[mlyle]

Good mention of the euphemism treadmill. But even without euphemisms....

"Lame," "retarded," etc.-- they were direct (non-euphemistic) words describing attributes. But because they're associated with marginalized groups, they quickly become derogatory (and euphemisms to the extent that they could express negative judgment on other things: "Fortnite is lame").

In the end, language expresses who we are: even the negative aspects of us.