395:
434:, the makers of Transformers, said that it would not release "Spastic" in the UK. This did not stop vocal British fans from alerting various news outlets, eventually resulting in the name being changed for all markets to the less-offensive "Over-Run". The online biography for another Transformer, Strafe, originally described him as "spastic", but was changed to "twitchy" when controversy erupted.
311:, as a pejorative word which reflects a certain degree of casual ableism. As such, it receives a different reaction from British and American audiences. In one episode, Rachel refers to herself as a "laundry spaz" due to her inability to competently do the laundry; this relates to the original meaning about physical ability. This comment was deemed offensive enough by the
376:" included the word "spaz". The song was criticized and the singer was asked to remove this content (classified as expressing an ableist slur) from the lyrics. After the backlash, Lizzo posted her stance against derogatory language; she has since announced a new version of "Grrrls" with new lyrics. Similarly,
443:, for referring to players who did not perform well at the game as "Super Spastic". The company stated "As soon as we were made aware of the issue we stopped distribution of the product and are now working with retailers to pull the game off the market." One month later, Nintendo recalled
406:
warning drivers of such persons near the road. More recently, these terms have fallen out of use and replaced with the more socially acceptable and generic "disabled". The word "spastic" became so negatively loaded that The
Spastic Society of Victoria had to change its name to Scope.
334:
in 2006. He said, "I was so in control from tee to green, the best I've played for years ... But as soon as I got on the green I was a spaz." His remarks were broadcast and drew no known public attention in the United States. But they were widely reported in the
302:, which had a character named "Spaz". Both shows portrayed a "spaz" as a nerd or with potential cognitive or learning disabilities in a comic setting, reinforcing the more casual negative use of the term in the United States by using it in a popular comedy.
264:'s Institute for Research in Cognitive Sciences, writes that by the mid-1960s the American usage of the term 'spaz' shifted from "its original sense of 'spastic or physically uncoordinated person' to something more like 'nerdy, weird, or uncool person
1291:
422:
wheelchair were criticised by the
British charity Scope when they put the wheelchair on sale in the UK. Scope expressed a fear that such a brand would spur use of the word again as an insult. Such negative usage had declined since the 1980s.
634:
CHRISTY BROWN is not strictly a spastic. But the word has now come to be used to cover all forms of cerebral palsy — the medical term for the effects produced by some types of brain maldevelopment or by brain injury at
226:
In
American slang, the term 'spaz' has evolved from a derogatory description of people with disabilities, and is generally understood as a casual word for clumsiness, otherness, sometimes associated with
1305:
81:; though severity of this differs between the United States and the United Kingdom. Disabled people in the United Kingdom often consider "spastic" to be one of the most offensive terms related to
753:
Oxford
English Dictionary editor Robert W. Burchfield wrote in a note appended to the entry for spastic, the epithet "is generally condemned as a tasteless expression, and is not common in print."
362:" (2014) was released, Yankovic said that he had been unaware that the word "spastic" as used in the song is "considered a highly offensive slur by some people", particularly in the
173:
of the condition. Some UK schoolchildren adopted a derogatory adaptation of the
Spastic Society's new name, "scoper". The current understanding of the word is well-illustrated by a
268:", all with a negative sense. In a June 2005 newsletter for American Dialect Society, Zimmer reports that the "earliest occurrence of uncoordinated 'spaz' he could find" is in
402:
In
Australian English, for some time, terms such as "spastic" and "crippled" were considered the proper words to describe persons with various disabilities and even appeared on
105:, an English charity for people with cerebral palsy, was founded in 1951. However, the word began to be used as an insult and became a term of abuse used to imply
828:
1379:
150:
with cerebral palsy, who was described as a "spastic". Phrases such as "joey", "deacon", and "spaz" became widely used insults amongst children at that time.
933:
239:, involuntary or random movement, or hyperactivity. Some of these associations use the symptoms of cerebral palsy and other related disabilities as insults.
1217:
206:
where the character Kamek casts a spell to switch train cars, being "Magikoopa magic! Turn the train spastic! Make this ticket tragic!" Because of this,
1044:
1154:
1101:
1399:
45:, which is a well-known symptomatic phenomenon seen in patients with a wide range of central neurological disorders, including spinal cord injury,
326:
The difference in qualitative assessment of the term between
British and American audiences is demonstrated by reactions to comments by golfer
1208:"Beyoncé confirms she will remove a lyric from her new album 'Renaissance' following backlash that it's 'ableist' and 'deeply offensive'"
1180:
765:
1389:
98:
398:
A historical
Australian road sign encouraging drivers to watch out for "Spastic Pedestrians". The sign is no longer in official use.
1414:
162:
137:
1409:
811:
683:
583:
992:
418:
Controversy arises if products are sold in the UK under the same name. In particular the manufacturers and importers of the
312:
551:
113:: a person who is uncoordinated or incompetent, or a fool. It was often colloquially abbreviated to shorter forms such as
836:
1394:
728:
944:
177:
survey in 2003, which found that "spastic" was the second most offensive term in the UK relating to anyone with a
1207:
382:
1052:
275:
1967 "undeniably tasteless, garage-rock single" – "Spazz". Although this is out-of-sync with terms such as "
53:), stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and multiple sclerosis (MS), as well as conditions such as "
439:
1265:
908:
875:
261:
498:
Chang, Eric; Ghosh, Nilasha; Yanni, Daniel; Lee, Sujin; Alexandru, Daniela; Mozaffar, Tahseen (2013).
940:
741:
169:. The word has been deemed unacceptable to use outside of specific medical contexts, thus reducing
1346:
1319:
900:
865:
673:
130:
use grew considerably in the 1980s and this is sometimes attributed to the BBC children's TV show
1296:
655:
427:
386:
included the word. It was strongly criticized and the word was eventually removed from the song.
340:
257:
166:
154:
1239:
1018:
621:
801:
613:
515:
468:
228:
20:
1384:
190:
8:
675:
Global HIV/AIDS Politics, Policy, and
Activism: Persistent Challenges and Emerging Issues
351:. On learning of the furor over his comments, Woods' representative promptly apologized.
344:
288:
182:
1128:
648:
524:
499:
331:
1155:"Lizzo is changing the lyrics to her 'Grrrls' single following criticism over ableism"
1301:
807:
775:
679:
529:
355:
430:
Power Core
Combiners line of robot toys was to include a character named "Spastic".
165:
debate as "a spastic with cerebral palsy", the Spastics Society changed its name to
1404:
1074:
591:
519:
511:
463:
348:
305:
The term still occasionally appears in North American movies or TV series, such as
298:
232:
102:
50:
700:
500:"A Review of Spasticity Treatments: Pharmacological and Interventional Approaches"
929:
896:
861:
319:. Other episodes in the series are rated a step lower as PG. Similarly, Rugrats:
253:
242:
Its usage has been documented as far back as the mid-1950s. In 1965, film critic
316:
193:, described the term as being "one of the most taboo insults to a British ear".
110:
1351:
363:
336:
94:
46:
1102:"Weird Al apologizes for offending with 'spastic' lyric in Word Crimes parody"
1373:
1106:
832:
779:
445:
415:
Multiple products in the United States have names including the word 'spaz'.
394:
198:
170:
62:
54:
870:
533:
403:
283:
243:
186:
1212:
359:
327:
293:
158:
147:
35:
966:
803:
The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English
178:
142:
132:
127:
82:
78:
42:
377:
339:, where they caused offence and were condemned by a representative of
993:"British Board of Film Classification tightens age rating guidelines"
770:
473:
247:
185:" was deemed most offensive in the US and other countries). In 2007,
106:
65:
39:
1181:"Lizzo changes lyrics of new song 'Grrrls' to remove 'ableist slur'"
437:
On 29 June 2007, Ubisoft of France pulled one of their games called
410:
286:
introduced a character Charles Knerlman, a.k.a. "Chaz the Spaz" on
27:
724:
458:
307:
431:
373:
236:
478:
369:
58:
970:
766:"Disabled face rising levels of abuse, says charity boss"
579:
323:
got a PG rating based on Angelica calling Kimi "Spazzy".
174:
504:
Critical Reviews in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine
799:
296:
called "Nerds". Bill Murray later starred in the movie
279:" that directly mock or relate to physical disability.
70:("drawing in", "tugging" or "shaking uncontrollably").
829:"Non-'spastic' Mario Party 8 returns Aug. 8 to Europe"
1292:"Disabled outrage over wheelchair called 'The Spazz'"
210:
was recalled in the UK but was rereleased, replacing
93:
The medical term "spastic" came into use to describe
1129:"Fans ask Lizzo to remove song over offensive lyric"
380:'s 2022 song "Heated" from her seventh studio album
647:
497:
793:
126:Although the word has a much longer history, its
1371:
449:because the term was used in in-game dialogue.
250:now use as the opposite of 'tough' is 'spaz'."
800:Tom Dalzell; Terry Victor (27 November 2014).
620:. Vol. 173. Economist Newspaper Limited.
1380:Pejorative terms for people with disabilities
366:. He apologized for having it in his lyrics.
246:, hypothesised that, "The term that American
1266:"James Meek: You're better off with a Spazz"
545:
543:
667:
665:
574:
572:
19:"Spaz" redirects here. For other uses, see
1205:
856:
854:
826:
540:
523:
99:Scottish Council for the Care of Spastics
1400:American and British English differences
742:"Language Log: A Brief History of "Spaz"
662:
614:"The Economist in the Twentieth Century"
569:
516:10.1615/CritRevPhysRehabilMed.2013007945
393:
922:
889:
411:Product names including the term "spaz"
1372:
1344:
1206:Adekaiyero, Ayomikun (1 August 2022).
1099:
1045:"Agent: Tiger sorry for 'spaz' remark"
928:
895:
860:
851:
549:
256:, editor for American dictionaries at
138:International Year of Disabled Persons
990:
827:Sliwinski, Alexander (27 July 2007).
678:. Vol. 93. ABC-CLIO. p. 2.
672:Smith, Raymond A. (28 October 2013).
671:
698:
550:Murphy, M Lynne (28 February 2007).
313:British Board of Film Classification
77:, originally a medical term, is now
578:
13:
1347:"Mario Party 8 back on August 3rd"
1320:"Brain game pulled over 'offence'"
1220:from the original on 1 August 2022
1199:
692:
14:
1426:
1075:"Tanni criticises 'stupid' Tiger"
88:
1390:Disability in the United Kingdom
1100:Tucker, Rebecca (21 July 2014).
221:
1345:Wooden, Andrew (24 July 2007).
1338:
1312:
1284:
1258:
1232:
1173:
1147:
1121:
1093:
1067:
1051:. 13 April 2006. Archived from
1037:
1011:
984:
959:
820:
758:
321:Tales from the Crib: Snow White
734:
718:
640:
606:
556:Separated by a Common Language
552:"spastic, learning disability"
491:
202:features a scene of the board
1:
1415:Ableism in the United Kingdom
699:Rose, Damon (13 April 2006).
484:
101:was founded in 1946, and the
1410:Ableism in the United States
901:"Parents will never be cool"
389:
153:In 1994, the same year that
140:(1981), several episodes of
66:
57:." The word is derived via
7:
991:Hoyle, Ben (24 June 2009).
866:"A brief history of 'spaz'"
452:
440:Mind Quiz: Your Brain Coach
34:refers to an alteration in
10:
1431:
909:University of Pennsylvania
876:University of Pennsylvania
806:. Routledge. p. 672.
729:"House of Commons Hansard"
262:University of Pennsylvania
18:
650:Oxford English Dictionary
235:("jumpiness"), excessive
204:Shy Guy's Perplex Express
161:referred to himself in a
941:American Dialect Society
731:, Column 544, on 11 May,
260:, and researcher at the
1395:Disability in Australia
656:Oxford University Press
258:Oxford University Press
73:Colloquially, the noun
1240:"Why the words matter"
622:University of Michigan
399:
315:to give the episode a
469:Disability hate crime
397:
332:US Masters Tournament
146:featured a man named
21:Spaz (disambiguation)
1308:on 20 December 2005.
191:University of Sussex
189:, a linguist at the
1246:. 13 September 2011
1021:Tales from the Crib
864:(5 February 2007).
624:. 1954. p. 472
345:Tanni Grey-Thompson
289:Saturday Night Live
967:"Meatballs (1979)"
947:on 3 November 2007
400:
1302:Glasgow, Scotland
1272:. 16 October 2005
899:(13 April 2006).
839:on 18 August 2007
813:978-1-317-62512-4
685:978-0-313-39946-6
584:"Worst Word Vote"
356:Weird Al Yankovic
330:after losing the
292:, in a skit with
40:medical condition
1422:
1364:
1363:
1361:
1359:
1342:
1336:
1335:
1333:
1331:
1316:
1310:
1309:
1304:. Archived from
1297:The Daily Record
1288:
1282:
1281:
1279:
1277:
1262:
1256:
1255:
1253:
1251:
1236:
1230:
1229:
1227:
1225:
1203:
1197:
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1177:
1171:
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1144:
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1125:
1119:
1118:
1116:
1114:
1097:
1091:
1090:
1088:
1086:
1071:
1065:
1064:
1062:
1060:
1055:on 21 April 2006
1041:
1035:
1034:
1032:
1030:
1015:
1009:
1008:
1006:
1004:
988:
982:
981:
979:
977:
963:
957:
956:
954:
952:
943:. Archived from
932:(23 June 2005).
930:Zimmer, Benjamin
926:
920:
919:
917:
915:
897:Zimmer, Benjamin
893:
887:
886:
884:
882:
862:Zimmer, Benjamin
858:
849:
848:
846:
844:
824:
818:
817:
797:
791:
790:
788:
786:
762:
756:
755:
750:
748:
738:
732:
722:
716:
715:
713:
711:
696:
690:
689:
669:
660:
659:
653:
644:
638:
637:
631:
629:
610:
604:
603:
601:
599:
594:on 20 March 2007
590:. Archived from
576:
567:
566:
564:
562:
547:
538:
537:
527:
495:
464:Disability abuse
274:
270:The Elastik Band
267:
233:startle response
229:overexcitability
163:House of Commons
122:
116:
103:Spastics Society
69:
51:spastic diplegia
38:affected by the
30:, the adjective
1430:
1429:
1425:
1424:
1423:
1421:
1420:
1419:
1370:
1369:
1368:
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1357:
1355:
1343:
1339:
1329:
1327:
1318:
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1313:
1290:
1289:
1285:
1275:
1273:
1264:
1263:
1259:
1249:
1247:
1238:
1237:
1233:
1223:
1221:
1216:. Insider Inc.
1204:
1200:
1190:
1188:
1179:
1178:
1174:
1164:
1162:
1153:
1152:
1148:
1138:
1136:
1127:
1126:
1122:
1112:
1110:
1098:
1094:
1084:
1082:
1081:. 12 April 2006
1073:
1072:
1068:
1058:
1056:
1043:
1042:
1038:
1028:
1026:
1017:
1016:
1012:
1002:
1000:
989:
985:
975:
973:
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960:
950:
948:
927:
923:
913:
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821:
814:
798:
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784:
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764:
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746:
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739:
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723:
719:
709:
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686:
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646:
645:
641:
627:
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612:
611:
607:
597:
595:
577:
570:
560:
558:
548:
541:
496:
492:
487:
455:
413:
392:
282:Later in 1978,
272:
265:
254:Benjamin Zimmer
224:
196:The video game
120:
114:
91:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1428:
1418:
1417:
1412:
1407:
1402:
1397:
1392:
1387:
1382:
1366:
1365:
1337:
1326:. 29 June 2007
1311:
1283:
1257:
1244:www.abc.net.au
1231:
1198:
1187:. 14 June 2022
1172:
1161:. 13 June 2022
1146:
1135:. 13 June 2022
1120:
1092:
1066:
1036:
1010:
983:
958:
921:
888:
850:
835:Archived from
819:
812:
792:
757:
733:
717:
691:
684:
661:
639:
605:
568:
539:
510:(1–2): 11–22.
489:
488:
486:
483:
482:
481:
476:
471:
466:
461:
454:
451:
412:
409:
391:
388:
372:'s 2022 song "
364:United Kingdom
354:Shortly after
347:, a prominent
337:United Kingdom
223:
220:
171:stigmatisation
95:cerebral palsy
90:
89:UK and Ireland
87:
49:(for example,
47:cerebral palsy
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1427:
1416:
1413:
1411:
1408:
1406:
1403:
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1398:
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1378:
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1375:
1354:
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1348:
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1321:
1315:
1307:
1303:
1299:
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1271:
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1215:
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1209:
1202:
1186:
1182:
1176:
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1156:
1150:
1134:
1130:
1124:
1109:
1108:
1107:National Post
1103:
1096:
1080:
1076:
1070:
1054:
1050:
1046:
1040:
1024:
1022:
1014:
998:
994:
987:
972:
968:
962:
946:
942:
938:
935:
934:"spaz(z), n."
931:
925:
910:
906:
902:
898:
892:
877:
873:
872:
867:
863:
857:
855:
838:
834:
833:Weblogs, Inc.
830:
823:
815:
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805:
804:
796:
781:
777:
773:
772:
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754:
743:
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721:
706:
702:
695:
687:
681:
677:
676:
668:
666:
657:
652:
651:
643:
636:
623:
619:
618:The Economist
615:
609:
593:
589:
585:
581:
575:
573:
557:
553:
546:
544:
535:
531:
526:
521:
517:
513:
509:
505:
501:
494:
490:
480:
477:
475:
472:
470:
467:
465:
462:
460:
457:
456:
450:
448:
447:
446:Mario Party 8
442:
441:
435:
433:
429:
424:
421:
416:
408:
405:
404:traffic signs
396:
387:
385:
384:
379:
375:
371:
367:
365:
361:
357:
352:
350:
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251:
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245:
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234:
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222:United States
219:
217:
213:
209:
208:Mario Party 8
205:
201:
200:
199:Mario Party 8
194:
192:
188:
184:
181:. (The word "
180:
176:
172:
168:
164:
160:
156:
151:
149:
145:
144:
139:
136:; during the
135:
134:
129:
124:
119:
112:
108:
104:
100:
96:
86:
84:
80:
76:
71:
68:
64:
60:
56:
55:spastic colon
52:
48:
44:
41:
37:
33:
29:
22:
1356:. Retrieved
1350:
1340:
1328:. Retrieved
1323:
1314:
1306:the original
1295:
1286:
1274:. Retrieved
1270:the Guardian
1269:
1260:
1248:. Retrieved
1243:
1234:
1222:. Retrieved
1211:
1201:
1189:. Retrieved
1184:
1175:
1163:. Retrieved
1158:
1149:
1137:. Retrieved
1132:
1123:
1111:. Retrieved
1105:
1095:
1083:. Retrieved
1078:
1069:
1059:20 September
1057:. Retrieved
1053:the original
1048:
1039:
1027:. Retrieved
1020:
1013:
1001:. Retrieved
999:. London, UK
997:Times Online
996:
986:
974:. Retrieved
961:
949:. Retrieved
945:the original
936:
924:
912:. Retrieved
905:Language Log
904:
891:
879:. Retrieved
871:Language Log
869:
841:. Retrieved
837:the original
822:
802:
795:
783:. Retrieved
769:
760:
752:
745:. Retrieved
736:
720:
708:. Retrieved
704:
701:"The s-word"
694:
674:
649:
642:
633:
626:. Retrieved
617:
608:
596:. Retrieved
592:the original
587:
559:. Retrieved
555:
507:
503:
493:
444:
438:
436:
428:Transformers
425:
419:
417:
414:
401:
381:
368:
353:
325:
320:
306:
304:
297:
287:
284:Steve Martin
281:
277:spazzing out
276:
269:
252:
244:Pauline Kael
241:
231:, excessive
225:
215:
211:
207:
203:
197:
195:
187:Lynne Murphy
155:Conservative
152:
141:
131:
125:
117:
109:or physical
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1023:Snow White"
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360:Word Crimes
349:paralympian
328:Tiger Woods
294:Bill Murray
159:Terry Dicks
148:Joey Deacon
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1374:Categories
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1019:"Rugrats:
951:31 October
937:Newsletter
914:31 October
881:31 October
485:References
179:disability
143:Blue Peter
133:Blue Peter
128:derogatory
83:disability
79:pejorative
43:spasticity
1085:17 August
1079:BBC Sport
976:14 August
843:26 August
780:0140-0460
771:The Times
747:29 August
598:17 August
561:17 August
474:Euphemism
390:Australia
358:'s song "
317:12 rating
299:Meatballs
248:teenagers
111:ineptness
107:stupidity
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1224:1 August
1218:Archived
1159:NBC News
1133:BBC News
705:BBC News
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534:25750484
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1405:Ableism
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1276:13 June
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1332:2007
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1252:2021
1226:2022
1193:2022
1167:2022
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1115:2014
1087:2007
1061:2021
1031:2013
1005:2009
978:2009
971:IMDb
953:2007
916:2007
883:2007
845:2010
808:ISBN
787:2022
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749:2023
712:2007
680:ISBN
630:2016
600:2007
588:Ouch
563:2007
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