What have we stopped noticing?
The things we say, do, and accept without thinking twice.
Look closer where it comes from, what it assumes, and the case for keeping it
What you mean by it
Surprising, extreme, risky, impressive. Almost anything, really.
What it's actually picturing
Terms associated with mental illness (“crazy”, “insane”) are used as general-purpose intensifiers and dismissals.
What it takes for granted
It can fold a lived experience into shorthand for “unreasonable”.
Worth knowing
Matters most when it's used to dismiss a person or an idea rather than to express amazement.
The case for keeping it
“Crazy” first meant “sickly” or “cracked” (1500s) and has had loose colloquial senses for well over a century. Most uses aren't about anyone's health, though the mental-illness sense is old too.
Say it plainly
That's wildThat's surprisingThat's risky
Or have some fun
That's bananas