Political correctness - does it affect you?

[SugaryOne]

My mother is big on being politically correct, and I just thought of something that pertains to this forum.

She has always taught me to put the person before the disease. Do you refer to yourself as a "diabetic" or a "person with diabetes"? Does it irritate you when people refer to you as a "diabetic"?

Have you ever corrected anyone about the terminology?

[Tim_Roy]

I don't bother. There's bigger things to get annoyed with than that. Tell your mother she's getting caught up in semantics.

If you check my posts elsewhere, I hear much stupider things than "I'm a diabetic" coming from fellow diabetics.

How about you just use it as an adjective?

"I'm diabetic."

I have a bigger problem with the term "politically correct" than with PC or non-PCness.

It's usually a blurry catch-all term used to tag any sensitivity the person using the phrase wants to stomp all over.

I remember when it was called "politeness" or just plain "common decency" rather than "politically correct."

I generally try not to say things that might upset people because I don't want to upset them. Regardless of how stereotypes or bigotry make another person feel, me saying them makes ME look like an IGNORANT AND UNCOUTH IDIOT. I try to avoid that as well.

[trailrunner]

Personally I prefer Pancreatically challanged, or carbohydrate intolerate, insulin impaired, BUt thats just me =) :itsme:

[DeusXM]

I'm not a diabetic. I'm diabetic, or I have diabetes.

I've explained my reasons for this before elsewhere, but briefly:

1. Calling someone a diabetic is hugely reductive. You wouldn't call other people 'an asthmatic' or 'an arthritic' or 'a spastic'. You'd refer to them as having asthma, arthritis or CF. Why the double standard for us?

2. Go look at media coverage of people with diabetes. If it's a negative report, then they'll use the term 'a diabetic'. When it's positive, they'll use 'has diabetes'. For instance 'X is a diabetic and has lost a leg' vs. 'X has diabetes and has recently climbed Mount Everest'.

However, one of my friends sometimes refers to me as having a 'lazy pancreas'!

[JediSkipdogg]

I always refer to myself as "I'm diabetic." I don't think of it in any other way.

[Tim_Roy]

Hopefully my being a person goes without saying.

[liz32]

I'm me. I also have diabetes and asthma, allergies, etc.... I don't intro myself to people with "Hi I'm liz and I have diabetes." It's not a banner I wear. It's a non issue. If someone questions why I'm injecting I'll explain. Conversly, I don't get offended if someone else intro's me as, this is liz and she's a diabetic. diabetes is just a small part of me as a whole.
Liz

[Cyborg]

Ahh, ya doesn't has to call me Diabetic! You can call me Ray, or you can call me Jay, or you can call me Johnny or you can call me Sonny, or you can call me RayJay, or you can call me RJ... but ya doesn't hafta call me Diabetic.

[Lynne1]

Ahh, ya doesn't has to call me Diabetic! You can call me Ray, or you can call me Jay, or you can call me Johnny or you can call me Sonny, or you can call me RayJay, or you can call me RJ... but ya doesn't hafta call me Diabetic.:rofl: Good one!

[archimeech]

Pesonally I prefer:


Sweet bag of Sugar

Taste-o-Honey

Sugary and Sexy

:D

[Mister Q]

I have posted this on another thread here, what p**ses me off is when people without diabetes are refered to as normal

i.e "Your cholestorol reading would be ok for a normal person, but because your diabetic we need them lower"

I have no issue with getting the numbers lower, just being refered to as not normal.

[Cyborg]

I have posted this on another thread here, what p**ses me off is when people without diabetes are refered to as normal

i.e "Your cholestorol reading would be ok for a normal person, but because your diabetic we need them lower"

I have no issue with getting the numbers lower, just being refered to as not normal.

At the rate this epidemic is growing, soon being diabetic will be normal...

[gettingby]

Pesonally I prefer:


Sweet bag of Sugar

Taste-o-Honey

Sugary and Sexy

:D
I'm gonna be good and leave this alone. ;)

[koblenz]

When someone asks, I usually say "I'm defective" first!

[Petruchio]

I am just a naturally sweet guy . . .
:hmmmm:

[Dewey]

I've never been one for "Political Correctness," lol, so never has bothered me to be referred to as either. I don't have a preference, but if I had to choose one & one only, it would probably be that I'm Diabetic.....cause that Is part of what I am - like TimRoy said, it's an adjective that describes me. In fact, I agree with what he said entirely....

[lgvincent]

I've been a diabetic for 38 years. Will probably continue to be one for just a little while longer.

[KickStart101]

My mother is big on being politically correct, and I just thought of something that pertains to this forum.
She has always taught me to put the person before the disease. Do you refer to yourself as a "diabetic" or a "person with diabetes"? Does it irritate you when people refer to you as a "diabetic"?
Have you ever corrected anyone about the terminology?

I am not usually big on being politically correct. As I commented in the other thread same subject, I have been a Diabetic most of my life and using that adjective to describe me as having Diabetes has never bothered me. Short and sweet. I have a good-sized white card with red lettering in my wallet that says, I Am A Diabetic. First thing you see when you flip open my wallet.

I actually find it an asset when asking for orange juice, etc., if needed away from home. I Am A Diabetic(is a strong statement), I need sugar now, please.
They get it for you immediately, as a command. Then ask questions later.
Saying, I Have Diabetes(the Person sort of has to rack their brain to try and think if they know anything about it first, oddly enough). I need sugar now, please. They wander over to something that they think has sugar contains sugar or the sugar itself. That's been my experiences. It's always better to specify what you want also.

The term, I have Diabetes, has never bothered me either, since that is what I have. Saying, I am a Person with Diabetes, sounds foreign, uncomfortable,
formal, too many words and unnecessary. imho :)

[KickStart101]

I've been a diabetic for 38 years.

" Will probably continue to be one for just a little while
longer".

:hmmmm: I hope that you only say it like that 'cause
you hope a cure is in the near future, LG. :( * :)

[Tim_Roy]

I went to an inner-city school. Whether you wanted it or not, you tended to get a nickname from certain people.

For a while there, mine was "Sugarman." I didn't let it bother me, I went with it.

"That's cause your moms said I'm so sweet." Well, it was something like that, perhaps a bit more gently put.

[Mich]

I don't really have an opinion on what people call me. I've been called lots of things over the years, and diabetic is just one of them. It does seem to cover the bases.

The use of the word that has always seemed odd to me was the ads in the back of magazines that say "Diabetic Socks" or "Diabetic Handcream." They always conjured up a mental image of socks that needed to take insulin. It seemed to me that other people than diabetics might need to use non-rubbing socks or restorative handcream.

Just my two cents. Mich :hmmmm:

[Lorna]

There was a letter in the Ballance magazine ages ago about this, couldn't really care less though.

[Mister Q]

At the rate this epidemic is growing, soon being diabetic will be normal...

At least we can claim we were normal first!!