“Window lickers” - my birthday wish.

[Viva_Palmeiras]

Its my birthday weekend - 50 not out so taking a punt on a wish and some folks here can help.

It was recently autism awareness week. It is an issue close to my heart and I have done some campaigning for a great local charity -TailorEd who specialise. In providing support for kids on the autistic spectrum. They were awarded a grant a couple of years back as part of Leith Chooses.

Football forums are what they are and political correctness isn’t always top of the agenda and I no different to others but one bug bear is :

Use of the term “window lickers” or “puddle drinkers” as a derogatory term for the Jambos.

Maybe folks don’t think twice about using it because a lack of awareness.

Folks on the spectrum can have a range of strengths and varying degrees of challenges.
Sensory issues (sound, light, taste, texture,aural) can be at the root of challenges for some.
And it’s not something they have control over.

https://autism.lovetoknow.com/about-autism/autism-licking-behavior

We want to be an inclusive club. We started football team for kids on the spectrum.
We were looking at a sensory room so folks on the spectrum can attend.
As I understand it Sue McLernan had/has been involved in relation to autism.

So very much “Hibs content”

So if you use the term can you please take a moment to take a read and perhaps reconsider?

Thanks for reading.
GGTTH.



Thanks.

[Jones28]

A very worthy cause VP 👍🏻

Many happy returns to you.

[Diclonius]

Completely agreed mate - ableism isn't funny in any way, shape or form.

Happy birthday!

[Northernhibee]

Yep, it’s cringeworthy at best, disgusting in reality to use those terms. Totally with you.

My mum specialised in working with children on the autistic spectrum and there is a fundamental lack of understanding. Good thread.

[hibbydog]

Didn’t know about that. Well worth a read.

Happy Birthday

[Brightside]

Totally get the windows lickers connection and agree it’s based around “disability”. Puddle drinkers is based around them being tramps or animals is it not? Not sure it has the same connotation. It’s used in the same way they call us spoon burners rather than the more realistic Artisans and Poets.

[James Stephen]

Agree about windae lickers, not a nice term.

Puddle drinkers im not sure has the same connotations, but its not a term i would use.

[Bostonhibby]

Good post, reasonable request and one I'll have no trouble complying with....

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[Since90+2]

Don't think it's a term I've ever used in my life to describe Hearts fans. I've also never heard it being used outwith this website, much like yams, it seems to be very much a hibs.net saying (and only then used by a tiny fraction of posters).

[Peevemor]

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Totally get the windows lickers connection and agree it’s based around “disability”. Puddle drinkers is based around them being tramps or animals is it not? Not sure it has the same connotation. It’s used in the same way they call us spoon burners rather than the more realistic Artisans and Poets.

That's how I see it too.

I agree 100% with the sentiment of the OP (and happy birthday BTW), but I also dread things becoming too sanitised, either on the Internet or in the real world.

[Pretty Boy]

Good thread.

I've always been a bit uncomfortable with the use of 'window lickers' but have often scrolled past it and parked the discomfort. This is a decent wee nudge to think about it and it's really quite a horrible phrase when you think about it, the implication being made and imagery being invoked is clear and it's not nice. It should really be no more tolerated than certain words beginning with m and s that were once in widespread usage but are no longer deemed acceptable.

Puddle drinkers I'm not so sure about. I didn't ever link that to being ableist. Of course there could be a deeper meaning that I'm missing.

Oh and happy birthday VP.

[JohnMcM]

Good post VP and it’s my birthday as well.

Happy birthday to us, happy birthday to us etc etc etc

[CMurdoch]

Good stuff VP. It is always good to educate ourselves so that we can be more thoughtful to the needs of and difficulties experienced by others
Posts on here will be judged as we judge posts on JKB, Follow Follow etc and no teams supporters should want to be perceived as morons.

Happy Birthday

[Viva_Palmeiras]

Thanks folks and so glad to see it’s been well received. And I agree about the over sanitised bit but I think this particular are deserves a light shone on it - some of the folks will not be able to articulate or maybe understand their conditions and parents shouldn’t have to explain so a little awareness goes a long way.

The reason you don’t hear and see parents standing up abs protesting in the streets about the challenges they face and the rawest of deals in many cases they get is down to how much fighting they have to do to get what little support is scarcely on offer.

But things are changing, awareness is improving, understanding is picking up.

It was lovely to read on the BBC website the runner Down South who stopped as a kid had a meltdown, and lay down with the kid (although I would take care - it’s all about reading the context)

This has made my day.

Thanks folks. If only my James T-shirt had arrived in time - but hey the weather has turned out braw.

[Viva_Palmeiras]

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Good thread.

I've always been a bit uncomfortable with the use of 'window lickers' but have often scrolled past it and parked the discomfort. This is a decent wee nudge to think about it and it's really quite a horrible phrase when you think about it, the implication being made and imagery being invoked is clear and it's not nice. It should really be no more tolerated than certain words beginning with m and s that were once in widespread usage but are no longer deemed acceptable.

Puddle drinkers I'm not so sure about. I didn't ever link that to being ableist. Of course there could be a deeper meaning that I'm missing.

Oh and happy birthday VP.

Merci! All the best people are born in April (well apart from Hitler and maybe the jury is out on Lenin:)) I’m on Monday but celebrating today, and tomorrow and Monday :)

Orrabest

[bawheid]

Happy birthday, and agree that windae lickers is definitely bad form.

I like Sparryheids as a term for our maroon chums. Is that one ok do we reckon?

[Sir David Gray]

I wouldn't use window licker although I always thought this was a derogatory term against people with Down's Syndrome rather than autism.

Whilst I don't really use the term puddle drinker either, that isn't offensive in my opinion, at least not against anyone with a disability. I just view that as a general term to describe someone who is uneducated - sort of like a neanderthal.

[Scouse Hibee]

Great thread though I have never linked the derogatory term to folk with autism. The term is in very poor taste though. Happy Birthday.

[marinello59]

Well done VP for highlighting this. I have never used the term window lickers but had no idea of it’s origins so didn’t give it much thought when others did. I know better now, thanks. It really isn’t too much to ask for us all to refrain from using it in future.
Happy Birthday.

[CMurdoch]

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Happy birthday, and agree that windae lickers is definitely bad form.

I like Sparryheids as a term for our maroon chums. Is that one ok do we reckon?

Sparryheids is good. I am prone to using Turnipheids for our maroon neighbours.

[Pilrig_Sauzee]

World moves on and we all learn. Am guitly of using the term plenty when i was younger, then worked with adults with various diabilities and saw through their eyes, how ‘banter’actually lands.

So now I choose to refer to ‘them’as ‘them’.

[Bangkok Hibby]

I always equated window lickers with Down's syndrome and as such have never used the term. Happy to accept it can have a wider connotation.
Puddle drinkers no different to spoon burners IMO but again never used it, I prefer old fashioned swear words. 😄
Good thread and happy birthday to all and any Hibbys who share the day.

[Phil MaGlass]

To be honest I have used the term regularly, but in my defence its more of a, if I can explain it better, an automatic response having used it for so long, not giving any real thought as to the origins.
Its also gettin a bit more difficult to keep up with all the LGBT and whatever other new names they come up with for sexes, non sex, ah cannae keep up any more. Ahm 53 ffs.

Oh and happy birthday

[Hibernia&Alba]

I always thought the 'windae lickers' slur related to those with severe learning difficulties; those who were once unsympathetically called '******ed'. An old friend of mine has two boys with autism, and they are hard work for him and his wife. I've seen the stress they are constantly dealing with.

The word that has always made me cringe when heard or read is 'mongs', which must be incredibly hurtful for those affected by Down's Syndrome. I've seen it rarely on .net, thankfully. People say these things without malice but don't think about their meanings.

[hibee316]

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To be honest I have used the term regularly, but in my defence its more of a, if I can explain it better, an automatic response having used it for so long, not giving any real thought as to the origins.
Its also gettin a bit more difficult to keep up with all the LGBT and whatever other new names they come up with for sexes, non sex, ah cannae keep up any more. Ahm 53 ffs.

Oh and happy birthday

I have heard the term windae licker as a horribly derogatory term for all of the 20 years I've worked with children with additional needs.

I don't think not using this term is about being politically correct. It's just about not being an erse to someone who had no choice on what they were born like.

[Hibby70]

To be honest just calling someone a Jambo is derogatory enough.

[Viva_Palmeiras]

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To be honest I have used the term regularly, but in my defence its more of a, if I can explain it better, an automatic response having used it for so long, not giving any real thought as to the origins.
Its also gettin a bit more difficult to keep up with all the LGBT and whatever other new names they come up with for sexes, non sex, ah cannae keep up any more. Ahm 53 ffs.

Oh and happy birthday

Thanks for sharing Phil - part of the reason fo highlighting is just that I don’t think folks do use terms with malice and as we see once folks have a chance to think and reflect they can make different choices which is all I ask.

I do appreciate tho it is difficult to keep up with some of the changes and it can be easy in some cases for good people to inadvertently drop a clanger here and there.

For me the heartening thing (and a credit to our site IMO) is the general sense of open-mindedness which I think goes a hell of a long way. With open mindedness you can have a dialogue to share understanding from different perspectives.

Cheers and thanks once again it really has made my day folks and for that I’m greatful.

[CMurdoch]

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I always thought the 'windae lickers' slur related to those with severe learning difficulties; those who were once unsympathetically called '******ed'. An old friend of mine has two boys with autism, and they are hard work for him and his wife. I've seen the stress they are constantly dealing with.

The word that has always made me cringe when heard or read is 'mongs', which must be incredibly hurtful for those affected by Down's Syndrome. I've seen it rarely on .net, thankfully. People say these things without malice but don't think about their meanings.

Not good

[Hibernia&Alba]

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Not good

Not good at all, but, as I said, I think most people just throw such insults around without thinking of the meaning. They aren't wanting to hurt those who suffer from such conditions. However, ignorance is no excuse for adults in 2021.