12 Things Ohio Boomers Say Without Realizing They’re Offensive Nowadays

A phrase you’ve used for decades can mean something different to the person hearing it today.

Many Ohioans who grew up in the boomer years say some of these out of habit, with no harm meant.

Here are the common phrases to rethink, and what you can say instead.

1. Senior Citizens

Senior citizen is the term many boomers learned as the respectful one.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) style guide tells its writers to say older adults or give an age range instead of senior citizens or the elderly.

It lists the aged and elders among the phrases to replace.

If you’ve said senior citizen for years, older adults is the swap.

2. Hearing-Impaired

Many boomers say hearing-impaired as the polite choice.

The National Center on Disability and Journalism (NCDJ) style guide says to avoid hearing impaired.

The National Association of the Deaf says the phrase was at one time preferred but is no longer accepted by most in the community.

Deaf and hard of hearing people overwhelmingly prefer to be called deaf or hard of hearing.

If you’re talking about a friend or relative, you can ask which word they prefer.

3. Spirit Animal

Many boomers say spirit animal when they want to name the creature they relate to.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s housing division flags the phrase in an inclusive-language series on Indigenous terms.

Spirit animals are spiritual guides in animal form, often viewed as sacred in tribal cultures.

The series says non-Native people appropriate the term to relate themselves to an animal.

You can say kindred spirit, muse or guide instead.

4. Gypped

Many boomers say gypped when they feel cheated on a used car or a repair bill.

Merriam-Webster’s usage note says the cheating and swindling senses of “gyp” are widely regarded as offensive.

If a repair shop overcharges you, “ripped off” makes the point.

The word likely comes from a term for Romani people.

5. Invalid

Some boomers still use invalid for a person who is ill or disabled.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guide lists invalid among the words not to use for a person with a physical disability.

The NCDJ style guide says to avoid invalid for a person with a disability, except in a direct quote, and calls it probably the oldest term for someone with physical conditions that are considered seriously limiting.

If you’re talking about an aunt or a neighbor, you can name the condition or say she has a disability.

6. Confined to a Wheelchair

Confined to a wheelchair is a phrase many boomers learned for someone who uses one.

The CDC guide tells you not to say confined to a wheelchair or wheelchair bound.

Its alternative is person who uses a wheelchair.

7. Oriental

Some boomers still use Oriental for a person.

Merriam-Webster calls the noun Oriental dated and usually offensive when you use it for a person.

Its usage note ties the word to colonialism and to language that exoticizes people of Asian identities.

Congress replaced Oriental with Asian American in two federal statutes through Public Law 114-157.

8. Low on the Totem Pole

Many boomers say low on the totem pole for the newest person at work.

The UW-Madison housing division describes totem poles as pieces of carved wood from a tradition particular to Native and Indigenous people on the Northwest Coast.

The division asks you to avoid the phrases low on the totem pole and climbing the totem pole, and lists climbing the corporate ladder and the lowest rung on the ladder instead.

9. Welshing on a Bet

Many boomers say welshing on a bet for someone who backs out of a debt.

If you'd rather skip the word, "backed out of the bet" keeps your meaning.

Merriam-Webster labels the verb "welsh" informal and sometimes offensive.

10. Suffering From a Condition

Many boomers say suffers from when they talk about a friend's health.

The NCDJ style guide covers afflicted with, stricken with, suffers from and victim of in one entry and prefers neutral language that simply states the facts, such as saying a person has muscular dystrophy.

The CDC guide also lists afflicted by multiple sclerosis in its do-not-use column.

When you mention a cousin's illness, naming it is enough.

11. Powwow for a Meeting

Lots of boomers call a quick meeting a powwow.

The UW-Madison housing division describes a pow-wow as a social gathering for ceremonial and celebratory purposes, held under strict protocols, and asks you not to use the word for a quick business meeting or an informal social gathering.

12. Lame

Many boomers grew up hearing lame as a plain word for a limp.

The NCDJ style guide says to avoid lame to describe a person, except in a quote.

Many people object to the word for a physical condition because everyday English uses it as a synonym for weak.

The CDC guide also lists lame among the words not to use for a person with a physical disability.

If you mean a leg injury, explain that an injury resulted in difficulty walking.

Ohio's Revised Code Cleanup

Ohio's House Bill 281, the Mental Health and Disability Terminology Act, cleaned up outdated wording in state law.

Its sponsors came from both parties.

The Ohio Capital Journal reports it removed words like "lunatics" and "derangement" from the revised code.

If you want to check the status yourself, the legislature's bill page lists the act as signed by the governor and effective April 6, 2023.

Label Strength and Community Preference

The NCDJ style guide calls deaf acceptable for people with total hearing loss or who identify as members of the Deaf community.

Others prefer hard of hearing, and it recommends asking your sources which they prefer.