Here comes the political-correctness brigade.

Until someone actually finds this personally offensive to THEM (not imaginary person #1 or imaginary person #2), stop being politically correct for the sake of it. I could see this coming as soon as I saw the debates implemented.

I'm going to refer to a lot of posts here.

Firstly, I'm not aussie, I'm english.
Secondly, I can't believe you'd have the nerve to insult me and others of similar opinions of taking offence to a word used as an insult against the disabled.
Thirdly, killing babies in the game is RP. The people in it play a role that is perhaps not altogether nice. A person who did it for real would hopefully be strung up and shot. (And by real, I mean maliciously killing babies as murder, and I don't mean reference to incidents of cot death and the like I see in the news. Before people jump on me for being non-PC).
Fouthly, I'm not anal-retentive. I am quite happy to let most words slide by, and I use them. But some words are just wrong, especially in an environment that is free to everyone, which may include disabled people, and people of all races.
Fifly, I'd better say now, thanks Estarra for hearing me.
Sixthly, Aris, you hate people who are PC? So if you saw someone testifying against someone for racistly assaulting a person of another race, you'd say, "Damn that PC tell-tale?" would you?

Seventhly- meh I don't wanna write more. I made a point and it was heard.

Amaru: Oddly enough, I find it personally extremely offensive. The last person who called me spastic in real life were extremely lucky that they were a medical professional. Lots of disabled people play MUDs.

I actually find it quite interesting that there are quite a few words in the English speaking world that are only acceptable in America....such as retard - nobody in the UK would ever describe their child as mentally retarded - that also only tends to be used as a derogatory insult.

That said, I'm grateful to Estarra for listening to people.

Anon

Actually, in the UK, retard is used a LOT. And I mean a lot. Maybe it's just Lincolnshire, but I doubt it.

Nay its used here in yorkshire too

Maybe it's a south/north divide thingy? Who knows...

Eh, I'm in the East Midlands, can't be.

I'd consider Lincolnshire part of North, with south starting at Nottinghamdhire perhaps.

And we all know the North rules. Remember, HULL!! The best city on earth, top of all the leagues you don't wanna be top of! We prop the whole of England up!

In fact thinking about, Hull reminds me a little of Magnagora. Except that I live there. And our leaders are annoying, selfish and evil. Oh wait...

*rally*

The Brits have lots of insults that don't apply when speaking proper American. Bloody? That's what happens when you take up Blademaster specialization. Bollucks? A family gather for the star of "Speed"?? I can think of a few more, but I don't want to alienate those odd speaking fellows that live over the ocean.

Hey we invented the language, we can abuse it if we like.

And just to make a point of how bad it is over here in Britain, the derogatory term spastic (at least in manchester) has been replaced by Scopo (reffering to the spastic society changing its name to Scope) just proving the only reason it was ever used over here (in recent years) was as a derogatory term.

I knew bloody wasn't an insult over there (nor, I think, is sod) but I didn't know bollocks was considered okay! You folks are all weird!

I'm pretty sure Americans speak English.

However, it pains me to say, from a language point of view American English is probably purer English. British English has been enriched with languages from so many cultures that it is quite different. Also, as America is larger, cult words don't catch on nationwide, and couldn't enter the national vocabulary, as sometimes happens over here.

Geographic size hardly makes a difference in the spread of language in these days of instant communication. The advent of the Internet especially has made the bastardization of language an everyday occurance, and it takes very little for catch-words to...catch on.

For instance, thanks to you folks, I refuse to insult any of my friends in a way that does not involve calling them "spastic."

I've heard rumour that some area of Virginia, outside the cities where dialects tend to homoginize with the mainstream US, is believed to be closest to the original English dialect. Thus perhaps having rural Virginians perform Shakespear is the most accurate interpretation of his works!

(And the other post is correct that "sod" is not an insult here. It only refers to grass covered dirt, like the "roof" of a hobit's home.)

Sod also means the same thing as bugger, over here.

Bugger has no meaning in the US. That's like saying "Sod has the same meaning as djhzfgsjdhfjzd over here."

Do you now deliberately read this topic to make jokes at people who don't like disabled insults?

Nah Americans don't speak English. They speak American.

They are one of the few English dialect speakers in the world that spells a lot of words without "u" and pronounce them all strangely.

Actually some language gurus said that according to them, the best English spoken and written in the World is Singapore?

Strange huh?