Unpopular Opinion

There's a historical cycle where the helping professions rotate the terminology out, as the wider culture overloads the old terms with insulting usage. Eventually the new vernacular leaks out into general parlance and the cycle cycles. "Retarded" was once acceptable clinical terminology because "idiot, "moron", and "imbecile" had accumulated cultural baggage. The latter terms were, themselves, once politically correct alternatives to even older terms.

I think it's naive to think that THIS time is special, and today's politically correct terminology won't ever leak out into common usage as a slur too.

i'm austistic and love the word retard, really don't understand peoples need to be offended for others. it's not remotely close to the n-word, saying "r-word" just makes you seem like a tool imo

These stupid wars on words IMHO is the reason why "liberals" were regarded as a joke prior to trump election

Like banning "master" in github as well as dumb, regex based words filters in chats. Oh you want to mention the "beta version"? Too bad, a social justice warrior decided that "beta" is now offensive, you have to change your language so that you wont affect the hypothetic easily offendable persons

Here's the thing, the word doesn't matter... It's the intent. For example if I said "well aren't you a fucking genius" and meant it sarcastically that's just as insulting. I could also say "you gobflecker" in a aggressive tone that also bad.

An example is the old show red dwarf. The replaced every curse word with smeg. Smeg doesn't mean anything. But in the show when one character calls another a "smeghead". You know it's not nice and meant to be an insult even though they never said or explained that in the show.

Banning a word won't do anything. Ban the attitude and change people's opinions and you can change the world. For example women, not saying they are treated well by everyone but compared to 200 years ago? Or even further back? For example there was a "treatment" for women who dared consider working. They were basically forced to bed and forced to stay there only hand few broth for 6 months. They literally just had to lay there, no talking no reading no such thing as a video. Today they are treated much better, it wasn't by banning the world girl or bitch or vagina or anything it was by changing people's perception.

I've stopped using it as people have pointed out it's hurtful, but I've never fully understood why. To me it's in the same group as idiot, fool, lunatic, imbecile and cretin. Words that aren't used to describe conditions anymore, only used as insults. While they can be used with hatred, they can also be used in a teasing way with friends. To me it doesn't reach the level of racist, sexist and homophobic slurs.

I wanted to learn more and found a paper that makes the case that ableist insults are slurs. Download it here

I love the word retard. I care about people with intellectual disabilities. I don't mean them when I say it.

Honestly, it’s not a word in my vocabulary but I think this opinion is moronic, idiotic even.

The only reason it continues to be offense to those living with mental disabilities is because there are people like yourself who keep attributing the word to them.

So the solution to mean people co-opting medical language to be bullies is to ....move to another term and change the vernacular we accept from doctors so they use different words the bullies can then co-opt?

Have you tried an approach that isn't running and hiding?

Policing the hell out of language, while well intentioned, creates a backlash effect that I think actually hurts us more these days. Look at how they originally attacked "political correctness" in the 90s - because we were trying to code some improvements into language. Now people openly laugh at us for not having a solution to homelessness besides renaming them "unhoused."

Be far easier to just let the R word become the word it has become, which doesn't describe mental illness or disability anymore, much like "idiot" and "moron" and "imbecile" were once used as medical terms, and now they have none of that meaning.

What’s the next euphemism we should switch to?

For a while there in the 90’s, “differently abled” looked like it was next on the treadmill.

Words for stupid or crazy are always going to be used as insults.

There’s no reason to use the word “r-tarded” to describe someone.

Seeing how upset it makes some people it's very clear that it makes an excellent insult.

I find it difficult to imagine a future in which humans aren't making fun of impaired cognition.

I think the context is what's most important, if anyone actually directs such language (be it retarded, idiot, etc) towards people with genuine mental impairment, that constitutes a slur. But the word 'retarded' literally means 'slow', and is still regularly used (including by myself) in scientific and technical contexts (compared to racist or homophobic slurs, which are only ever really used in a 'slur' kind of way).

I wouldn't really have a problem with calling people 'slow' in jest, and I don't think many would. Imo if not 'retarded', it'll be something else with the same meaning.

When you stop being offended by letters on a page and direct that hate towards the individuals that use the word as a slur or out of context on purpose, you'll be a lot happier.

isn't it kind of divorced from the mentally ill at this point? it just means that someone is slow, which is exactly what retardation is.

Retarded isn't a slur.

N*****, Wet****, K*ke, G**k are slurs.

Ironically, the term "mental retardation" was introduced by medical and educational professionals as a less derogatory and more objective replacement for older, highly stigmatizing terms like idiot, moron, and imbecile, which themselves were previous medical classifications.

I’ve not heard anyone use that term in years. Well with the exception of one ignorant asshole

That's a retarded opinion.

Changing words doesn't change the emotions the person is feeling. They'll just find a new word to put those emotions into and the cycle starts again. It's the Euphemism Treadmill. You need to change people/society. Acting like removing a word solves the whole problem is well, retarded.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retard_(pejorative)

For context, until the 1960s, the terms moron, idiot, cretin, and imbecile were all genuine, non-offensive terms used, including by psychiatrists, to refer to people with mental intellectual disabilities and low intelligence. These words were discontinued in that form when concerns arose that they had developed negative meanings, with "retard" and "retarded" replacing them.[6][7] After that, the terms "handicapped" (United States) and "disabled" (United Kingdom) replaced "retard" and "retarded". Disabled is now considered a more polite term than handicapped in the United States as well.

Retarded is a word that is now used exclusively to talk about people who are not mentally ill acting like dumb fucking cunts. Like, its totally retarded to see people getting upset at Trump being called a retard... If you hear the word, and you think about actual disabled people. Thats a you thing. Cos I promise you, no one else is.

No one is looking at this, and thinking that anyone else, but Trump, is a fucking retard.

"Demons" is a derogatory term. You should use "Mortally Challenged"

• Doom Eternal

slurs are useful.

they are an escalation step that are words instead of physical violence.

making slurs illegals removes that step and leads the escalation straight to violence.

That is an unpopular opinion.

I don't particularly care one way or the other, but I know it really bothers some people, so I avoid using it. Best case scenario, I avoid making fun of a disability, worst case scenario, I had to go to all the trouble and effort of thinking of and using a synonym, such a terrible effort.

It is so weird to me that this opinion is unpopular, but judging by some of the comments here, I see your point.

Lol you fucking spastic - can't say that, its offensive

Are you retarded - can't say that, its offensive

Damn bro, you mentally disabled?

This will continue onward, to think otherwise is retarded.

R-tard? Is that like something about Republicans?

context is important. when I call my friend steph a "stupid bitch", we both know she's not "stupid" nor a "bitch".

when I call a political leader retarded, I mean it in a derogatory way. a slur. in all the negative meanings as possible.

when I call a neurotypical person retarded, I mean it in the same way.

however, important context, it is never acceptable to use the word to describe someone who is intellectually challenged. it's not their fault, and they have zero control over their situation.

I think it's actually offensive to even compare intellectually challenged people to the word even.

I believe the word has purpose in the lexicon still, and that is describe the willfully ignorant in a visceral way that they are forced to take offense to it.

words can have more than one meaning. if it's not directed at you or used to discriminate against you, it should be perfectly acceptable to use words to describe.

this zero tolerance and censorship of words never ended well in history only because it's a constant battle of drawing lines in sand.

I know I'll probably get banned for this comment, but I still think I deserve to speak my opinion on this. you don't have to agree or disagree, I just want people to think for themselves and not fall into a dark pattern of censorship.