Do you ever use the word "retarded"?

[Cant trust em]

Poll question: Do you ever use the word "retarded"?

It's become a pretty ubiquitous insult. Do you still use it, or have you been able to wipe it out?

[ThomWV]

1. Back when I did ignition work on old cars, but not since then.

[sharp_stick]

7. I used to have a mechanic

that didn't like to use the term. This was years ago now I can't remember what he used in it's place.

[Obamanaut]

18. What would replace it, when talking about spark or throttle position?

Unadvanced spark or throttle?

[sharp_stick]

33. I can't remember

what he used to use, he was just uncomfortable using the term retarded. He was a great old guy and probably the last mechanic I ever trusted without a written estimate. ;-)

[montanto]

47. setted backeded to earlier before.

[montanto]

48. wrong place. delete,.

[ThomWV]

20. Funniest thing - best mechanic who ever lived, Mr. Haynes, may he rest in peace

Back in Silver Spring, Maryland in the late 50's there was a mechanic named Mr. Haynes (who died about 20 years ago) who explained to my wondrous young self that we were looking at it backwards. He said the part of the distributor we were talking about was called the "vacuum advance", but in fact that was just the opposite of what it did. He noted that the distributors internal counter weights advanced the ignition in a generally curved fashion dictated by the mass of the weights and the strength of the retaining springs (really, he was that smart) but that when the throttle was depressed, and the butterfly opened, and the manifold vacuum went down, what the "vacuum advance" actually did was retard the ignition a few degrees - that was its function, it retarded, not advanced.

And they you have it, the use of the word in a sentence with a full description. Notice that I didn't once have to refer to a person with developmental problems?

[Ter]

57. Excuse my ignorance

But why do mechanics need to use the word? Is there a car part called retard?

[ThomWV]

61. Explanation

Nope, no part with that name. There was a part called the vacuum ADVANCE, and it was used because the engine's ignition timing when running normally is retarded to far for proper acceleration and must be advanced. As it worked out, back in the day, the ignition timing was also effectively retarded by the natural wear of a small block of plastic inside the distributor that controlled the opening of the points. As the block wore the points would open later and later causing the spark plugs to be fired at a later time in the crankshaft rotation cycle - hence the word retarded.

[backscatter712]

89. Addition to explanation.

The word "retarded" is an actual technical term in this context, not an insult, and having nothing to do with intellectual disability, literally meaning "slowed down" - as in, the spark timing was retarded = the spark timing was slowed down. Or more precisely, the spark timing was set to occur later in the engine cycle.

[Cant trust em]

2. Personally, there are sometimes that it just slips out.

I know that it's offensive, but I just can't help it sometimes.

[Warpy]

3. I did when I was a nurse

Not so much now.

"Retard" is a bit different, to be used as a throwback to middle school insults among friends. I have little occasion to use it on anybody but myself.

[Bicoastal]

4. In music, we use the term "ritard" (short for ritardando) all the time...

...not without an occasional bad joke.

[Twinguard]

46. Exactly.

Either we were in a band/choir together, or this applies to many bands and choirs.

I would guess the latter.

[Dulcinea]

5. Not to refer to the mentally challenged.

In reference to Sarah Palin & her ilk, yes.

[OrwellwasRight]

65. Exactly. nt.

[Morning Dew]

6. Only when I start the flivver.

Gotta retard the spark, ya know.

[Lasher]

12. Better be acquainted with the term if you kick start an old Harley.

Otherwise she just might throw you right over her handlebars.

[Fumesucker]

37. I had a BSA Gold Star 500cc single that would do that..

That thumper would wrap your foot around the start pedal and have you limping for a week if you forgot to retard the ignition..

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[brewens]

9. Well, not exactly but there's "Tard" Palin and a few others that make it hard to avoid.

Never towards any handicapped people.

[TwilightGardener]

10. Yes, sometimes--among family and close friends, I use all sorts of

words I wouldn't use in public (for fear of hurting/offending someone). I don't censor myself at home.

[rocktivity]

11. I confess to referring to certain policies or situations as "retarded"

"Set up the database in Excel when setting it up in Access would work so much better? That's retarded!" And there IS such a thing as mental retardation. But never "retard"--there's NO excuse for that.

x(
rocktivity

[Throd]

13. That is the context in which I use it.

[grasswire]

14. No. I don't even use the word "special."

I've seen both of them hurt a family member. She resents being labeled as different and somehow less worthy. And when Jon Stewart uses that R word as a pejorative (which he occasionally does), it stings.

[slackmaster]

15. I occasionally use it for behaviors, actions, decisions, etc. but not to individuals or groups

It's also a technical term that is used to describe timing of things like ignition in an internal combustion engine.

HTH

[Fleshdancer]

16. I try not to

but there are times when I speak without thinking. I use to say it a lot when I was a kid and never thought much of it.

[GreenPartyVoter]

17. Used to

[tridim]

19. "Retarded" is a word in the dictionary.

There are instances where "retarded" is the correct word to use. That said, I can't remember ever using it in every day conversation. It just doesn't come up that much.

And BTW, the big lie that Rahm said "Liberals are fucking retards" has already been cemented in the media. He didn't say that, at all. He said that Democrats running ads against their own party is "fucking retarded". See the difference media? He used the term as the dictionary states it should be used.

re·tard·ed
v. tr.
To cause to move or proceed slowly; delay or impede.
v. intr.
To be delayed.
n. 1.A slowing down or hindering of progress; a delay.

[Cant trust em]

24. I highly doubt that Rahm's context was for these definitions. nt

[tridim]

39. Cool, as long as you're okay with being lumped in with the media and GOP spin teams.

You're entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.

[Cant trust em]

41. I'm not arguing with the facts. I'm arguing with likelihood.

Sorry, but I'm not going to give up rationality.

[Silent3]

21. I assume you mean as an insult, then no.

Nor what I find more offensive, "retard" as a noun. Even in a clinical sense I don't think I'd be apt to use the word "retarded" any more without using the full phrase "mentally retarded".

As much as those words bother me, however, I think "retard" and "retarded" are following the same linguistic path that words like "idiot", "moron", and "imbecile" have taken in the past -- words once meant more as technical terms for varying levels of mental incapacity rather than the generic insults they've become.

No one these days take the utterance, "You idiot!" as a slight against the mentally handicapped. In time I suspect that "You retard!" will be received in a similar fashion.

For myself, personally, that time is not yet here, and may never be. I grew up learning that such uses of "retard" and "retarded" were crude and offensive and those feelings run deep. For many in the current generation, perhaps that time has already come.

[udbcrzy2]

22. Not anymore

My neighbor's child has down syndrome, so I never say that word, but I have
used it before we moved here. I used stupid instead.

As a matter of fact my daughter then a 5-year-old used to play with this
little girl everyday. My husband and I never said that there was anything
different about this girl because my daughter did not notice. Why ruin a
good thing huh? Kids can be so cruel if they think there is something
different about someone. My daughter eventually noticed, but it wasn't
until she was older and she accepted it. Heck by then they were already
buddies, having sleep overs, going places and bar-b-ques.

[PassingFair]

23. I use the word "retarded", but I would NEVER call someone a "retard".

I leave that to classy people like Rush and Rahm.

[enlightenment]

25. Sure. The word does have a specific meaning -

To move, or cause to move, slowly. There is nothing wrong with using that word in that sense.

In terms of referring to people with mental or physical challenges - no, I don't - anymore than I would call a person who cannot speak 'dumb' - although that was the accepted term for many, many years (my grandmother taught art at the Washington DC school for the 'Deaf, Dumb, and Blind' in the 1960s).

Some words are purely pejorative and their total eradication from our vocabulary is not to be mourned, but many other words have simply been used for pejorative purposes to the extent that their actual meaning is subsumed.

The word 'gay', for instance - when was the last time you saw it used in it's original since of 'joyful' or 'happy'? Or the word 'faggot'? It's a small piece of wood . . .

Should we be aware of how usage has changed and be cautious when using words that have become loaded with extra meaning? Sure. But I don't think we should toss the baby out with the bathwater.

[Iggo]

26. Not this shit again.

[MineralMan]

27. Yes, indeed. I used to own a 500 cc single-cylinder

Velocette motorcycle. It had a little lever on the handlebar that allowed you to retard the ignition. If your ignition wasn't retarded and you attempted to start the engine with the kick starter, you stood a fair chance of breaking your ankle or sailing over the handlebars.

So, ladies and gentlemen: If your spark isn't sufficiently retarded on your Velocette, I advise you to retard it further.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

28. Regularly, though not in the context you are asking about

Also use Master/Slave and other non-PC words and phrases which have specific meaning in other contexts.

[stray cat]

29. I do use the term idiot

[housewolf]

30. I remeber using it as a kid, back in the 1950's

It was sort of like callling something/someone "lame" or "a dick" or "a dork" in more recent days, sort of peer-jargon. I don't remember when or why I stopped using it, but I gotta say, I haven't even thought of the word in derrogatory terms for decades.

[Ter]

58. I still hear kids in 2010 using it

[Blue_In_AK]

31. I usually say stupid or dumb or idiotic

or batshit crazy, but very seldom do I say "retarded." I'm not sure why I draw that line.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

32. Depending on the context, yes, I do.

If It's in reference to something which is retarded in growth, motion or such, then I do. However, I've not used it as an insult since I was a kid and had it explained to me why that was wrong.

[KamaAina]

34. Not just no but HELL NO!

Self-advocates, including some of my dear friends, consider it an offensive slur along the lines of the N-word. Caribou Barbie didn't just pull that out of her running shoes, you know, even if she was just cynically using the issue to take a cheap political shot.

http://www.r-word.org

[Roon]

35. I wiped it out a long time ago..

I think I was in jr.high the last time I used it. It's just icky saying that word to someone when you are trying to insult them.

[madinmaryland]

36. I sometimes refer to the cats as tards.

[goldcanyonaz]

38. Nope, never.

[sinkingfeeling]

40. Nice to see this post hasn't become a fire storm like the thread last week was and

people who point out the many uses for the word aren't being accused of being insulting.

[Cant trust em]

42. Maybe since it's been a week, the heat has turned down a notch or two. nt

[hughee99]

43. I prefer idiotic, though I guess that's still a slur for idiots

but in order to be offended, doesn't one first have to admit they're an idiot?

[mitchum]

44. Only in a professional capacity

[LuvNewcastle]

45. I had an uncle who had Down's

and my grandmother and the rest of us referred to him and others with diminished mental capacity as being 'retarded'. We didn't run around calling people 'retards', however, or 'act retarded' as children sometimes will do. I still refer to people as 'retarded' if the term applies, although I would gladly switch to another word if I knew of one. So if I hurt someone with my use of the word, it's strictly out of ignorance and not malice.

[montanto]

49. Moron is a similar term

that we love to use here at DU. A person with a sub-teenage mental capability. I've seen Palin refered to as a moron more 'an once today.

[uppityperson]

76. It is "Moran" after the famous sign guy.

[Sherman A1]

104. I prefer Maroon

when I use a word at all. Mostly I simply shake my head.

[Bettie]

50. I often say socially retarded

And I stand by it. Some people are.

[FourScore]

51. No, but I might say "dumb".

[proud2BlibKansan]

52. Professionally. I use it nearly every day.

[Kitty Herder]

53. It's a habit I'm trying to break.

It still comes out when I'm angry, but I'm trying to overcome that.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

54. Not out loud.

But I can't help thinking it an awful lot.

[Name removed]

55. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

59. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Odin2005]

63. Wow. You are a disgustung SOB.

[uppityperson]

79. + a brazillion

[dysfunctional press]

74. +infinity+1

[uppityperson]

78. Do you also say "that's so gay" or "you are such a c*" or "you f*ing n*"?

Are these also ok by you, as an insult to a person who "advocates things with which you disagree"?

[Eric Condon]

56. I generally don't use it in everyday conversation

But I think people need to understand that the context of words changes over time. When someone uses the word "bastard," the actual meaning of that word is probably the farthest thing from their mind. Similarly, I know we're supposed to be PC at all times here, but honestly, it's the same thing with "gay" - when someone uses that as an insult, they're not actually thinking about any homosexual context. Maybe it's sad that these words have been so ingrained in us that they don't really even connote their actual meanings anymore, but the bottom line is that in spirit, these words don't mean what they used to. "Retarded" is the same way. Sure, it's offensive, and that's kind of the point. But it is NOT the same as the n-word, as some have suggested.

That said, these words are crass and juvenile, and it is beneath someone of the stature of the White House Chief of Staff to use them. Saying so is NOT just playing into Palin's hands, because her comments on this were clearly faux-outrage (I have no doubt in my mind that she calls her son "the retard," as Levi Johnston suggested). But I do expect our leaders to maintain some sort of level.

[timtom]

60. Never as an insult.

I used it back in the day and in the original sense of the word, as a clinical term.

I have, however, been known to let loose with moron, nitwit, and idiot.

[Odin2005]

62. Yes, but never as an insult.

I have no problem with using the term "mentally retarded" as a diagnostic label. I do have a problem with using "retard" and "retarded" as an insult.

Oh, and I never used the term "spaz", either, it's a derogatory reference to Cerebral Palsy, which my best friend has.

[DFW]

64. Does "retardé" count?

In that case, I use it all the time, but it means "delayed" in French, and since I take trains
between Paris and Brussels just about every week, it (sadly) applies just about every time!

[Maru Kitteh]

66. NO! I got my mouth washed out for saying that word when I was little.

My mom told me then - almost 40 years ago - that we don't use that word because it's hurtful to others and not everyone can be as lucky as we are.

I took it to heart and kept it there.

[frylock]

67. i prefer to use ruhtard..

the hangover was a terrible, terrible influence.

[dysfunctional press]

73. we used to have high-school basketball practice in a gym at a mental health center...

our parochial school's only gym was too small, so other accommodations were found around the area for the various sports teams.
frosh-soph b-ball ended up at the mental health center.

the word we used instead of 'retard' was 're-tread'

[Geek_Girl]

68. Unfortunately I still use it

and sometimes stick my foot in my mouth when I do. Several friends of mine have family members with disabilities and when I say the word I often see a hurt look on there face and then realize "oh crap" I'm working on not saying it anymore because it is very insensitive.

[NoPasaran]

69. The Language Police will have to pry it from my cold, dead lexicon

[dysfunctional press]

70. i have used it, do use it, and will continue to use it.

it's pretty fucking retarded to think that people in general will give up the word.

[GoneOffShore]

91. LOL

[lunatica]

71. People should start using the word Idiocrat in lieu of other put downs

Since it isn't a diagnosed mental illness or official impairment no one can claim it puts down unfortunate people.

But they'll try anyway though. Idiocrats are like that. Utterly Idiocratic

[KonaKane]

72. Yes, just as I use "moron", "imbecile", "idiot" and other

mental declensions. As I'll bet the vast majority of you all do, as well. You cannot climb up on your high "I don't use 'retard'" horse if you use those terms as well.

[PSzymeczek]

75. Extremely rarely.

Usually in reference to an action.

[Codeine]

77. All the damned time.

I'm a grown adult, the people I use it on are grown adults, and we are all perfectly capable of handling it.

[Whisp]

80. I've wiped it out, along with gay and bitch and other words

if it may offend someone then its not such a hardship to just eliminate it from your vocabulary. Takes a bit of time but anyone can do it and all will be better for it.

but I still can't fucking stop swearing. o well

[groundloop]

81. I gotta confess - still use the term occasionally

I always figured it was more polite in public to call Sarah Palin a "retard" rather than a "fuckin' dumb ass"

Please note, I would never ever knowingly refer to a learning disabled person this way. Just reserved a select few people.

[Edweird]

82. Yeah. I use all kinds of unacceptable language.

[Quantess]

83. I used to occasionally. Not anymore.

"retarded" sounds immature.

[Norwood]

84. Sure do, probably wont stop.

I got a pretty filthy mouth and a lot of things people are offended by amuse me. I'm a nice person just have a horrible sense of humor.

[freeplessinseattle]

85. I confess, I do call myself that word a lot

and do worry that my neighbors will hear and think, for one, that I'm callous and non PC, and second, just plain weird:)

I do feel conflicted about calling myself that term, but I also say to myself, "what, are you blind?" like today when I couldn't find my stamps the first time I looked. I figure since I say such things to myself in private it's kind of ok, but still feel kind of weird about it (leading to more weird negative self-talk, lol).

[CBR]

86. It seems retardation is still an official diagnosis in some states. nt

[backscatter712]

92. The term "mental retardation" is still used in psychology.

It's used as a technical term, not an insult in this context, though with all the pejorative baggage attached to this term, I wish the psychology community would use different terms.

[varelse]

87. Yes

I still say "God Damn it" too even though I'm an aethist. You don't really want to know the other words I use on a regular basis :eyes:

[Mind_your_head]

88. Yes. Definitely. To retard means to "slow the growth"

I can 'retard' the growth of my plants by limiting the water or sunlight that they receive.

Now, as to the question you MOST LIKELY were asking (imo/in my view)....do I ever use "retarded" as as slur? The answer is "No" (but I answered 'yes' to your poll b/c I do use the word retarded...it's a valid/descriptive word that is necessary to use. It's use isn't always for a 'bad purpose'....sometimes it's the accurate word....not usually when applied to people though.)

[GoneOffShore]

90. I use it in respect of bread dough

as in - "I put the dough in the fridge to retard it."

[rufus dog]

93. Let me think???...

Other than the last week when I say Sarah Palin is a Fucking Retard at every chance I get, I can't think of one other time in the past twenty five years.

[laughingliberal]

94. Not ever. It was an ugly taunt the bullies on the playground used & anyone who can't make their

point without this type of juvenile insult is not worthy of my respect any more than those bullies were.

[scheming daemons]

95. Yes... this poll is retarded

[Arkana]

96. This poll is retarded.

Like Sarah Palin.

:P

Come and get me, you horrible wolf-slaying demonspawn!

[Cleita]

97. I actually try not to insult people to their faces even if they deserve it.

However, when speaking of public figures, who affect my life, I don't mind calling them what I think they are. I haven't used the word retarded since I don't know when, but I have used the word moron, which I shouldn't have. I also recently called Sarah Palin a GOP slut. I thought maybe I shouldn't, but some guest on a radio show a day or two called her a trailer park tramp. So it seems, I wasn't the only one thinking of it, but it's not really right. I probably should have said that she's trying to use her sex appeal for material gain and it's very obvious. I think calling people out in real words is better. Instead of retarded, moron or idiot or many words used past and present to describe human beings who are mentally disadvantaged, why not call them ignorant and intellectually lazy, which doesn't mean they are disadvantaged, but that they haven't learned their business and are slackers?

[Hekate]

98. When it stopped being a respectable word for low-IQ individuals, I stopped using the term....

I would never have used it as at term of insult, regardless.

Hekate

[TexasObserver]

99. Not as a pejorative, I don't.

[earth mom]

100. Just how damn hard is it to use a word like knucklehead instead?

Obviously given the results of the poll, some people on DU need to grow up and stop using the R word without a thought just like immature school kids do. :eyes:

[6000eliot]

101. Yes, but I try not to. I did it in front of my mentally challenged brother once

and he got upset.

[gleaner]

102. Yes ...

When I was describing a medical condition. Way back when all developmentally challenged people were lumped together in one big category by the medical profession which didn't know as much as they do now about human development and what causes differences in people.

[howard112211]

103. "Retarded" is the opposite of "advanced". Any word for mentally challenged people will eventually

turn into a slur.

[quaker bill]

105. Sure

as in, the setting of concrete may be retarded by the addition of calcium chloride.

[LWolf]

106. No. nt

[morillon]

107. I've never used it. It sucks.

And if a friend uses it, I'll reconsider that friendship. I find it highly offensive.