It's not a word I use these days. Those of you trying to sound semi intelligent by shouting "BUT IT'S THE CORRECT TEEEERM" are stupid and embarrassing. You know very well that while the definition of the word may not have technically changed much, the connotation the word carries has long deviated from its original meaning and morphed into something much worse these days. At least the "I have the right to offend!" posters are honest.
I don't think using the word "r****ded" within the proper context is really the primary issue of the original post, but rather the pejorative use of the word "r****d." A secondary issue is the use of the outdated term "mentally r****ded" instead of the more current terminology of "intellectual disabilities." Eliminating the abbreviated "MR" and "mentally r****ded" from social services jargon is an ongoing process.
These people have to have been raised better than this. It's embarassing for this board to read some of the posters selfish and stupid comments.
It does appear their emotional growth and maturity has been r****ded by a failure to seek a level of compassion for those less fortunate.
At least I'm using logic. You've resorted to attacking those who disagree with you. That's no way to debate, and if you're not going to check your emotions at the door and use logical discussion, I see no reason to continue this debate.
While I do agree that people should try to use the word less often, an awareness day fixes nothing, if anything creates more controversey as shown on this thread. Sometimes it will make the people that already use the word angry, and then use it even more. The word r****d is used in so many peoples' vocabularies now, its not going to be removed. Just like the gay insult and the push to get rid of it did basically nothing. People can say that it is being removed, but you go out and you still hear it so much in everyday life. Society will do what society wants. This is a fairly labored example, but this push to get rid of "r****ded" would be equal to a group coming out and saying they want the term "ghost" and change it to "endoplasmic being" because it offends the ghosts. Its just not going to happen. And honeslty as long as people aren't going around calling mentally ill people r****ded, the word r****d really doesn't do that much harm.
Good job. Comparing imaginary beings to real people. Would you like to give us a lecture on kids with terminal illness next? Perhaps you can compare them to leprechauns or elves.
Like I said man, it was a labored example. I'm trying to say the word won't go away no matter how much it is debated, and no matter how much some people don't like the word. In no way am I comparing people to ghosts...
Sure - that's great for me to know that I'm offending you. It's then up to me to decide what to do about it. I think you're an idiot, so I don't really care that I'm offending you and will continue on my way. But if I'm offending other rational people (say, parents of a child with developmental disabilities), I want to know so I can consider my actions in that context and perhaps stop. While I don't care if I'm offending you, I would prefer not to be offending them.
The problem here is that the gay insult is used far less than it was 20 years ago, and it is absolutely not tolerated in many arenas (for example, when NBA players use it and get fined). You can be certain it was much more commonly used in the NBA 20 years ago. Awareness DID and does make a difference.
On a large scale like with basketball players and comedians you are absolutely correct. But in regular life in society it just is never going away, and awareness days can really bring out the trolls, just like in this thread, and just piss everybody off more. Gay and r****ded are fairly different though, as people took the insult gay to be more direct towards actual homosexuals, where as with r****ded most people see the word as meaning stupid/senseless, and not insulting the mentally ill at all.
Calling someone gay doesn't even make sense. A person chooses to be gay; they aren't born that way. Look at all of the studies that show there is no correlation between identical twins and homosexuality. Don't compare people with mental disabilities to those who act homosexually. That IS wrong.
Just like the N word, no it won't go away. What happens is when a person continues to use the word decent human beings think the person using it is socially inept, rude and morally bankrupt. If that's the social status you are looking to achieve knock yourself out.
