My heart sank after reading these articles. It pains me to know that at one time in our history, the "feeble-minded" were treated fairly and not thrown into a an asylum right away. And for a few reasons, our attitudes towards this population shifted in a very negative way, at least about what we saw as potential in their capabilities. I was glad to learn that we have since seen it as best to educate this population and not throw them in the corner.
I do think that it is down right sad that we have been so blunt in calling people idiots and labeling them. I'm saying this should be done discreetly, I'm saying it shouldn't be done at all. But I have also wondered that maybe this label had a different meaning at the time. Just as the words for "describing" the disabled have changed, so too, maybe has the word "idiot" changed too.
Erin Pattridge
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