# So calling another poster a "mongoloid" is a-ok eh? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 6, 2017, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-calling-another-poster-a-mongoloid-is-a-ok-eh/786037 "2017-05-06T23:43:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-calling-another-poster-a-mongoloid-is-a-ok-eh/786037/1 "2017-05-06T23:43:55Z")
Alright, what charitable interpretation of the above racial slur did you mods reason out for this one? ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-calling-another-poster-a-mongoloid-is-a-ok-eh/786037/2 "2017-05-06T23:48:29Z")
Pertaining to [this post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=20187656&postcount=953) in particular. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-calling-another-poster-a-mongoloid-is-a-ok-eh/786037/3 "2017-05-07T00:05:03Z")
Not taking sides, but I think **Rick Sanchez** probably meant mongoloid as in the old name for Down’s Syndrome, not as in a person from Mongolia. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-calling-another-poster-a-mongoloid-is-a-ok-eh/786037/4 "2017-05-07T00:11:28Z")
Please tell me that post got reported. There are so many ways it’s not OK. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-calling-another-poster-a-mongoloid-is-a-ok-eh/786037/5 "2017-05-07T00:12:06Z")
Its also in the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-calling-another-poster-a-mongoloid-is-a-ok-eh/786037/6 "2017-05-07T00:47:32Z")
So, it’s more of a birth-defect slur than a racist slur. Got it. Is that permissible? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-calling-another-poster-a-mongoloid-is-a-ok-eh/786037/7 "2017-05-07T01:37:27Z")
That would get you all kinds of modded in any other forum, but since it was in the Pit I think it’s permissible. (note - I’m not a Pit mod) ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-calling-another-poster-a-mongoloid-is-a-ok-eh/786037/8 "2017-05-07T01:41:11Z")
> [@orcenio](#): > > Alright, what charitable interpretation of the above racial slur did you mods reason out for this one? I’ve never heard it being a racial slur, just another word for “retarded”. > [@Ethilrist](#): > > So, it’s more of a birth-defect slur than a racist slur. Got it. > > Is that permissible? Being we’re allowed to call people “retard” or “retarded” in the Pit, I don’t see why not. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-calling-another-poster-a-mongoloid-is-a-ok-eh/786037/9 "2017-05-07T01:43:51Z")
Would it be cool in the pit to call someone a “kike,” or say the n-word? That’s how bad Mongoloid is _as a term for a person with Down Syndrome_. As an insult, it’s beyond the pale. It’s like telling a Jew “Too bad the ovens missed your mother.” It’s so bad, I can’t think of anything that really compares. ETA: Wait, maybe it’s like when you say of a non-Jew “He Jewed me Down.” Only to the _n_th power. No, that didn’t come out as well as I thought it would. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-calling-another-poster-a-mongoloid-is-a-ok-eh/786037/10 "2017-05-07T01:44:35Z")
Compared to some of the other things I’ve read in the Pit, not even worth much notice. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-calling-another-poster-a-mongoloid-is-a-ok-eh/786037/11 "2017-05-07T03:03:44Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Please tell me that post got reported. There are so many ways it’s not OK. Well, you can always report it yourself. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-calling-another-poster-a-mongoloid-is-a-ok-eh/786037/12 "2017-05-07T03:45:32Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Well, you can always report it yourself. I didn’t want to join the thread just for the sake of tracking down a post and reporting it. But I hope someone who was part of the thread for legitimate reasons reported it. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-calling-another-poster-a-mongoloid-is-a-ok-eh/786037/13 "2017-05-07T03:50:35Z")
I’m ignorant of the term used as a slur. [This is how I understood the term.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongoloid) Can I get a reference to the usage as a slur? ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-calling-another-poster-a-mongoloid-is-a-ok-eh/786037/14 "2017-05-07T03:51:11Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > I didn’t want to join the thread just for the sake of tracking down a post and reporting it. But I hope someone who was part of the thread for legitimate reasons reported it. [Restricted language in the Pit](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=508858) What would be the basis for reporting it? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-calling-another-poster-a-mongoloid-is-a-ok-eh/786037/15 "2017-05-07T04:06:39Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > I’m ignorant of the term used as a slur. [This is how I understood the term.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongoloid) Can I get a reference to the usage as a slur? From your link (note the four cites) > [@](#): > > In addition, “Mongoloid” has had a second usage, now generally avoided as highly offensive: until the late 20th century, people with Down syndrome[9][10][11][12] were often referred to as “Mongoloids” or in terms of “Mongolian idiocy” or “Mongolian imbecility”. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-calling-another-poster-a-mongoloid-is-a-ok-eh/786037/16 "2017-05-07T04:09:32Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > I’m ignorant of the term used as a slur. [This is how I understood the term.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongoloid) Can I get a reference to the usage as a slur? [Here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolian_idiocy) It used to be used to refer to people with Down Syndrome. (And it looks like it’s still used that way in France) Nowadays, most people just use it as an insult to mean [retarded](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=mongoloid) in general – at least, like I said, that’s how I’ve always encountered it. But it looks like it can go either way. So while it doesn’t strike me as being as offensive as **RivkahChaya** claims, it’s probably not something I’d reccomend adding to one’s vocabulary any time soon. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-calling-another-poster-a-mongoloid-is-a-ok-eh/786037/17 "2017-05-07T04:10:55Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > [Restricted language in the Pit](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=508858) > > What would be the basis for reporting it? Calling someone with Down Syndrome “Mongoloid” is extremely offensive to both people with Down Syndrome, and people who are Asian. This has been the case since the late 1980s. I am 50 and have worked with disabled people my whole adult life, and the term has never been acceptable in my professional life. It is as out of date as the n-word for a black person, or “Deaf and dumb” for people who are Deaf and do not speak. Calling someone that whose status is unknown to you, and you are using it as a way to call them a “retard,” purely as an insult, and not as a statement of fact (professionals don’t say “retard” anyway) is even worse. If the poster had said “slanty-eyed retard,” would that have gotten a warning? The rules quoted are guidelines; not exhaustive; and subject to change, ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-calling-another-poster-a-mongoloid-is-a-ok-eh/786037/18 "2017-05-07T04:13:54Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > From your link (note the four cites) Thanks. Didn’t know that. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-calling-another-poster-a-mongoloid-is-a-ok-eh/786037/19 "2017-05-07T04:20:52Z")
In this case, **Rick Sanchez** simply revealed the depths he is willing to plumb in order to vent his anger. It stands more as an indictment of his own character than a genuinely hurtful barb. My mother worked with EMR for decades, so I do consider equivalents of “retard” to be quite offensive, but if a poster feels comfortable showing their colors in that manner, in the Pit, where it is allowed, they really only hurt themself. ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-calling-another-poster-a-mongoloid-is-a-ok-eh/786037/20 "2017-05-07T04:39:38Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > It is as out of date as … “Deaf and dumb” for people who are Deaf and do not speak. Thank you, I didn’t know this. Not that I have many opportunities to use it. Is it because “dumb” can also mean stupid? What’s the correct term? Non-verbal? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-calling-another-poster-a-mongoloid-is-a-ok-eh/786037.md?page=2)