I’m not sure of its origins in the US, but ‘spastic’ used to be the term for someone with cerebral palsy - there was a UK charity called ‘The Spastics Society’.
Over time ‘spastic’ (and the slang term ‘spaz’) began to be used as a pejorative, and was dropped from official use.
The charity rebranded to ‘Scope’ sometime in the early 90s.
I’m guessing it had the same origin here, but its connection with a disability was never widely known. It also felt more like “ditzy” than an overly negative term. Still does, to me.
I’m not sure of its origins in the US, but ‘spastic’ used to be the term for someone with cerebral palsy - there was a UK charity called ‘The Spastics Society’.
Over time ‘spastic’ (and the slang term ‘spaz’) began to be used as a pejorative, and was dropped from official use.
The charity rebranded to ‘Scope’ sometime in the early 90s.
I’m guessing it had the same origin here, but its connection with a disability was never widely known. It also felt more like “ditzy” than an overly negative term. Still does, to me.