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C R E A T E A D |
The word 'retard'
| #1 :: October 26th, 2011 @ 8:42 PM | |
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This debate is whether it's an acceptable word or not to use (in the right context).
This topic may have already existed, but I didn't read too far down. If it has before, it's certainly dead now. My opinion is that it's a perfectly acceptable word. Physically, it means 'to slow down'. Psychologically, it means someone with reduced mental capacities. It wasn't until the mid-90s when a bunch of politically correct imbeciles decided that calling retards 'retarded' might offend them and we needed to call them 'special' instead (Of course now, saying 'special' isn't politically correct either, and we're stuck with some other dated term that will become unacceptable in a few more years). 'Retard' is a perfectly good word and I'm going to keep on using it. If retards haven't been brought up with the knowledge that they're retarded and they get offended, then that's their and their parents' problem. If I offended you, make my day by telling me about it. |
| #2 :: October 30th, 2011 @ 10:16 AM | |
| cappuccino Gossiper  1,300 Posts 227 Achievements |
I think it's offending because of the context it's used in. People call other people "retard" when they make a mistake or just aren't smart. :/ Retard /officially/ means someone with reduced mental capabilities, but since it's being used as just a cuss word, I think it lost it's meaning, so it's offending to some people. And honestly, if I had a mental disease and would be called a retard, with the context it's normally used in now, yeah, I'd be pretty loveing offended.
Last Edit by:
cappuccino 10/30/11 - 10:17:11 am
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| #3 :: October 31st, 2011 @ 6:46 PM | |
 VOLGAis a Time Lord  5,654 Posts 423 Achievements |
 Personally I don't consider it offensive. If I'm calling someone retarded, I'm insinuating they have reduced mental capabilities, which is the correct definition of the word. In the same way that 'stupid' or 'idiotic' are used, which have near enough the same definition. If someone with mental retardation is offended by this... well, sorry to say that being thick/slow isn't exactly something positive in any regard. Of course it's going to be used as an insult.
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| #4 :: November 4th, 2011 @ 11:31 AM | |
| INTENSE Gets Around  1,315 Posts 708 Achievements |
'Retard' is a perfectly good word and I'm going to keep on using it. If retards haven't been brought up with the knowledge that they're retarded and they get offended, then that's their and their parents' problem. IMO that's like a racist saying the N word is a perfectly good word and a black person should NOT be offended by it because their parents should have taught them that's what they are.  I just don't understand though, why someone who does something unintelligent is a 'retard' but a little kid with an imaginary friend they converse with is not considered a 'paranoid schizophrenic'. Remember April 20th, 2011 when we thought the world might end, when the PSN was down? These guys do. Reminisce those horrible days, the catastrophic events! The homeless men! ...And, is that water orange? |
| #5 :: November 4th, 2011 @ 11:45 AM | |
| VALOUR Donated to the Cash Shop  221 Posts 212 Achievements |
 Quote By @Shameful:
Because labeling almost every child as a crazy would cause a lot of problems. Though, it seems to be okay to tell most children that they are ADHD... Last Edit by:
VALOUR 11/04/11 - 11:45:36 am
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| #6 :: November 4th, 2011 @ 11:55 AM | |
| INTENSE Gets Around 1,315 Posts 708 Achievements |
Quote By @Shameful: I never understood ADHD. It's like telling kids that acting like, well, a kid is wrong? I understand some times you need to explain to a little one it isn't appropriate in certain places to be jumping around, but kids were most certainly not made to sit still in school for hours and if they can't do that they have ADHD. But now I'm getting into a whole different debate here, so I will leave this one go.  Remember April 20th, 2011 when we thought the world might end, when the PSN was down? These guys do. Reminisce those horrible days, the catastrophic events! The homeless men! ...And, is that water orange? |
| #7 :: November 6th, 2011 @ 1:58 PM | |
| Calico is a Skilled Hooker  4,727 Posts 747 Achievements |
In this day and age, it's used as an insult more than what it was years ago. Special is starting to get that touch to it depending on how you say it. Retard can be taken either way as well depending on how you say it and all but that's just me.
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| #8 :: November 8th, 2011 @ 1:21 AM | |
| Dandelina Le Extreme Spammer  3,077 Posts 252 Achievements |
@
It's not like we say it's politically incorrect to mock minimum wage workers, despite the fact that we all do get offended by the rude remarks.
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| #9 :: November 8th, 2011 @ 2:13 AM | |
| Tyrant Is a Survivor  796 Posts 215 Achievements |
 It's just the same as idiot, moron, imbecile, spastic, etc. They used to be all words to describe people with disabilities, but had to be dropped because of the stigma associated with them. Personally, I don't really care, but some people do - so that's why I limit the use of the word to those I'm close to and those that can deal with the term. As time goes on, any word apart from disabled, really, will be used inappropriately. It doesn't mean we can't stop it, but it's going to happen sooner or later. 
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| #10 :: November 8th, 2011 @ 3:17 AM | |
| Tomorrow is a Mirage  3,948 Posts 610 Achievements |
I think it depends on the context. I'm fairly sure "retard" comes from "retardando" which I think is Italian. And if not that some other Renaissance language... of course, I also may just be pulling this all out of my ass.. @Shameful Quote: I never understood ADHD. It's like telling kids that acting like, well, a kid is wrong? I understand some times you need to explain to a little one it isn't appropriate in certain places to be jumping around, but kids were most certainly not made to sit still in school for hours and if they can't do that they have ADHD. But now I'm getting into a whole different debate here, so I will leave this one go. ADD and ADHD are problems with what is called "gating" - it is biochemical and pysiological inability to mentaly focus. Another thing to take into account is that it is a spectrum disorder. Everyone lands on it, be it from "Not at all" to "Severe". The problem comes when the patient's manifestation falls outside of what is considered normal for that age group. IE, a 12 year old having a five minuet attention span. Not that my opinion matters (it doesn't) but from what I've seen with the public school system and the overall downwards trend of parrenting in general, many of the people (and I say people because it can affect any age- there's a thing called "Adult ADD/ADHD" which is - to my understanding- when the brain does not "right" itself and the symptoms presist into adulthood) who truely do have the disorder are missed, and many of the people who don't have the disorder are labled as having it as a catch-all diagnosis, thus removing any reponsibilty from either the parrent(s) or the system, or both from figuring out the actual problem. Does that help at all? Last Edit by:
Tomorrow 11/08/11 - 3:32:42 am
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| #11 :: November 8th, 2011 @ 9:31 AM | |
is a Skilled Hooker 222 Posts 305 Achievements |
Quote:
IMO that's like a racist saying the N word is a perfectly good word and a black person should NOT be offended by it because their parents should have taught them that's what they are. @Shameful that is a different case entirely. I'm going to assume you're talking about 'dark-skinned' and not 'negro' (because 'negro' actually means black, and while there aren't really 'black people', it's certainly not as offensive as 'dark-skinned'). That word is far, far more offensive than 'retard' because, as I already mentioned, retard actually means 'slow'. It's a medical term used to describe someone who's got a reduced (slowed) mental capacity. The 'N' word is just a racial slang. Yes, negroid peoples should be taught their history (if they're American or in another place where slavery was abundant), but no, they shouldn't be taught that white people refer to them like that (I understand you were using sarcasm). I still think getting offended is a choice. I've many black friends and the more free-thinking ones are perfectly alright when I joke around. I can call my friend Chris 'nig' and while he's poor and black and I'm (relatively) well-off and white, he doesn't care at all and indeed finds it amusing. He understands that I know its origins and that I understand that he's not the best-off and that I'm joking when I say it. If I offended you, make my day by telling me about it. |
| #12 :: November 8th, 2011 @ 10:30 AM | |
| INTENSE Gets Around 1,315 Posts 708 Achievements |
Makes a lot of sense. Thanks!@ Yes, it is much more offensive than the word 'retard'. I think I understand what you're saying better now, the way you originally worded yourself just seemed, ignorant to me.  I apologize for misunderstanding. To me words only have power if given it, and I don't think a slower person should be taught that's what they are, but that they learn differently than other people (which is true) and some people just need to knock others down to feel better (also true, imo). I use the word retard all the tim e, not gonna lie. My mom and brother went to a special olympics program (taught the kids about how it worked, my brother isn't slow himself but was interested in it) with the homeschool group we're in, they had everyone pledge to not say the 'R' word. My mom thought that was awesome, me and my dad told her that's dumb, my brother didn't care. Matter of opinion I guess. Remember April 20th, 2011 when we thought the world might end, when the PSN was down? These guys do. Reminisce those horrible days, the catastrophic events! The homeless men! ...And, is that water orange? |
| #13 :: November 8th, 2011 @ 10:50 AM | |
is a Skilled Hooker 222 Posts 305 Achievements |
@Shameful Apologies if I sounded ignorant. It's a touchy subject for me because I have a retarded cousin (she has cerebral palsy) and she pisses me off to no end. I've met many retards who are perfectly capable of dealing with whatever's ailing them because they've been brought up to cope with it, but my cousin just uses it as an excuse to walk on people, dog incessantly, and get free stuff. When I say they should be raised to know that they're retarded, I just meant that they should know that they're less capable than other kids, and not fed that "you're not incompetent, you're different" bullcrap, because that's both stupid and unfair. While I do call people doing stupid things retarded, I only do it when it's necessary. Like people who win Darwin awards. I should think there's no issue with me calling a receiver of a Darwin award 'retarded'. Last Edit by:
If I offended you, make my day by telling me about it. |
| #14 :: November 8th, 2011 @ 12:13 PM | |
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I still wouldn't call them less capable. They are very capable at some things. I think if they were more encouraged than they are in todays society (saying they're not as intelligent, can't do thing, etc) they could excel more. Remember April 20th, 2011 when we thought the world might end, when the PSN was down? These guys do. Reminisce those horrible days, the catastrophic events! The homeless men! ...And, is that water orange? |
| #15 :: November 8th, 2011 @ 1:36 PM | |
| Keaton Silly Spamming Sausage  383 Posts 91 Achievements |
Some people even get all uppy about the words "dumb", "stupid", and "lame" because of their past uses, though. I think that's personally overboard.
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| #16 :: November 8th, 2011 @ 8:38 PM | |
| pobrecitaa Member  33 Posts 154 Achievements |
I feel like it really depends on how you use the word. If you use it against a person who is mentally handicapped or if you are just using it in a sentence to describe something. Like, there are ways to use it without it being completely offensive.
I don't believe in people using it against people with mental handicaps. It's also not so great that people say 'That's so retarded', but I can't say that I don't say it myself sometimes. So, I can't really be a hypocrite. I feel like it's the same with Native Americans. We went through calling them Indians to Native Americans because Indians was offensive. It's the same with African Americans and so forth. I just feel like there's a better way to address the word 'retard' or 'retarded' without it being offensive but I can't say that I haven't seen mentally handicapped people using the word freely also. Well, more functional handicapped people.
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| #17 :: November 9th, 2011 @ 10:59 AM | |
is a Skilled Hooker 222 Posts 305 Achievements |
@Shameful They are less capable; it's the meaning of the word. However, I can understand that they have the potential to excel at some things. For example, someone might be a social retard but be excessively good at maths (certain types of autism have this effect), and while they're definitely not capable of holding down normal relationships (i.e. colleagues, classmates, parents/siblings, extended family, significant other, etc.), they're far more capable in whatever they're obsessed with (e.g. engineering, calculus, geometry, visual art, etc.).
There are also people who are just not good at anything, like my cousin. Saying they're less capable is acceptable, since they are. It doesn't mean, however, that they will fail at everything in life. By saying they're less capable, I'm not necessarily calling them a failure who's not going to contribute at all, I'm just saying that they're less capable. They'll have a more difficult time at it, they don't have as much potential (generally, yes), etc. If I offended you, make my day by telling me about it. |
| #18 :: November 9th, 2011 @ 11:07 AM | |
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Remember April 20th, 2011 when we thought the world might end, when the PSN was down? These guys do. Reminisce those horrible days, the catastrophic events! The homeless men! ...And, is that water orange? |
| #19 :: November 9th, 2011 @ 12:04 PM | |
is a Skilled Hooker 222 Posts 305 Achievements |
@Shameful while I can understand that viewpoint, I think it's unfair to not tell them they're less capable. They need to grow up knowing they're not the same as other kids, or else it'll be really hard for them to take it when they become old enough to recognise it on their own.
Imagine a little kid trying all their life trying to fit in with the other kids and his parents always telling him he's just fine. He's going to know that something's wrong, but he won't know what. Then junior high or whatever hits, and suddenly he's aware (from bullying or observation, whatever method) that he's a lot dumber than the other kids because of this or that mental disorder. That would be really tough to go through. It's better to tell them 'Yeah, you're different. Your life's gonna be a lot harder and a lot more crap because of this, but the only thing you can do about it is prove people wrong when they say you can't do anything right. No one's gonna believe you until they see what you can do.' If I offended you, make my day by telling me about it. |
| #20 :: November 9th, 2011 @ 8:05 PM | |
| INTENSE Gets Around 1,315 Posts 708 Achievements |
I guess that would be the best way to approach it. Remember April 20th, 2011 when we thought the world might end, when the PSN was down? These guys do. Reminisce those horrible days, the catastrophic events! The homeless men! ...And, is that water orange? |
| #21 :: November 21st, 2011 @ 10:31 PM | |
| Pugsley Gets Around  332 Posts 261 Achievements |
  Well a few decades ago "lame" meant you were paralyzed. So when you say something is "lame" does that mean everyone in a wheelchair has a right to be offended? "Dumb" meant you couldn't speak... should all mimes/mutes get offended when you describe someone as "dumb"? A lot of words like that referred to people with disabilities. And you know what? Retards are retards and that is not a good thing. Nobody wants to be retarded. Parents hope their kids will be born healthy and mentally adequate. Maybe it isn't too nice, but I suppose it's accurate to joke around and call someone "retarded" when they do something stupid. Tumblr | Twitter And so we say up to the sky: Hasa Diga Eebowai!
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| #22 :: November 23rd, 2011 @ 12:56 PM | |
| Fluorosaur Member  36 Posts 2 Achievements |
I never really understood why people get so offended about words like this. It's one thing if you call a mentally disabled person a retard or a gay person a...gay I guess, actually that word isn't really offensive in most contexts, because then it's something like a racial slur. But if you're using it out of that context? It's pretty much just like any other curse. Basically I think of it like the word has two separate definitions, just the same pronunciation. Last Edit by:
Fluorosaur 11/23/11 - 12:57:57 pm
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| #23 :: November 25th, 2011 @ 2:04 PM | |
| Evolution Gets Around  1,435 Posts 669 Achievements |
 That word is retarded. 
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| #24 :: November 27th, 2011 @ 8:32 PM | |
| MommaT Is a Survivor  438 Posts 407 Achievements |
 No matter what word you use, someone will try to make a more politically correct word. I think the most acceptable phrase now is "intellectually disabled." On one hand, I see nothing wrong with using the word "retarded" to describe someone who is, in fact, retarded, but on the other hand, because the word is now so commonly used as an insult, I can see why it would seem like an offensive term to those who are actually retarded. So, because of the widespread use of the word "retarded" as an insult, it may indeed be time to move on to another term for the mentally challenged, and let people use "retarded" as an insult. 
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| #25 :: November 27th, 2011 @ 9:08 PM | |
is a Skilled Hooker 222 Posts 305 Achievements |
Nope, it's 'Intellectually challenged'.
'Cause 'disabled' is politically incorrectderp. Anyway, I agree with pretty much all your points. I'm still going to use it when I'm describing a retard, and when I'm in an informal situation, I'm still going to refer to idiots as retards, because -- hey, if they did that, they've gotta be 'intellectually challenged'. If I offended you, make my day by telling me about it. |
| #26 :: November 27th, 2011 @ 9:26 PM | |
| Yeleste The Cursed  393 Posts 827 Achievements |
Maybe you should all ask somebody who is actually a person with a mental disability, who can answer, whether or not they are offended by the term. If they are, THEN DON'T USE IT. People with disabilities are most affected by what you do or say. You will be barely affected by not using the word anymore.
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Art by | #27 :: December 7th, 2011 @ 3:09 PM | |
| Dickie Has a Strong Pet  285 Posts 529 Achievements |
Calling a person a "retard" is wrong but calling something slow "retarded" makes perfect sense.
Personally, I think the term makes a lot more sense when applied to things than a lot of other disability-based adjectives. Lame = disability or injury to leg(s) Dumb = inability to speak Idiot = a term denoting a certain level of mental retardation (still used in Texas law) Moron = (as above) If you think saying "retarded" is wrong then you shouldn't say those words either.
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| #28 :: December 11th, 2011 @ 9:05 AM | |
| Poppy Only has Room for One  37 Posts 297 Achievements |
There are retards of all kinds. I call myself a normal retard. |
| #29 :: December 11th, 2011 @ 9:32 AM | |
| Akio Subeta Luva  53 Posts 255 Achievements |
"Retard" is just an example of word drift. Like other posters have already said, there are many examples of this. I don't see it as something to get offended over, but I don't really use this word, either.
Even if the word "retarded" carried the same weight as lynchings and burning a cross in today's society, there would be other 'offensive' words people would be using(potentially to said retarded person)... ugly, fat, lazy, and invalid are a few that come to mind. Then what? Would we have a similar discussion over "beauty challenged" people? We all learn in primary school just to ignore bullies, right? (That or to sock them in the mouth, anyhoo...) Just my opinion. :3
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| #30 :: December 11th, 2011 @ 12:16 PM | |
| vintage Only has Room for One  232 Posts 90 Achievements |
i agree completely with
VOLGA. it means slow, and that's what we mean it to say when we use it. so.. no prob there
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| #31 :: December 11th, 2011 @ 1:43 PM | |
| curbstomp Gossiper  1,077 Posts 326 Achievements |
but, in general, i think it should be acceptable.
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| #32 :: December 19th, 2011 @ 11:46 AM | |
is a Skilled Hooker 222 Posts 305 Achievements |
@Yeleste that seems to be a popular point. Here's my argument: Go to a third world country where 'politically correct' hasn't been invented yet (yes, I've lived in several). They refer to their retards as the equivalent of 'retard' in -spoken language-. It's also often used out of context in derogatory ways. Do their disabled people get offended? No. Why? They understand what they are and they're damned grateful to even be alive at all. Now let's look at North America: Every single word ever invented to describe someone less capable than the norm becomes, at some point, politically incorrect. That's because it's natural for people to compare a particularly stupid action to someone whose brain doesn't function well - a retard. But North Americans have decided that using some terms in place of others isn't socially acceptable, as someone might get offended. Well, "getting offended" isn't really anything special. It doesn't give you extra rights. It also didn't used to happen very often (with the exception of words such as "dark-skinned", but that's a completely separate debate), because people were a lot less pathetic. As Akio mentioned, it's not difficult to ignore what other people say/think about you. Instead of telling kids to be offended, we should be telling them to have a strong personality, know themselves, and be confident. Yes, retards are, in fact, retarded. They're just going to have to deal with that, because it's the truth. It's not going to go away just because I'm not allowed to utilize some vocabulary. Last Edit by:
If I offended you, make my day by telling me about it. |
| #33 :: December 19th, 2011 @ 12:41 PM | |
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[stylefile]
I don't really like the concept of using it as an insult, but I also feel it's pretty colloquially acceptable at this point and unlikely to go anywhere anytime soon. Is that an excuse? No, just a statement of fact. |
| #34 :: December 19th, 2011 @ 12:41 PM | |
| Yeleste The Cursed 393 Posts 827 Achievements |
@
I disagree. I don't know if you know it but I am seriously disabled. And yes, I am grateful to be alive. But I am not grateful to be treated badly just because somebody else doesn't understand that language can be hurtful and doesn't care about my feelings. The idea that I am not grateful to be alive just because I don't like people being rude is very strange to me. It is a cheap argument to bring up people in the third world. "Their disabled people" don't belong to them. People who are in lower positions in society may not voice their discontent not because they would prefer the word not to be said but because they do not have the power to change what other people do. "Politically incorrect" is a bogus term. Rather terms that are derogatory and offensive are no longer used people people without power got some power (think civil rights movement, disability rights, etc) and demanded that people in power no longer use them. Words are deeply connected to a society--what words a society deems acceptable to use reflect the society's opinion about the people the word refers to. Like I said before, it is so easy to ask somebody who is actually affected by the word you use whether you should use it. You will not, absolutely not, be affected by not using the word. I don't care if you think you will. It is the tiniest problem compared to what people with disabilities face. "Offended" is also the wrong term. I realize that somebody might see a person with a disability's response as "offended" but that is not what is going on. What is really going on is a deep sense of hurt and not feeling like you are worth anything as a human being. What's going on is that those words have been used in the context of oppression for a very long time. I realize you see it as "just a word" but unfortunately people with mental disabilities were locked up in mental institutions, inside homes, abused and treated like less than human. That word is indelibly attached to what happened to those people. When you get rid of the language attached to oppression, it is easier to create a change. It's really not that hard not to use a word. Not using the word will not make somebody's disability go away. But word usage does show how you feel about that person as a feeling, living human being. Not bothering not to use the world is quite callous when it is such an easy thing to do.
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| #35 :: December 19th, 2011 @ 1:55 PM | |
is a Skilled Hooker 222 Posts 305 Achievements |
@Yeleste
I think you might be misunderstanding me. What I mean to say is that there's no reason for them (you?) to be offended by my choice of words because I'm not using it derogatorily. I'm not dehumanizing anyone when I use it. It's a medical term, as I've said before, and when I use it in context, I mean it medically. I'm not going to go and call someone with autism 'retarded' unless I'm saying they're emotionally retarded. I'm not going to call an amputee or Steven Hawking retarded either. I'm using it to describe people who are retarded. It's just the word I'm using, because that's the word that describes their ailment. I'm sorry for the history involved, but that shouldn't tie to the word. I'm not going to stop using "Jew' or "Holocaust" just because they're sensitive topics. When I'm talking about a Jew, I say Jew. When I'm talking about a retard, I say retard. When I call someone retarded for doing something (such as a Darwin Award contender), it's the equivalent of using a metaphor. I'm saying "what you've done is so inconceivably stupid there must be something wrong with your brain". It's not directed at disabled people, it's directed at people who are being idiots. In the same way, if a bunch of people were killed, I'd say "it's like the Holocaust". If I offended you, make my day by telling me about it. |
| #36 :: December 19th, 2011 @ 3:14 PM | |
| misohead is Darksided!  246 Posts 678 Achievements |
   @ I wouldn't mind so much if you only used "retard" to refer to people who are actually developmentally delayed, as a medical term (though I would still think that was unnecessary, and question your use of it). But if you use it as an insult towards people who you think are being "stupid" (another word that has ableist connotations), how is that not derogatory? If you want to put something down by calling it "retarded" then you are saying that developmentally delayed people are bad, worthless, stupid - whatever connotations you are trying to get across by using the term. If you say another atrocious genocide is like the Holocaust, that's different. The Holocaust was an atrocious genocide. Comparing it to other ones is okay, I think. By the same token, if you say a person you dislike is like a developmentally delayed person, you are essentially saying that you dislike developmentally delayed people and see them as something bad. That may not be what you mean to say, but it is what you are saying if you use the word as an insult. It's the same with people who call everything "gay". There is no other reason to use "gay" as an insult/putdown unless someone has a problem with gay people, just like there's no reason to use "retarded" as an insult unless you have a problem with disabled people or see them as worthless. Last Edit by:
misohead 12/19/11 - 3:15:57 pm
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| #37 :: December 19th, 2011 @ 7:42 PM | |
is a Skilled Hooker 222 Posts 305 Achievements |
@misohead
It's not the same as using 'gay'. When people use 'gay' to refer to something they don't like, it's exactly as you said. They're saying gay people are bad. However, when I'm saying someone's retarded, I'm not saying that retarded people are worthless. I'm merely using disability to point out that someone did something really dumb. If a retard had done it, well you couldn't blame them. They didn't know any better. But the person I'm calling retarded should have known better because they're not retarded. Yes, it points out that retards are, in fact, retarded, but that's not something we can get away from. It's the same with anything that people would be embarrassed about. If I were fat, I wouldn't like being called fat, but I wouldn't say that no one could use the word 'fat' in any context just because it offends me. Perhaps people can't see the similarities of situations simply because being 'developmentally delayed' is seen as extreme and they receive a lot of pity and blind eyes (which isn't something you can argue against - it's not true of all disabled people but I know several who use it to their advantage, as I've previously mentioned), but I'd like to take a very logical stance. Retard was a medical term for years before political correctness was invented. Since it became an unfashionable word, several have replaced it and also become unfashionable. Every time I leave and return to Canada, a new word is fashionable. Am I supposed to change my vocabulary every single time psychologists want to beat around the bush? Soon 'developmentally delayed' will become unfashionable as well. What's more, 'retarded' is less offensive than it was when it first started to become offensive. When kids start going around saying "Lol, you're delayed", it's going to immediately be replaced. Being offended is a choice, you're right. I can't see any reason to choose to be offended, other than higher ups saying "you've got a right to be offended, so go for it. While you're at it, you might as well sue." That was my point when I mentioned other countries. People there don't get offended because it's unheard of. There's no reason for it. No one's told them they should be offended, and when foreigners come and explain the concept, they usually ask why in the world they would be. If I offended you, make my day by telling me about it. |
| #38 :: December 19th, 2011 @ 11:07 PM | |
| misohead is Darksided! 246 Posts 678 Achievements |
Maybe you should try to eliminate the idea that developmentally delayed people are just "dumb" and do things that you see as "dumb". I still think it is hurtful that you would see developmentally delayed people that way. I know people who have mental disabilities, and I don't want their issues being used as an insult. It hurts me and I'm not even disabled. There are other words you can use which don't involve insulting someone you dislike by comparing them to people I love. What big deal is it to you to use another word? The only reason I see to continue using "retard" is that you are stubborn and want to use it to be edgy and offensive. Actually, I'm against pitying disabled people in a condescending way. Pity usually comes from ignorance and not seeing the disabled person as a human. And please, stop implying that disabled people are leeches who take advantage of the system. It's so irrelevant, you don't have to bring that up. Yes, you SHOULD change your vocabulary when groups who know more about proper use change the preferred words. Vocabulary changes and acceptable words change. It is not a big deal for you to change your language, it is a big deal to the people being hurt by it. Mentioning other countries is off topic, like Yeleste also said. People with disabilities are often treated terribly in poor countries, put in bad mental hospitals, shunned, or left to do nothing but beg for a living, with no medical treatment. It's NOT a good or enviable thing that they don't have the agency to express hurt by words and poor treatment! It says something good about our society that disabled people can band together and fight for themselves - including eliminating the idea that their conditions should be used as insults (the same for "lame"). Last Edit by:
misohead 12/19/11 - 11:08:09 pm
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| #39 :: December 20th, 2011 @ 3:22 AM | |
| Yeleste The Cursed 393 Posts 827 Achievements |
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I have banned myself from the debate forum because it makes me unnecessarily sad. But thank you for debating with me, Yopishia, and sticking up for my opinions, Misohead.
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| #40 :: December 20th, 2011 @ 3:44 AM | |
| misohead is Darksided! 246 Posts 678 Achievements |
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