In the past few years, a common occurrence I’ve noticed is people throwing words around that are serious and not supposed to be taken lightly. Certain terms are used so often that some people don’t even realize how wrongly they are being used.

1. Special

The word special comes up a lot when someone is trying to call someone else “stupid,” whether it is in a friendly manner or not. Even so, it isn’t very friendly. The word “special” is used in a serious context such as The Special Olympics and special education. Even though the word “special” might be intended to be politically correct, it is still often used in a derogatory manner

2. Depressed

This term is very commonly thrown around without a second thought, though it really should be considered when using. A common phrase is “Why are you so depressed today?” or “Talking about that makes me depressed,” or something along those lines. It seems to have become a synonym for “sad,” but it isn’t. Depression is a serious mental illness that requires anywhere from mild to severe attention and/or medication. So next time your friend is in a bad mood, maybe ask what’s making them upset, or even better, if they’re okay. If you do notice someone possibly showing signs of depression, approach them in a private situation and make sure they’re all right. By no means is it okay to throw around a term that correlates with an illness as a synonym for the word sad, but the best thing you can do for someone is to make sure they’re okay.

3. Bipolar

Bipolar disorder, for those who aren’t aware, is a mental illness consisting of fluctuating periods of sadness and elation. The term is commonly thrown around when the actual term should possibly be “fickle.” I tend to hear a common reaction to someone changing their mind is “he/she’s so bipolar” when in reality they are just possibly changing their mind or experiencing a mood swing. Similar to “depressed,” “bipolar” is not something to joke about and under no circumstances is it okay to throw around with little consideration.

4. Anorexic

The word “anorexic” has become interchangeable with the term “skinny.” Of course, the two words are correlated in a sense, but in no way is it a negative connotation. Anorexia nervosa, just like the two previous terms mentioned, is an emotional disorder that is not a description for someone who is skinny. Anorexia is also commonly glorified by young teens with possible self-esteem issues, but anorexia is a real disorder that necessitates real treatment and help.

5. "Kill myself"

This one really gets under my skin; suicide is not a joke nor under any circumstances is it okay for it to be used as a joke. People tend to use this term when something is bothering them or causing them stress. For example, I hear kids say all the time “this class is so hard, I’m going to kill myself,” when that phrase is completely inaccurate and invalid. Suicide prevention is serious, and should be handled with the utmost respect and diligence.

6. Retarded

This one very commonly causes offense, and rightfully so. The word “retarded” is totally out of line and I’ve proudly witnessed plenty of people correct someone using the word incorrectly. The word “retarded” is in no way a derogatory term. It should be eliminated from everyone’s vocabulary as an interchangeable term with “stupid,” because by no means are the two synonymous.

7. Lesbian/Dyke

This one is a little different than “gay.” The way I hear these words is very chilling and makes me extremely uncomfortable. Of course, the terms are not technically curse words, but when I hear the way people use them it makes me very uncomfortable that people in today’s society still think like that. So once I said to my friend, “Your eyes look nice today.” In response, another person said, “What are you, a lesbian?” No, I’m just trying to compliment someone of the same gender as me. No matter how advanced our world today is, I feel there will always be ignorant people who continue to misuse terms concerning sexuality.

8. "No homo"

This phrase is very similar to the previous terms I mentioned. It gets under my skin as well. It takes away the opportunity to be kind to someone of the same gender. It enhances the speaker’s masculinity while disassociating them with anything that might be gay, further implying that “gay” is bad. That is another term that is best eliminated from everyone’s vocabulary because being nice has no limit.

9. Gay

This is so utterly disrespectful. To this day, almost every single day, I hear someone refer to an inanimate object as “gay.” Unless that inanimate object verbally told you it was homosexual, there is no reason to call it "gay." Gay has become interchangeable with “stupid” which is completely invalid and the two words have zero correlation whatsoever. Stop using someone’s identity to describe something that is undesirable, negative, or not performing to your standards because it’s rude, unnecessary, and, on all levels, invalid.

Though these words and phrases might be used often in a joking manner, and it’s not seen as a big deal to many, they can really affect those around you and the best way to go is to eliminate all negative references to real topics such as these.