Soapbox: The R Word

I had to take a breather after my last post to get my head on straight before I posted anything about this.  I was really hot, and I didn't want to just sound like some ranting bitch.  I need to be clear on this one.

Someone posted this on Facebook saying it was funny.  I nicely said, "Using the R word is never funny."  She retorted with, "It's not meant to be about mental issues."  To which I replied, "It's never cool to use a word that means 'mental issues'."  Then she posted in her status, "I'm too tired to deal with politically correct drama," after she deleted the post with the picture. (And then she promptly deleted and blocked me from her page...nice!)

"Politically correct drama."  Is me saying that the word "retard" is hurtful a "politically correct" issue? 

re-tard [ree-tahrd] n. Slang: Disparaging. a) a mentally retarded person. b) a person who is stupid, obtuse, or ineffective in some way

mental retardation [men-tl ree-tahr-day-shuhn] n. a developmental disorder characterized by a subnomral ability to learn and a substantially low IQ.


 

There is no other way that this word can be used as a noun meaning a person without the indication that the person has 1) mental retardation, or 2) is stupid.  How is this a "politically correct" issue?

I have a son who is developmentally delayed.  He went to school with children who were differently abled like him.   One of his favorite classmates is on the autism spectrum and another one has Down Syndrome. 

These three remarkable boys can very easily be called "retarded" by mocking classmates as they grow up.  Do you know how heartbreaking that is going to be for them?

Even worse, they may hear people calling other people "retards" just in "fun and games".  Then they will grow up and realize that the word which was a put-down to them all their lives is actually a word that can be used to characterize their mental abilities/growth.

Let's say that I think all ugly people should be called "green-eyed".  Now whenever I'm saying that someone is "green-eyed" then I'm putting them down, saying they are ugly.  So now anyone with green eyes now thinks they are automatically put down.  (Cooper and I both have green eyes, by the way.)

Here's some other words that are used as put-downs that are real serious issues that people should just stop a minute and think about how people with these conditions (or are a parent of kids with these conditions, as with myself) would feel when you say this:  hoarder, bipolar, schizophrenic, tourette's, ghetto, poor, homeless...I could really go on and on here.

I won't lie, I have on many occasions said any number of these, including "retard".  And I've even let "retard" slip out two times recently.  But I'm aware of it, and I'm working hard to stop doing it because I do not want my son or his friends to grow up thinking that their conditions are negative.

You don't have to stop using these words if you don't want to.  Just think about what they make other people feel like.  Not necessarily the person you are calling the name, but someone else who may actually have this condition.