Trump’s use of the mental health slur cost him the support of at least one Republican senator, whom he had wanted to help redraw congressional district lines
I couldn’t find it in article, but he said “seriously retarded.”
I hate that this word is coming back into the fold as a slur, primarily from comedy clubs in Austin but elsewhere. I’m a big comedy fan, I like writing stand up jokes, but this feels like edgelords trying to claw back something that should remain settled—it’s cheap, lazy, unfunny, and disgusting.
I’m not particularly proud of my use of this word as a kid, and I’ve never heard our younger kids in the family use it. That feels like some meaningful progress towards love & respect for others, even if it’s small.
Having said that, I’m pretty sure someone with Down syndrome would be a better President.
I really don’t get how making that word inappropriate to say helps anybody. At various points it was common to say imbecile, moron, idiot, retard, mentally handicapped, developmentally disabled, cognitively impaired, etc. They are all attempts at describing someone with below average brain function. That is a condition that inherently overlaps with one of the most common insults on the planet, calling someone stupid. People are never going to stop using the currently socially acceptable descriptor as an insult so why not just keep using the same word?
It’s been a long running problem where the medical community uses a term for mentally impaired people, then people start using that term almost exclusively as an insult. The medical community really would prefer to not use derogatory terms clinically, so they come up with a new word. Rinse and repeat.
I can’t remember the quote exactly or who said it, but something along the lines of “once we get to the point as a society that we stop using the clinical word as an insult, we will finally be a caring society” or something like that. So like, it’s a goal to break the cycle.
It isn’t currently no. I feel like there is a difference between a “slur” and an “insult”. Sometimes people need to be insulted, but slurs are generally considered not cool. I don’t feel like I can make the determination about whether this is a slur or an insult.
I suppose it’s a noble goal in theory but it seems doomed to fail in practice, which makes the whole exercise seem rather pointless. Changing the word doesn’t change the intent behind the people using it as an insult so why give a negative connotation to a bunch of new terms? We already have several of those.
I dunno dude, baby steps I guess? I think the goal is, as a society, to change the intent behind people using it. Give people the vocabulary to insult their friends in a funny way that doesn’t have hateful undertones (they may or may not even be aware of) and also try to remove (or reduce) the hate directed at people that are “different”.
I guess just giving up is an option, but that definitely won’t make the world better either so… shrug
I think it’s just a need to feel better than others. They’ll hem and haw about this specific word than use like 12 other synonyms of stupid as if that path won’t make those words bad down the road also and they’re in the same place
No words should be banned. Words may have repercussions, socially speaking.
I think it’s in poor taste, especially as a sitting president, to use this language. It’s abhorrent and indefensible. It lowers the quality of our speech in government and erodes civility.
If you want to say it, well, it’s America. Freedoms. Fuck yeah. All that. But, if you want to shout the N word, R word, or the 6 letter F word, then I’ll respectfully ask that we don’t communicate.
I couldn’t find it in article, but he said “seriously retarded.”
I hate that this word is coming back into the fold as a slur, primarily from comedy clubs in Austin but elsewhere. I’m a big comedy fan, I like writing stand up jokes, but this feels like edgelords trying to claw back something that should remain settled—it’s cheap, lazy, unfunny, and disgusting.
I’m not particularly proud of my use of this word as a kid, and I’ve never heard our younger kids in the family use it. That feels like some meaningful progress towards love & respect for others, even if it’s small.
Having said that, I’m pretty sure someone with Down syndrome would be a better President.
I really don’t get how making that word inappropriate to say helps anybody. At various points it was common to say imbecile, moron, idiot, retard, mentally handicapped, developmentally disabled, cognitively impaired, etc. They are all attempts at describing someone with below average brain function. That is a condition that inherently overlaps with one of the most common insults on the planet, calling someone stupid. People are never going to stop using the currently socially acceptable descriptor as an insult so why not just keep using the same word?
It’s been a long running problem where the medical community uses a term for mentally impaired people, then people start using that term almost exclusively as an insult. The medical community really would prefer to not use derogatory terms clinically, so they come up with a new word. Rinse and repeat.
I can’t remember the quote exactly or who said it, but something along the lines of “once we get to the point as a society that we stop using the clinical word as an insult, we will finally be a caring society” or something like that. So like, it’s a goal to break the cycle.
I doubt the R-word is a clinical term anymore, so it sounds like maintaining that as the slur of choice is… helpful in a way?
It isn’t currently no. I feel like there is a difference between a “slur” and an “insult”. Sometimes people need to be insulted, but slurs are generally considered not cool. I don’t feel like I can make the determination about whether this is a slur or an insult.
I suppose it’s a noble goal in theory but it seems doomed to fail in practice, which makes the whole exercise seem rather pointless. Changing the word doesn’t change the intent behind the people using it as an insult so why give a negative connotation to a bunch of new terms? We already have several of those.
I dunno dude, baby steps I guess? I think the goal is, as a society, to change the intent behind people using it. Give people the vocabulary to insult their friends in a funny way that doesn’t have hateful undertones (they may or may not even be aware of) and also try to remove (or reduce) the hate directed at people that are “different”.
I guess just giving up is an option, but that definitely won’t make the world better either so… shrug
I think it’s just a need to feel better than others. They’ll hem and haw about this specific word than use like 12 other synonyms of stupid as if that path won’t make those words bad down the road also and they’re in the same place
No words should be banned. Words may have repercussions, socially speaking.
I think it’s in poor taste, especially as a sitting president, to use this language. It’s abhorrent and indefensible. It lowers the quality of our speech in government and erodes civility.
If you want to say it, well, it’s America. Freedoms. Fuck yeah. All that. But, if you want to shout the N word, R word, or the 6 letter F word, then I’ll respectfully ask that we don’t communicate.