I wouldn't go far as to say it's a big no-no word. I've only ever heard it/used it in a really childish context. Maybe if _all_ insults were banned (included calling someone stupid), fine, but it's fairly mild.

My brother's girlfriend is a primary school teacher specialising in teaching kids with 'special needs', so I'm probably a bit hypersensitive to words like spastic because of her influence.

Still though, when the word is used in 'mature' conversation, people often get wierd looks or told that there are better words to use to refer to 'those people'.

And if there were special needs children in Lusternia (Estarra forbidding) then I would agree that referring to them as "spastics" or "spazzes" would be in poor taste. But it's not, it's referring to spastic motion, which is derived from "spasm" and in no way connotes special needs individuals. The fact that you see the word "spastic" and even have the notion of associating it with special needs individuals is more offensive than anything the staff was intending in its use to begin with.

The word spastic DOES describe a child with mental retardation (another no-no way to describe them), atleast here in Australia. As I said, the Spastic Society is a not for profit organisation devoted to raising money into those areas of research. So, excuse me for making a connection between 'spastic' and disablities of the mind and body, but it is a very valid connection for an Australian, at least, to make.

EDIT: http://www.scopevic.org.au/about_name.html - The Spastic Society changed their name, it seems, because of the negative links with the word.

I have to agree with what has already been said. I was somewhat shocked to see the term 'spastic' used so flippantly to describe apparent mental weakness.

Even if it isn't so much an insult in some parts of the world, is it that essential that changing it would destroy the original meaning of the debating message? Why not just use 'tongue-tied', or 'jumbled' or a better alternative?

Are you serious? You realize there is a quest in the game where you have to kill a baby. YOU KILL A BABY. And you are complaining about the word "spastic" being used in proper context, yet because it can be used in another context entirely, you want it changed. Gods, you people...

YOU KILL A BABY!

Edit: THREE TIMES!

I'm just saying that it is an offensive word in Australia. I can live with it, it's still just a word, but obviously people didn't realise it can be offensive.

I think Q covered most of this. It is what it means in Australia.

Q: I see where you're coming from, I have the same reaction when people use 'gay' as an insult as some of my close friends are.

Haha! Rhysus makes a perfect point. We can slaughter babies to perform dark rituals but we can't sneak in a word that could, theretically, be taken offensively? We can pact with the demon lords of hell (okay, Nil), one of which is basically the goddess of S&M, another one hatred incarnate, and use their powers to torture our foes to death, but we can't do that...?

I'm not sure how killing a baby or dark rituals can be insulting and derogatory to a group of people? I'm fairly sure the room messages wouldn't include any words such as those already listed.

I'm sure babies everywhere will be up in arms!

Anyway, you Aussies win! I'll change the debate message tomorrow sometime. I may also speed out how long it takes to win (or lose) a debate.

I'm going to be honest, I'm sad to see this change. I can't believe people are so up in arms about this. Like Guido says, why is it we can do thousands of things that would be punishable by DEATH in real life courts of law, but we can't seem to separate meanings of words (which are, parenthetically, the ONLY method we use to communicate with each other here) and know that real life connotations don't apply.

I expect each and every one of you to email Sarapis about the retardation vibe in Achaea and Aetolia, which you don't have to be Australian to know how it references mentally disabled people.

Furthermore, I expect you to start threads about how racism is bad and should therefore be banned from Lusternia.

I could continue with the absurd logical extensions of this sort of complaint, but I consider my point made.

Magnagora, in an ancient dead african tribal language, is a horrible curse word that was bad enough in those times to make the most stout elders and warriors alike weep with misery.

I demand it be changed to Qualgoria!

Who is with me?!

Damn, I had a huge post that I accidently deleted.
But, luckily in the meantime, Estarra posted that, so I don't need to re-write it!

But, thanks Estarra! As an Aussie, I'll also second that spastic is considered an offensive term here, having worked with kids with disabilities, and close friend and workmate with cerebral palsy.

Rhysus, one thing I will point out though, is that it's quite possible that there are -players- here, if not Lusternian NPCs that may have mental or physical disabilities. And as for finding negative connotations - I'm well aware of the other meanings of spastic, and given that they refer to physical spasms, eg spastic colon, spastic muscular activity. So in talking about someone 'being too spastic' in reference to a thinking and speech, those other friendly meanings don't really take 1st place as contender for the context, though I can understand how Roark, not coming from Australia (I'm guessing..) could see it from a different angle.

Unless you're being specific about it, as in, spastic muscle, to say spastic in Australia (in my experience) automatically means something offensive. You know how gay once meant happy? If a person says that something or someone is 'gay', do you immediately assume it means homosexual, or do you think, "No no, he must mean HAPPY!"

In year 7, I had an American kid in my class. When someone said they were "buggered" one day - as in, tired, he cracked up. I don't know if this is an all-round truth, or if things have changed, but at the time all he knew of the meaning of buggery from America was anal sex. It wasn't until that day that most of my class realised "bugger" had another meaning apart from our non-sexual, Aussie slang.

All in all, uh... Thanks, Estarra! Did anyone actually read this far?

Australia wins, Australia wins!
... it had to happen eventually.

It is also quite possible, Jeebus, that there are players here who happen to be mothers, and don't like to see babies having their heads crushed in and consumed by crows, or perhaps devout religious people who aren't too keen to see Demons crawling from the earth to torture the infidels.

Killing babies is not a valid argument for saying why Spastic would be ok to have in the debating messages.

Killing a baby is an action done by the player to the gaming environment, it is a choice and other players can equally choose to not kill the baby or to kill the people who try to kill the baby.

However, a message that everyone has wheather they want it or not as part of the usage of a normal skill is very different. Imagine if the message you got when you fell unconcious from lack of food was "Your mind if filled with thoughts of food and you pass out like a girl on roofies."

By roofies I obviously me the childish term for those things that cover buildings, and the girl I'm refering to is Jill from the Jack and Jill poems.

You're all nuts. I'm really disappointed.

Spastic in america may just be slang for saying random stuff that has no connection to the previous comments, but in other english speaking places its a generally used slang for someone who does that because they problems with a mind body connection. Therefore, along with all the other language rules, it would make sense to not use that word if possible in a very public, non choice way.

although I still love how "proper speach" still includes the mocking and inherent ineqaulity of the business owner or followers of main stream custom.

Okay...I seriously hate you politically correct people.

Seriously.

A lot.

Mmhm.

I recall being suspended from school for calling myself a honkey. CALLING MYSELF A @#@$@$ING HONKEY.

You all are growing up to be the no-child-left-behind, NO BULLYING, spoon-fed, mother coddling principals of this world. And I'm going back to my screamo world of black.