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where does everyone stand on cretin? IMHO it's medical use is obsolete afaik, so really it's just an insult right?
I think it might have originated in the Bible. Paul says in Titus 1:12-13 NIV
"One of Crete’s own prophets has said it: 'Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.' This saying is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith.
I always found it comical that Paul, the great apostle, endorsed this stereotype of the people of Crete.
I tried to look but the most official one (from University of Washington) is kind of ridiculous. Following for better ideas.
Unfortunately, this keeps changing. Old slurs get recycled or forgotten, and new words become offensive. Corporate guidelines are often hugely overbroad to avoid offending anyone. The best way to avoid things like what just happened, by checking slang in a dictionary before using it.
For years I used the term "shylock" as a pejorative for greedy people while being ignorant of the connotations of using the characters name that way. I didn't even know it was from a Shakespeare play.