sucks at bagging.

Other words are always going to be available, not to mention more inclusive. Use them.

https://themighty.com/2016/09/phrases-that-stigmatize-mental-illness-what-not-to-say/

Using words like “crazy” or “insane” mock people who live with mental illnesses. While it may not seem that way to you, it can come off as really rude and insensitive to someone who has felt “crazy” their entire life.

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/heres-a-new-year-s-resolution-stop-using-the-word-crazy_ca_5cd52559e4b07bc7297535fa

Many of us spent the holidays engaged in conversations with family, friends, colleagues and loved ones. Many of these conversations were likely light-hearted, others serious and challenging, and some were even jokes no doubt. And how many of these conversations involved the words "crazy" or "insane?"

Often we use these words in casual conversations to refer to actions that we find scary, shocking or unbelievable. These words are also used to describe the actions of individuals that we don't understand, like the president of our neighbour to the south, or individuals who commit horrific crimes.

These are our society's go-to words for conveying that something is frightening, but they perpetuate the stigma around mental health issues and contribute to the otheringof people with mental illnesses.

...

Our casual use of the words "crazy" and "insane" reinforce these negative stereotypes and fears. So, this year, let's all make a resolution to stop using these words. Instead, let's find alternative words for what we actually mean, like that's unreal, that's unbelievable, that's wild. Let's take this important step in reducing the stigma around mental health.

[Francis Xavier]

Can't really expect a giant group of high school drop outs to learn other,bigger words

[SneakySecrets]

Damn LPQ, his topic is pretty crazy.  These posts must be an insane amount of work for you.

That reminds me, anyone try out a Madness deck?

Kinda sucks that Rodrigo TX’s Menikmati intro turned out to be vile hate speech all along. 

[Powdered Toast Man!]

[Rick_Kane]

LPQ must be a bored trust fund kid. That's the only rationalization I have for why someone would put in so much work for such meaningless things.

[Powdered Toast Man!]

Damn LPQ, his topic is pretty crazy.  These posts must be an insane amount of work for you.

That reminds me, anyone try out a Madness deck?

Kinda sucks that Rodrigo TX’s Menikmati intro turned out to be vile hate speech all along.

I saw they put out a wade speyer guest board, im tempted

[Owen]

Damn LPQ, his topic is pretty crazy.  These posts must be an insane amount of work for you.

That reminds me, anyone try out a Madness deck?

Kinda sucks that Rodrigo TX’s Menikmati intro turned out to be vile hate speech all along.

But he seemed likes such a nice guy...

[DotGuru]

All you need is gnarly.

[Eds_gallerist]

LPQ must be a bored trust fund kid. That's the only rationalization I have for why someone would put in so much work for such meaningless things.

Just because you dont have an explanation doesnt make someone something. However, using a certain type of language can make someone something. Thinking about our wording is a good thing, and as someone who has experienced mental illness first hand, I am down for trying to stop using "crazy" and "insane" as common language. Even high-school drop-outs and conservative non-PC people might be able to pull it off. It's not that difficult and if we don't blow it up as something unheard of and leftist then it could work eventually. 

[Rick_Kane]

Expand Quote

LPQ must be a bored trust fund kid. That's the only rationalization I have for why someone would put in so much work for such meaningless things.

[close]

Just because you dont have an explanation doesnt make someone something. However, using a certain type of language can make someone something. Thinking about our wording is a good thing, and as someone who has experienced mental illness first hand, I am down for trying to stop using "crazy" and "insane" as common language. Even high-school drop-outs and conservative non-PC people might be able to pull it off. It's not that difficult and if we don't blow it up as something unheard of and leftist then it could work eventually.

it must be tough navigating this cold, scary world when you're softer than baby shit. You have my sympathy.

[Eds_gallerist]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

LPQ must be a bored trust fund kid. That's the only rationalization I have for why someone would put in so much work for such meaningless things.

[close]

Just because you dont have an explanation doesnt make someone something. However, using a certain type of language can make someone something. Thinking about our wording is a good thing, and as someone who has experienced mental illness first hand, I am down for trying to stop using "crazy" and "insane" as common language. Even high-school drop-outs and conservative non-PC people might be able to pull it off. It's not that difficult and if we don't blow it up as something unheard of and leftist then it could work eventually.

[close]

it must be tough navigating this cold, scary world when you're softer than baby shit. You have my sympathy.

Yeah, slamming on concrete in the skatepark hurts really bad. 

[somethingmustbreaknow]

for me is crazy like

[swordtechnique]

I think the ubiquity in skateboarding of calling your friends "fools" is worse, honestly.

[Sila]

"That gap to back lip was BONKERS!!"

"Bruh check out Suciu's insta, the quantity of books that man reads is pure MADNESS!!"

[Hevonen]

[rapscallion]

What about the latest craze? What about someone in a crazed state? Guess we can't say that shit either.

Also I thought this was going to be about calling something crazy or insane which doesn't deserve it therefore diminishing its meaning, like Louie's "hilarious" bit.
https://youtu.be/FSubdmYGVEI?t=227
3:47

[Vomit Lust]

Naw. Crazy and insane aren’t medical diagnoses. This idea’s not getting off the ground. Don’t waste your time.

[SHIREFLIP]

In my experience as a person living with a mental illness, I would prefer if this much thought was given to dismantling the common myths and misconceptions about mental illness.

[Yonnycage]

You must literally be insane to make a thread outta this

[VHS ERA]

for me is crazy like

[heckler]

Less problematic, more lazy.

[SneakySecrets]

[honey island]

why is chris sitting at the edge of the table?

[os89]

Expand Quote

for me is crazy like

[close]

[GAY]

It's hard to imaging going through life worrying that the use of these two words might be found hurtful or offensive by someone.

[primitive_rage]

this is crazy

[23aesthetics]

Somebody needs to read 1984.

[GAY]

Who knew that Seal was the biggest offender, after all?

[ChuckRamone]

some of the things people do on skateboards can accurately be called crazy or insane, more so than when people use these words to describe mundane things. outside of that do skaters use these words more than everyone else? maybe. what about "sick"? I've noticed people using that all over the place these days but it was mostly surfers or skaters who used to say it. it could be seen as making light of those who are not in good health. we might need to stop describing plants in winter as "hoary" with frost because it marginalizes old people or emperor penguins as "rotund" because it mocks obesity. saying we're going "senile" when we forget something could also be a problem because dementia affects millions of people. there are lots of examples like this because language is metaphor built upon metaphor and it will be hard if not impossible to completely change its nature. we would all have to decide we're going to try to tackle this problem and we could kick it off by eliminating sports metaphors that make the unathletic feel self-conscious.

[dooley]

Gwen Stefani should apologize for "this shit is bananas". The sly, synonymous implication of "crazy as a monkey house" is highly offensive. It's been years since the song was released, I think she's ready to finally address this batshit crazy red flag.