Lame has more than one long standing definition, including its use to describe something that's weak/inadequate/unsatisfactory. Saying something like "that's a lame excuse" is not an insult to the physically handicapped.
Well, first off, people are insulted by whatever insults them, it often makes zero sense, therefore you don’t get to say. If you’re in a wheelchair and “lame” doesn’t bother you then that would be the only claim you could really make.
The physically handicapped are lame. That’s what lame means. If you use “lame” as an insult a value judgment is implied. Lame is bad. This game is bad. This game is lame. Oh shit, this person is lame, I’m an a$$hole, shit. Guess what, we had this same f*cking conversion here on this forum 12 years ago about “gay” and “jap”, it’s the same thing. I know you don’t think it is, it’s OK, you’re just wrong again. “Gyp”, it turns out, has yet to see its day. I was wrong about that, but I believe it just hasn’t happened yet for Romani. They just need a big movie or a poster boy and that term will die as well.
You can’t escape it. Believe me. I’ve been thinking about this for years. The English language/culture simply lacks insults that don’t have to do with some kind of weakness or filthiness. They don’t exist yet, not many anyway. We’re working on it but like I said, selfishness is the last thing where it’s more or less agreed jointly that it’s OK to bring that up. This is related to the rise of white rights and whatever since for some time selfishness has been enshrined as a virtue and now those that revel in it feel betrayed. Nobody will make fun of people with glasses, in wheelchairs, fat, stupid, gay, ugly, mentally ill, poor...religion is right out, race doubly so, even moronic beards and clothing are off limits unless the person is seen as a celebrity and therefore open to it. Really, think about it. There isn’t anywhere from the elementary school playground to $200M movie where it’s socially acceptable to shit on those people. Who’s left? Pretty much the T word, and that’s maybe going to be the first “selfishness pejorative” to take off. “Don’t be such a T&*%#, tip the guy.” “You’ve never had a job in your life, what do you know, ya wannabe T&*%#?”. “He’s a real T&*%#” and of course, “He T&*%#s all over the ladies.” and “Dude, what time did you get home tonight? You look like
T&*%#!