Yesterday we told you the story of Clara, a girl with Down syndrome whose parents were very proud because she had been selected for a clothing catalog, and we emphasized the need to normalize and integrate these children, and all children, whatever his condition, in our strange society.
These days we have learned that the Royal Spanish Academy of Language (RAE) has decided to modify the definition of Down syndrome and soon cease to be considered a disease, data that we consider important, relevant and, as they say in my town: that they do well to change it, come on.
It all started 4 weeks ago
Almost a month ago, a politician referred to children with Down syndrome as subnormal. I remember that in my childhood we all called them that, and it was not said with contempt or with the intention of harming. It was a way to shorten the "Down syndrome" and also include as a group other children or people with other disorders.
Over the years "subnormal" became an insult and now it is in disuse as a way of talking about people with disabilities, precisely because there are so many times that the word has been used to harm that (almost) no one says it with good intention.
Similarly, the words "Mongolism" or "Mongolian" were also used to speak of people with Down syndrome, because their facies reminded of those of the Mongols, those born in Mongolia, but over time they have also become derogatory use (as insult is "you are subnormal" as "you are Mongolian").
Given this situation, a woman named Paloma Ferrer decided to collect signatures in Change to request that the RAE modify the definitions of these words, because over time the meaning on the street has changed a lot, and as far as Down syndrome is concerned, why it is not strictly a disease (It is not an acute disease or a chronic disease that has a treatment or a possible cure).
SAR will stop considering Down syndrome as a disease
Apparently, in the paper version of the SAR, that is, in the paper dictionary, the definition was corrected in the latest version. However, in the digital version, this change has not yet occurred (and see that this is strange, because it seems that the easiest thing is that the situation was the opposite).
So, in the digital version we read this:
Disease caused by the total or partial triplication of chromosome 21, which is characterized by varying degrees of mental retardation and a variable set of somatic abnormalities, among which the skin fold between the nose and the eyelid, which gives the face an appearance typical.
While the new definition, which will be effective in the coming days, we will read the following:
Congenital anomaly caused by triplication of chromosome 21, which is characterized by varying degrees of intellectual disability and a variable set of somatic alterations, among which the cutaneous fold between the nose and the eyelid stands out.
This, obviously, is a step forward in the work for the normalization of people with Down syndrome, who will no longer be considered sick (at least at the definition level) and a step forward in the always hard work for their social integration.
But the SAR will not modify the other terms
The words "subnormal" and "Mongolian" will continue with their current definitions. Subnormal will continue to be the "person who has a noticeably inferior to normal intellectual capacity" and Mongolian, in addition to the natural person of Mongolia, that person "who suffers from Mongolism", being Mongolism defined as Down syndrome.
Should they change it? Is the fault of ours, of society, who has taken those words that had no bad intention and turned them into insults? Well, I keep both. The fault is ours, that we are able to play with words by changing the meaning of the sentence (to see in what language you can say to a friend "son of a bitch" to congratulate him of something and to an enemy "you are a clever one" and who wants to hit you) and as this is something uncontrollable, the SAR dictionary should adapt a bit to its population.
In reality, neither the definitions of subnormal and Mongolism are a mistake. The problem is that the meaning of the words have changed and when we hear them we are hearing an insult. They have decided not to change anything, precisely because do not consider that there is any error in the definition. However, as I say, they should add the current connotation of each word just like someone who takes a picture of reality: today, saying subnormal to someone is more than just referring to him as a person who has an intellectual capacity significantly lower than normal, because in most cases it is not true, perhaps they should add as in the term "moron" the meaning of "adj. Alelado, lack of reason", or whatever seems best to them, that they are scholars for that.
Returning to Down syndrome
And finally, stress the importance of stop considering Down syndrome. It is not a disease because, as I said, It has no possible treatment or cure. A disease is a health disorder, something temporary or something that is suffered throughout life, but that can be cured or palliated or controlled with a treatment. If there is no such treatment, it is investigated to find it.
It is not the same and, although the most important thing is not that the definition in the dictionary is fine, because the most important thing is for society to accept, normalize and help children and people with Down syndrome to feel "one more", you will agree with me that at the base, at the beginning of the language, in purity, where there is no possible interpretation or puns, they cannot be considered sick.
