Don't use the R-Word.

[lightningandsnow]

Saying "retard" or calling things or people "retarded" is just not cool.

Watch this. Just watch it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRUOL5Rm2XY

[LostinVA]

1. It's also against DU riles are per Skinner

I hate those words being used as slurs.

[lightningandsnow]

2. Yeah.

This wasn't in response to anything specific, just people's use of it in general.

[napoleon_in_rags]

3. Its really about using ANY of the words diminutively.

Retarded used to be a polite substitute for the older medical terms like idiot and moron:
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=moron&searchmode=none
Now it has become an insult like those older medical terms. If you say "special" or mentally disabled" in a demeaning way, they will become insults in time. Changing words does not change attitudes, we have to address attitudes.

[lightningandsnow]

5. Definitely.

I think people need to change their attitudes a lot.

[napoleon_in_rags]

7. Yeah. I agree with you, but its kind of a shame to be getting rid of the r-word.

Its a shortening of the old medical term, 'developmentally retarded'. Here in Washington state we refer to the population now as 'developmentally disabled', or DD for short, but its actually kind of a misnomer. I've worked with this population for years, and I can really say they their development isn't disabled, its slowed, (or retarded in medical terms) The point is that the struggle and fight their whole lives to develop, and 'disabled' doesn't really express the struggle. However it DOES have the advantage that it can't be meaningfully shortened to an alien word like "retarded", because "disabled" is a broad term. What I wish though is that we could acknowledge their struggle, with a term like "developmentally challenged". This risks being shortened to the diminutive "challenged", but if we could avoid that and just abbreviate it, like we do with 'DD people', I think we would have a term that really does justice to the struggles of that population.

[LuvNewcastle]

4. I never refer to people as retards,

but I do say that someone is retarded if he/she is mentally deficient. What is a better word to use when describing someone with low intelligence?

[DesertRat]

6. I thought you meant that other R word

Republican. :puke:

[Dinger]

8. My Suspicion About This Campaign

Let me preface this by saying that I agree that everybody has their challenges in life, and there is never a reason to refer to anyone with challenges in a derrogatory manner, never.t
However, I am an elementary teacher, and while most of the teachers in my district are Democrats, we do have a few republicans. One in particular has gotten away with gwb propaganda, religious propaganda, etc. for years. Long story, but this isn't even about that. It's about this R-Word thing. I think she is connecting this to President Obama, It was within days of Obama's bowlering/Special Olympics comments on Leno that she started this R-word thing, and she has had students put posters all over the school. I am suspicious, and I do wonder if others like her are using this as some thinly veiled attempt to trash our president.

[Ms. Toad]

9. 3-31-09 has been promoted as "end the R-word day"

since at least 3-6-09 on facebook (the facebook group already had 5000 members by that date). Obama was on Leno on 3-19

(edited to correct a date)

[Dinger]

10. O.K., But

this woman seems to be digging in, if you know what I mean. If I ask around, I won't be surprised if I hear she is telling the kids that "President Obama said this," and then smear him to a bunch of elementary kids. She's done things like this before.