Imbeciles, Morons, Idiots - a chart from 1913.
Check out this amazing New York Times article that was the original source of the chart; the headline is “NEARLY 15,000,000 SCHOOL CHILDREN ARE DEFECTIVES.” The word “defective” here has meanings ranging from “has adenoids” to “is congenitally developmentally disabled.” Segregation of the “defective” is endorsed, and sterilization is raised as a worthwhile solution.
It’s worth remembering that many of our insults come from formerly scientific language. When these terms enter our everyday speech, it reveals the power differences that underpin all that supposed scientific objectivity.
