BlameThePixel!

Examples of the "euphemism treadmill" effect over time:

lame -> crippled -> handicapped -> disabled -> physically challenged -> differently abled

imbecile -> mentally retarded -> intellectually disabled

shell shock -> battle fatigue -> operational exhaustion -> post-traumatic stress disorder

undertaker -> mortician -> funeral director

colored -> negro -> black -> African American

old folks -> elderly -> senior citizens

I don't get it.

i ge tit. I'ts funny.

If a word describes something that people think is bad, that word gains negative connotations over time and becomes offensive. Then people come up with a neutral word to replace the old word, and the process happens all over again.

Words like retard weren't always derogatory. In French, retard just means delay, because they didn't use it extensively to refer to stupid people.

It's like how Hitler or C1 were ordinary names, until they did their evil deeds and the names became insults.