Today Jennifer Aniston used the word retard to describe herself, and media all over are lamenting her use of the 'R' word. I couldn't care less about that, I'm more interested in who has even heard of the so-called 'R' word.

The 'N' word, I get it. There's some 40 million African-Americans. It's very impolite to use the word nigger at pretty much any social situation. Black people talking to black people excluded, of course, since that is socially acceptable.

The 'C' word, I kind of get it. There's 150 million women in America, most of whom cringe at hearing the word cunt, and out of respect it's only used in the most vile of insult situations.

But now the 'R' word? I don't get that. According to the CDC 1.5 million people in America are intellectually disabled. I mean it's obviously disrespectful and I don't use the word retard around people I don't know, but statistically speaking it's a relatively small portion of the population. Not to mention it's not the retarded person that actually gets offended, considering that most of the time they don't have the ability to even process what the word means. For example, you call a black person a nigger, and the person will be greatly offended and you might get your ass kicked. Also if you call a woman a cunt, she will also be greatly offended and you might get your ass kicked. But if you were to call a retard a retard, you'd probably just get a smile. Mostly because they are retarded.

I just think if we start coming up with the 'A' word, the 'B' word, the 'C' word, the 'D' word, etc. for every word that offends people, pretty soon we're going to run out of letters, not to mention run out of socially acceptable insults. My opinion is that unlike people that use the terms 'N' word and 'C' word, if you use the 'R' word, you really are a retard.

8/20/2010 3:16:54 PM

8/20/2010 3:18:22 PM

My eye sockets do not support the level of eye rolling appropriate to this situation.

There should be no blanket rule that particular words are taboo, whether I say 'fiddlesticks' or 'cunt-pickle' when I stub my toe the meaning is the same and the string of phonetics I put together is irrelevant.

You are being equally as belligerent when you call someone an 'a-hole' or an 'asshole'.

8/20/2010 3:36:32 PM

Any prohibition on the use of certain words is a clear violation of 1st Amendment free speech rights.
There is simply no way around that fact.

[Edited on August 20, 2010 at 3:39 PM. Reason : ]

8/20/2010 3:39:13 PM

Quote :

"My eye sockets do not support the level of eye rolling appropriate to this situation."

8/20/2010 3:40:34 PM

I believe the correct term is











re`tard

8/20/2010 3:40:39 PM

I say this word from time to time, even around a friend who has a disabled brother. And he doesn't care either.

Just further PC-pussification bullshit.

8/20/2010 3:44:40 PM

I AM OFFENDED AT YOUR CLAIMING OF BEING OFFENDED.

8/20/2010 4:00:42 PM

Yeah this thing is absolutly ridiculous. The hole PC thing has gotten out of hand. From the outside America appears to be the land of the over-sensitive ninnys who are afraid to have their feelings hurt. Boo Fucking Hoo

[Edited on August 20, 2010 at 4:15 PM. Reason : a]

8/20/2010 4:15:41 PM

like people who get all upset over a religious building near the WTC...

8/20/2010 4:21:33 PM

Imbecile, idiot, lunatic, and moron were all medical terms used to describe the mentally challenged, however, none of those bear the same stigma due to the age of their obsolescence. Perhaps in 20 years "retard" will be an acceptable term.

Wikipedia also gave me this gem of an obsolete medical term:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_bowel_syndrome
*snicker snicker*

8/20/2010 4:25:03 PM

Quote :

"You are being equally as belligerent when you call someone an 'a-hole' or an 'asshole'."

Exactly. Double standards surrounding words and terms is something that irritates me. Why are 'poopy,' 'doo doo,' 'crap' (though even some draw a line at that), 'excrement' and 'feces' socially acceptable words, but the 'S' word is generally off limits? You're conveying the same idea, no matter which word you use. Why then is there arbitrary control over the vocabulary used to express this idea?

8/20/2010 4:39:39 PM

Then why did you use 'S-word' instead of 'shit'?

8/20/2010 4:55:39 PM

It's a culture of prohibition.
"They" need something to prohibit.

8/20/2010 4:56:11 PM

I use "retarded" all the time to describe imbecilic behavior, but I've never actually thought of someone as a "retard". My inner monologue goes to either "mentally disabled" or "special-in-the-head".

8/20/2010 4:59:29 PM

Quote :

"Today Jennifer Aniston used the word retard to describe herself, and media all over are lamenting her use of the 'R' word. I"

Seriously?

That's fucking retarded.

8/20/2010 5:11:41 PM

My cousin has Down's Syndrome.

I have used "retard" around my aunt in a demeaning way in some random conversation (not on purpose, I too use it all the time)

She called me out on it and I felt terrible.

I've also been called out by teachers of some handicapped kids

By using it in a demeaning manner I was implying that there was something wrong with her daughter, maybe even implying that she was somehow second class.


Since then I have tried to not use the "R" word. Unfortunately, I have probably used the word since I was in elementary school and old habits can be hard to break.

8/20/2010 5:38:21 PM

Look, this isn't political correctness, this is the fucking for-profit media doing anything they can to get people to tune in so they can sell some ads. This absolutely does not include covering real stories in any meaningful way because peoples eyes just glaze the fuck over and they turn the channel. It's way easier to get someone riled up about the R word than it is to make them wonder why BP has turned off the underwater cameras even though the well fiasco isn't finished. The media has created this, a fucking nation of zombies who have become accustomed to this bullshit and have no capability to think about what really matters to them until the media tells them.

Bring back deep throat. Bring back investigative journalism. I'm fucking god damn sick of this "pop media" bullshit.

8/20/2010 5:47:32 PM

the word has been given a negative connotation due to its rampant use in various irrelevant contexts. so much to the point it can't even be used appropriately and technically without offending someone. fortunately it's really easy to choose other words in place of it in casual conversation, for instance when describing yourself or someone else who does not have mental retardation, or a situation that you consider stupid or ridiculous. it's especially offensive because you're demeaning a population of people who (most often) cannot defend themselves. regardless of an individual's cognitive functioning, they are very much deserving of dignity and respect. i find no problem in the media bringing attention to this issue because it makes people hopefully be more cognizant of how offensive and unnecessary the use of that word is.

8/20/2010 6:04:58 PM

this thread is mentally challenged.

8/20/2010 6:23:16 PM

I don't got that bad of a mouth, do I?
Fuck shit ass bitch cunt, shooby-de-doo-wop (what?)
Skibbedy-be-bop, a-Christopher Reeves
Sonny Bono, skis horses and hittin some trees

8/20/2010 6:30:26 PM

Blame sarah palin.

8/20/2010 7:18:52 PM

HUR is in here actin' like he don't look just like Eddie Munster.

8/20/2010 8:51:43 PM

cunt-pickle, lol

8/21/2010 1:11:46 AM

IMO the adjective "retarded" is more clinical and less pejorative than the noun "retard" and also preferable to the numerous dysphemistic euphemisms that have arisen like "special" or "exceptional"; OTOH terms like "imbecile" and "idiot" and "moron" are now exclusively pejorative.

I think a good term to switch to is "intellectually disabled" as a subset of "mentally disabled" especially for retarded adults, for whom the notion of "developing at a slower pace" is no longer appropriate and "stopping at a lower level" is more accurate; it sounds even more clinical and lacks the pathetic attempt to put a positive spin on an inherently negative condition.

Quote :

"Bring back deep throat."

that won't fly in today's gonzo market where the most fleshed-out stories involve ordering a pizza with sausage...

8/21/2010 2:13:04 AM

for me retard like anything else that i think might offend somebody is something i use with close friends and family.

i've got such diversity on my facebook account that i can hardly say any of my favorite words without offending somebody.

cocksucker, goddammit, cunt, and faggot being my favorites.

8/21/2010 1:37:00 PM

lewisje/Mr. Joshua, twoozles/TerdFerguson, and Potty Mouth are all making good points here.


I dunno. It's quite easy for me to censor this word from certain conversations, and I do so willingly. But I really don't care. It's just something I censor because I know people think it's ignorant or trashy to run around talking about how "retarded" things are. For me, t's not about being inoffensive/respectful...instead it's more about wanting to appear up with the PC times and avoid getting lectured by somebody about how offensive the word is...

While we're at it, I would like people to stop saying "psycho." It's offensive to people with antisocial personality disorders.

[Edited on August 21, 2010 at 3:15 PM. Reason : ]

8/21/2010 3:14:01 PM

Personally, I prefer to use "fucking stupid"... Fuck being PC, but calling things "retarded" usually makes someone sound like a middle-schooler.

8/21/2010 4:10:50 PM

Quote :

"tromboner950: Fuck being PC, but calling things "retarded" usually makes someone sound like a middle-schooler."

Yup.

8/21/2010 4:14:37 PM

To clarify, I never use "retarded" unless referring to people with known mental retardation and not as an insult.

8/21/2010 6:34:34 PM

this thread is gay. i mean retarded. i mean stupid.

8/21/2010 8:37:42 PM

Quote :

"stupid"

Excuse me, sir, but that term is offensive to unintelligent people.

8/21/2010 9:30:04 PM

DYSPHEMISTIC EUPHEMISMS

[Edited on August 21, 2010 at 11:38 PM. Reason : dude, just put away the thesaurus.]

8/21/2010 11:38:47 PM

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/08/21/nr.muslim.woman.disney.cnn?hpt=T2

Woman suing disney world for want to wear head scarf against dress code. I hope this gets thrown out of court. A dress code is a dress code. This woman is welcome to have her religious freedoms and exhibit a head scarf in her day to day life. Disney also should have the right to enforce a reasonable dress code as is prudent. If this lady can not follow this dress code than perhaps she should seek employment elsewhere.

8/22/2010 7:42:18 PM

^^euphemisms that are like dysphemisms, a.k.a. "euphemisms" (in "air quotes")

btw I learned "dysphemism" a couple years ago, along with the terms "euphemism treadmill" (like the sequence of terms for the mentally retarded) and "dysphemism treadmill" (like the terms "humbug" and "jerk")

[Edited on August 22, 2010 at 8:08 PM. Reason : no thesaurus needed

8/22/2010 8:08:13 PM

^^what does that have to do with the topic of this thread?

8/22/2010 8:41:56 PM

obviously the lawsuit is retarded

8/22/2010 10:02:40 PM

This thread is retarded spastic.

8/23/2010 4:27:37 PM

I almost made a separate thread, but won't.

What I'd like, in any case, is a Treaty on the Use of Epithets and Slurs.

For myself, personally:

1) Retard: I think it goes without saying that this word is not meant as a commentary on actual developmental disabilities. I am closely related to people to whom this term may apply. When I say, "That's fucking retarded," I'm not trying to say that I have a problem with disabled people. I mean that whatever you're saying is clearly not commensurate with the intellect you possess. Simply by the fact that you are typing coherent sentences on the wolfweb, I know that you are not actually disabled.

2) Gay/queer/faggot/etc.: It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to know when this term is being used to apply literally to homosexuals. Those people? Maybe they're assholes, based on context. For my part -- and the part of the people I associate with, who are not assholes -- these terms are not intended to convey any insult to homosexuals. It's like when you tell a man that he's acting like a woman. You don't have a problem with women -- indeed, as a heterosexual, you're quite fond of them. But when a person professes to be one thing (in this case, a straight, "masculine" guy) and then exhibits qualities that vary from that, then you're allowed to call him out.

3) The N-Word: The problem here is that it seems like most people who throw it around mean it offensively to the group for whom it was originally intended. It differs from, say, #2 in this respect: waaaaay more people who aren't gay get called fags than non-black people get called by n-gger. Quoting Chappelle's show is one thing. Saying, "My buddy got robbed by some n-gger the other day" is another thing. I personally don't say or type it because when I was young I saw OJ Simpson get acquitted and I said to myself, "Damn, I'm never letting anybody get away with murder just because I said some bullshit word."

[Edited on August 25, 2010 at 12:34 AM. Reason : boy I love men]

8/25/2010 12:33:07 AM

Quote :

"Damn, I'm never letting anybody get away with murder just because I said some bullshit word.""

hahaha

8/25/2010 12:38:27 AM

It is funny, but I'm dead serious.

Maybe the OJ trial (which my grandfather watched religiously, and who wanted OJ to hang probably just because he was black) wasn't the first time I heard the word, but my dad had forcefully encouraged me never to say it and that trial sealed the deal forever. If I've got evidence that will put a murderer away I don't wanna fuck it all up.

8/25/2010 12:42:09 AM

i don't think it matters if you intended to be offensive or not, there's really no need to use that word out of context. it just makes you look ignorant.

8/25/2010 6:50:26 AM

My thoughts on the situation are greatly affected by the fact that the first person I ever heard being up in arms about "retarded" was Sarah Palin. The same Sarah Palin who tells Dr. Laura to "reload".

8/25/2010 8:16:38 AM

pretty soon we're going to have to change terms when referring to fire retardants

8/25/2010 8:23:55 AM

Or niggardly budget revisions.

8/25/2010 10:12:19 AM