I know it's very offensive in England, which surprised me when I learned it since it truly means hyper (and not in a negative way) in the US.

no shit. goodness, Dana.

I get a little giggle when someone refers to a man as "hysterical." Heck, i've done it myself, then stopped, re-read my text, and laughed at myself. Certainly not implying that he has a uterus and it's floating around loose in his abdomen causing emotional problems. I think that word has altered enough in common usage that most people using it don't even know the etymology.

So we know that "hysterical" also has yucky origins. Is it also not to be used?

I think -- as with any term -- that's something an individual has to decided for him/herself, based on their comfort level and that of those around them. And I don't mean that in a snotty way; people just have to decide how they feel about dodgy language (or if something even is truly dodgy), and whether or not people around them have objected to said dodgy language, and if those objections matter to them.

I see the Spastics Society in the UK has changed its name to Scope because of that connotation. [link]

So we know that "hysterical" also has yucky origins. Is it also not to be used?

You do know that spastic is currently a term that applies to CP, just not where you live, right? I think saying "retarded" has yucky origins, or "gay" to mean lame, and should we not use them?

I think the only reason it comes up as a question is because most of the posters here aren't British. It wasn't a question when I was at school in the UK. The decision was whether or not you cared about offending people by making the association (just like some people don't care about gay or retarded) not if the association was timely or valid.

It still applies in India as well.

I started off leaning toward it's fine, but then I think, "Would it make someone (anyone) cringe if they were sensitive about their condition?" and I don't want to make anyone feel that way.

Maybe not using slang for my private parts as a synonym for wimp cringeworthy, but probably best to avoid.

"gay" to mean lame

And then "lame" is problematic to some people. I try not to use it, but I'm not doing very well at it.

slang for my private parts as a synonym for wimp

Oh, man, that's another one I do that I'm really trying to stop saying.

I do think there is a real divide between the UK and US on this. But that said, since it clearly will read to some people as a slur, then I have no stake in claiming a right to use it. If I happen to without thinking about it and get called on it, it won't have been with intent, but it'll still be a fair cop.

I don't get mad about it. It's ingrained in people. I do point out that it's a pretty awesome thing, and people usually agree and then start to think about how they use it, and I'm ok with that.

See also Bitch & Animal-Pussy Manifesto [link]