Why are people called veggies? Understanding an Offensive Term's Origins
                                
                                
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                                    4 min read                                
                            
                                The offensive slang term "vegetable" traces its origins back to the 1972 medical coining of "persistent vegetative state". Understanding this history is crucial to comprehending why people are called veggies, as it is a profoundly insensitive and dehumanizing insult.