when was the last time you heard someone refer to a mental illness patient as a "r****d"? This is absolutely ridiculous. The word r****d has pretty much become exclusively used as an insult, just like moron, idiot, and slow. Now if someone goes around calling mentally ill individuals "r****ds", that person deserves an a$$ beating, but you're creating unfounded "offensiveness" when you launch a movement associating the derogatory insult "r****d" with those who suffer from mental illness.
We have more to learn from the disabled than they do from us. If they dislike the term, then we have a responsibility to respect them.
Have to agree with most of this. I think the change is already happening. I think it's fairly common knowledge/social norm that people don't refer to the mentally ill as "r****ded". Sure, there is still a small population that does do it, but you will always have those kinds of people.
Maybe we should stop telling people to "grow up and stop acting like a kid". Kids could get offended by that too.
Lies. Back then if you looked up f***** in the dictionary it just said a bundle of sticks. It never gave the more modern usage of the word. Unless you founded Urban Dictionary.com back in the 80s.
I LOL'd at the title. I have a r****ded uncle. I don't feel like it gives me special license. I feel that using the word r****ded in a different context is entirely acceptable. For example, saying that the Harris county tax office is r****ded for not taking credit cards. They aren't reaching their full potential in taking payments. Their business model is r****ded. As for someone thinking less of me...**** them and their high horse. They are socially r****ded for judging me based on one sentence.
I have a masters in special education. When I'm with colleagues, friends, and family, I often say I have a masters in r****ded. Do I use person first vocabulary? Yes? Would I ever demean a person with a disability? Not even going to resond to that. Do I take every chance to advocate for people, especially kids with disabilities? You betcha. In my opinion these kinds of campaigns just annoy the people whose behavior they are aimed at changing. Most people are very accepting of people with disabilities. Tmoney has a link to the Special Olympics in his sig. In my experience if someone is ready to give of themselves when it comes to helping people with disabilities that's awesome. Maybe then I mention that r****ded isn't exactly up to date jargon. Picture Ben Stiller in There's Something About Mary saying he loves those goofy bastards. In the meantime getting preachy about a word that most people use without ill intent just pisses people off. That's counterproductive in my eyes.
Not a big fan of the PC stuff. I don't go around insulting people, and I honestly don't remember the last time I called someone else r****ded. I do refer to it to myself in some situations a la: <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/j9ndS6yu3Kk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Let me get this straight. You don't see any difference between someone bullying a person of normal intelligence versus a bullying a person who is mentally handicapped? One isn't a worse offense than the other?
The whole "don't use r****ded" movement is pretty stupid. There's a difference between the use of "r****d" and "gay". They share a similarity that they are used as insults. However, the main difference is that gay people are still met with hostility whereas r****ds aren't. Nobody associates the mentally handicapped as lower quality citizens, rather they garner sympathy. Homosexuals are still fighting for acceptance and equal rights as a good portion of the public sees them negatively.
"PC" movements like this is why its becoming increasingly rare. All I meant is there is a difference between trying to protect the mentally-ill and trying to protect the feelings of other groups like the gay community. And I don't really have a problem if the word "r****d" becomes another synonym for "idiot". Though, at the same time, I also don't have a problem with discouraging a wide vocabulary for insulting others.
I do, but it is belittling to say so. If I was mentally handicap, I would find your comment more insulting than hearing someone use the word r****ded to describe legislation for example. Nobody likes being seen as more vulnerable/helpless than others (except maybe Royce White. He demands to be coddled.).
And yet by "associating" a person with the mentally-handicapped (by calling them "r****ded") you are intended to insult them. You don't see a contradiction there?
No, because as others have said, "r****d" has become synonymous with idiot, moron, stupid. I don't personally use it, mainly because the PC sissies get their panties in a wad, but I have no problems when someone else says it.
Not going to point-by-point argue with anyone. I don't have authority, moral, self-righteous, or otherwise over anyone. I'm passing along my perspective on the subject and, as stated, feel free to disagree. I fully expected the responses to be along these lines. Only thing that surprised me was that the first "this thread is r****ded" post would come from a poster with a Special Olympics donation link in his signature. That's fairly sad and pathetic. I fully agree that there are shades of grey regarding the word, and not all uses are terrible. You're all free to say anything you want - I'm certainly not going to chase people around the boards harassing them about it. You're free to think I'm sanctimonious if you want. If anything, I'm hoping that a few folks might put more consideration to the usage than they did before today. I have zero intention of turning this into a D&D thread. I did mention the examples that really bother me - the Special Olympics meme in particular. Don't pretend that it's above board. The only reason you don't have a problem with it is that no one close to you has down syndrome. Some kid became a punchline in that picture simply because he was proud of himself at an event. If you don't think that's shameful, that says something about you as a person. Don't pretend it doesn't. As long as it doesn't affect you, it doesn't matter to you. Same reason why there's no pressure on Dan Snyder to cease use of a racial slur for his NFL franchise. Umm...why do you think I was confused? I read that "a bundle of sticks" was the definition for a major insult. Didn't make sense.
