A clock-making tipster informed us of this controversial new wheelchair, the Spazz, which is raising eyebrows in the UK:
Disability campaigners were furious yesterday after the launch in Britain of a new wheelchair – called the Spazz.
The chair’s US manufacturers chose the name without realising it was a tasteless term for spastic.
The £830 chair – advertised using a PVC-clad model dressed with the catchline “you know you want it” – has the word Spazz emblazoned on its frame.
Constructors Colours In Motion insist the word means “wild” or “crazy” in California, where the firm is based.
But angry UK critics are lobbying bosses to ditch the politically incorrect name.
This article misses the point. With a pitch that mentions the Spazz won’t “cost you an arm and a leg” it seems the advertisers are aware of their language, and further, they know their demographic. They’re marketing a device to young, active people who aren’t ashamed of their disability. Using humor and ‘attitude’ when describing their condition fits their personality, why not tailor the ads to them?
Via metafilter…
A BBC interview about reclaiming language and derogatory terms…
More from Colours In Motion…
