I voted 'yes', but was thinking both about the pejoratives associated with learning disabilities and those associated with mental illness. 'Mong', 'schizo', they're not cool.
See what I mean? Look, I don't want to... Watch for...
All things blind people can't do.
Used in the presence of someone with psychological disorders, I think some expressions (whacky, crazy, nuts, etc.) might just be overlooked as colloquial expressions unless of course the comments were directed at that person. But I don't know for sure.
Is is right to call a person with epilepsy an epileptic? No, because they are not usually defined by their condition. They have epilepsy.
My examples are not the same but I get what you are saying. Interesting, because people who suffer from nothing at all probably give no thought at all to those terms and more.
I'm sure we all have friends many would consider to be overweight. At what point is it OK then to talk about that fat so and so over there? Is it OK if our friend is at least not as heavy as the one being talked about? Does the fat comment bother them even if it is about someone else? I have been in that situation before and heard a comment made in the presence of a rotund individual and immediately looked at the person... Does that make me guilty as well?
I am not making light at all by making the fat comparison. If I in fact am overweight is it OK for me to make a "fat comparison"? It is a bit tricky, awkward, uncomfortable and insensitive at the same time.
No, everything you say is right. As a broad and general principle it's best to acknowledge people's common humanity before one addresses the peculiarities of the shell they live in.
Although, strangely, if you're a policeman (or policewoman, let's not be sexist about this), it's the first thing that gets mentioned when you're being introduced to someone. No one ever thinks about how that feels. You bastards.
It's just a heads up - kind of like when you take a call from your best mate while on hands free with your wife in the car. "Hi mate, how you doing - you're on hands free, say hello honey"
two of my sister's close friends are tax inspectors, that gets mentioned quite early in their introductions for the same reasons (so people don't accidentally incriminate themselves)