Tuesday, April 16, 2013
The R Word
Throughout the past few classes we have been talking about madness, mental retardation, and people who are mentally handicapped. I just wanted to point out that many people still use the word "retard". People would say things like "This is retarded" or "That guy is a retarded". I really hate it when people use that word. My great-aunt Anne has down-syndrome, and she is 50 years old. Whenever I walk her around her hometown, a lot of people see her, and people say something like "That retarded girl". Even though we have so many people that believe that the word is wrong, it is surprising to hear that people are still using that word.
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This is an excellent point. Many people will defend the use of the word retard because by using it they mean stupid or dumb, rather than a insulting term towards mentally disabled people. However, based on this logic the use of the term retard is egregiously insulting. In effect they are equating being disabled or retarded as being stupid or dumb. This of course is not the case. People who use this word may not intend to be so insulting but they should recognize the meaning and power of their language.
ReplyDeleteMy mother and father have been dealing with people with disabilities for years now. My mom is like a principal at a school for children with disabilities and my dad has become an aide at a high school for a boy with a disability. For my activism project, I actually was able to ask my mom the question of terminology and she brought up the word retard and said, "Many years ago, there were terms such as moron or idiot, which were used to describe some of these individuals. We hear that somewhat loosely now for the general population in a slang kind of a way. I still cringe because I know where these words originated. There has been a movement to eliminate the “R” word- retard- which is highly, highly offensive." To people in the field of cognitive disabilities, the r-word has been exiled and they are trying to advocate removal of the word from our vocabularies. The word will not go away, and I've consciously heard less and less of that word so I believe people are starting to understand the problem of offensive words. However, that could be from the area I'm from since in my community, people are very tolerant of individuals with disabilities and in other communities the word might be used much more frequently with an intent to be offensive.
ReplyDeleteI can agree that it is a shock that this word is still throw around as if it were a regular word which applied to simple social context, but it does not. The R word is being rallied against much like the n-word or c-word are being labeled as in poor taste by society. Yet the word retarded is being considered the new stupid for unintelligent groups of people. It seems that the more we try to advance as a society the more we stay the same.
ReplyDeleteGoing along with the use of the word 'retard' as slang and in the wrong context this has happened in society with the word 'gay'. Words get throw around in our culture that don't have the same meanings as when they originated and they turn into slang terms, but how do we know the difference? When it is offensive or what some people think is just 'fooling around'? It is hard to accept the use of these words as slang or in different meaning because we know what the word really means. Using it as a slight at someone happens a lot but why should we change it into an insult on someone, when its someone else's identity?
ReplyDeleteIt's honestly just shocking to hear all of the slang we throw around so loosely. Whether it's 'retard' or 'gay', there are plenty other degrading or insulting words that people are open to throw around, sometimes unfortunately including myself. It's something that has to be talked about more often, for sure.
ReplyDeleteIt's great that you mentioned this. I also still hear people say this and it really bothers me. People can be so closed minded and sometimes don't even think of it as being offensive, similar to when people say "that's so gay." (as some of you guys mentioned) I try to point this out to people when they say it and remind them that it can be offensive. When people say "I don't mean it, I'm just kidding." I reply, "Well if you don't mean it than it's even worse to say it. It just makes it OK for people who do mean it to say it." It might sound cheesy, but I have had people say "Wow, you're right. I never thought of that before." We might not be able to change everyone but at least have an impact on the people around us.
ReplyDeleteThis is shocking that the word is thrown around so frequently and without the slightest remorse to some. I think people should be more self concious about the slang words that are used even though they may not mean to be offensive necessarily they certainly could be portrayed in that way.
ReplyDeleteMy sister passed away in 2007 from MPS, a rare genetic disease that caused her to be mentally handicapped. I didn't honestly find any problem with the word until she passed. Before that I used it often, finding it to be just a slang term to pass the day away, but since it happened I've never used it (except once under duress) and I will always be the first person to tell someone to please not say it again. The "R" word is something that we allowed to be a regular part of our vocabulary over time, and will clearly linger until we draw the line.
ReplyDeleteI hate how people still use the "r word" today. It is not an acceptable term (obviously) for our society to use. This is a very bad, immoral word to use. People use it to mock another individual out. People today do NOT even know what the true meaning of the word is, just like how our society uses the word "gay" to mean stupid or different. (My twin brother uses that word a lot and it really "grinds my gears.")
ReplyDeleteI do not know why it is still acceptable in our society. I just learned from one of my edu professors that using the "r word" in school's lesson plans is illegal!! If it is not allowed in schools, it should NOT be allowed anywhere!! I hope the word goes away and fast. Lastly, I agree with what Kayla said, "We might not be able to change everyone but at least have an impact on the people around us." If we tell 3 people to not use it and they each tell 3 people not to use it (so forth and so on), then the world will eventually stop using it.