Framing the moron details the variety of dehumanizing and fear-inducing rhetoric employed by the American eugenic movement during the early twentieth century, which led to tens of thousands of innocent people being involuntarily sterilized, forced into institutions, and otherwise maltreated.

Gerald V. O'Brien is a Professor of Social Work at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Introduction
1. Metaphors and the dehumanisation of marginalised groups
2. The organism metaphor: the moron as a diseased entity
3. The animal metaphor: the moron as an atavistic subhuman
4. The war and natural catastrophe metaphor: the moron as an enemy force
5. The religious and altruistic metaphors: the moron as an immoral sinner and an object of protection
6. The object metaphor: the moron as a poorly functioning human
7. Conclusion
Bibliography
Index