kcab and Kriston,
I've been following this conversation with interest. I remember some of the kids in the GT program at my brother's school being called "gifties" (and not in a friendly way) by other kids. It makes me wonder if he would have the same reaction to the word "gifted" that I do.
I don't find it offensive, but I do avoid using it around teachers and other parents. I just have the feeling that if I say my kid is "gifted" that other people interpret that as saying that other kids are "not gifted". I think this is an inherent problem with labels and not specific to the term "gifted".
Politicians (of every stripe!) use this kind of thinking to their advantage. If one group claims a positive-sounding label for themselves their opponents are stuck with its negative-sounding opposite--whether or not it actually describes their position on that particular issue.
By using such a broad term like "gifted" we are sort claiming too much for our group and leaving others with too much negativity, i.e. "non-giftedness." If we use a term with a more limited scope, such as "academically gifted" or "athletically gifted" we are leaving room for those outside our group to have other kinds of gifts instead of no gifts at all.
Cathy
