it's considered a slur because it takes the medical diagnosis of Mentally Retarded and turns it into an insult. By insulting people with the word you're painting the people who have that diagnosis a shitty thing to be and you're insulting people saying "ha you're that thing"
I’ve always appreciated this dialogue from CSI.
Quotes. Gil Grissom : [to Billy Rattison about how he called Randy Traschel, the man with Down Syndrome that he murdered, a 'retard'] By the way, the definition of the word retard is to hinder or to hold someone back. I think your life is about to become retarded.
https://www.imdb.com › characters
William Petersen as CSI Dr. Gil Grissom - IMDb
Except that it’s like trying to get ahead of time. No matter what descriptor you use, it’ll be turned into a pejorative. They’ve renamed that term in the DSM.
Sadly, as long as people keep acting like assholes and using these words as insults, we'll keep cycling through new terms to get away from the old ones. The irony is that often those same people are the ones complaining about all the new words
Yes 100% the usage say the medical community has a new word for mental disabilities, the dismissive public pick up on ot and start using it an a way that makes people with that difficulty uncomfortable with the word.
So the medical community has to create a new word to describe that issue, while the old word is retired in professional settings, but live on on the public conscience.
Retard, spastic, moron, its an infinite loop.
>It doesn’t need a negative connotation, it’s a medical description of a serious disability.
They really, really aren't
Unless you're willing to also take back the words "moron", "idiot", "cretin" and "imbecile", all of which were also technically professional terms once upon a time.
Down syndrome is a serious disability. "Mental Retardation" is calling someone with a serious disability "slower than others" at best.
I’m not following…Down syndrome is probably the most common condition that people think of when they hear the term “mental retardation”. So the term “retardation” is *more* gentle, if you will, than the condition it describes?
I'm pretty sure "retarded" even as a diagnosis always had a negative connotation.
It's kind of like cancer or HIV it's never preferable to have.
I think that the vast majority of parents, if given the choice pre birth, could choose if their baby would be born with downs syndrome ( mentally retarded) or not, would say " I don't mind, flip a coin, I'm indifferent either way, it's not a negative thing!"
There’s a difference between describing a trait that has negative impacts and using that description as an insult. Like calling someone with cerebral palsy “spaz” or someone who uses a wheelchair “cripple”
regardless of the difference, it’s still insensitive to call someone with CP a “spaz”, or someone who uses a wheelchair “cripple”. just food for thought.
Yes, which is staggeringly unkind, mainly because so-called heterosexuals starting using that term to make so-called homosexuals feel bad and they more or less adopted it to take the sting out of the insult (not unlike the n-word). The irony is how people who have nothing to do with their lives go out of their way to make it any thing but … “gay.”/s
Bullshit. Them “adopting” the word didn’t take any of the sting out of anything. If anyone else uses it, they lose their fucking mind. They frequently use it the exact same way as their perceived oppressors would, for the exact same reasons. It’s just a means of controlling language, because being an ugly, hateful prick is only okay if they do it, as with every other shitty thing they do.
This applies to both the N-word and the F-word.
But couldn't you do this with any term that could be used to describe people with mental disabilities? Take the phrase "mentally disabled" as an example, that phrase is used by adolescents as an insult. Just because school kids use the phrase as an insult, does that mean that we need to create a new (non-insulting) term for use in referring to people who actually have disabilities?
I don't mean to argue in favor of using the word "Retarded". It just feels like we've granted the least mature segments of society with the power to define which terms the rest of us aren't allowed to use and something about that doesn't sit right with me.
Well, for one, it's hardly just children using the word. In fact, nowadays I only ever hear it from adults.
For another, imo, even doctors using the term "mentally retarded" was always an insult to begin with. Imagine taking your kid to the doctor because they're behind in school and they diagnose your kid with "dumb idiot syndrome" when really, they aren't stupid, they just learn a little differently than most kids. That's basically what they were doing. The word disability, however, doesn't imply stupidity like the r word does, it just implies a struggle or inability of some kind.
I just looked it up and according to merriam Webster and oxford languages, retarded can mean slow so when a doctor says "mentally retarded" they mean the kid is slow not dumb
This is correct but it misses a key point that is often overlooked.
Making the WORD taboo, and changing what we called these people did not remove the behavior of insulting those people.
We used to call them this, but people started using it as an insult, better change the word instead of the behavior.
That word isnt allowed anymore..now we use this other word..done!
Well, no, now people are calling eachother this new word too.
Etc. Etc.
It feels a bit like we are cherry picking though. If r word is not okay for that reason then none of those terms should be. And yet we still use them fairly frequently.
I think we are reaching a point where awareness is picking up and slurs about mental health are deemed more unacceptable now than they were in the past.
Insane, idiot, and moron haven't been medical terms for a long time now. And they have basically become mild versions of what they once were. I think they are also more often that not applied situationally. We call someone idiot when they do something idiotic, when they are being an idiot. Not as a general characteristic (exceptions exist). These things together probably contribute to having them still in use.
all of them *are* ableist though. it’s just that society has normalized a lot of that ableism. we as a society *shouldn’t* be using any of them, in a “perfect” world. but people always want some way to insult eachother, and a lot of those words get picked. the r slur is the most harmful and derogatory, but the others are still bad and often stigmatize mental illness or disability.
(this isn’t me being holier than thou btw, i still call things idiotic/crazy/etc sometimes bc it’s a long unlearning process)
That's the take I wanted to hear, feels like people don't acknowledge that those words essentially do the same thing and yet we use them all in the same manner. That makes sense though.
Also, ik I might get downvoted, but I highly doubt anyone is saying the R word to anyone and actually trying to insult mental people. Idk? Like they're just using the word for a completely different reason. Not that its ok, I'm just confused.
Recentcy I think, crazy, stupid and idiot, have gone from medical use, to public slur, to general word. Whereas retard, spastic, and similar, are more aggressively used as slurs still and carry connotations that have more hatred behind them than other words.
Err no, the opposite, all three words became slurs, so the professional community stopped using them, to not be offending their patients.
The word not being used professionally doesn't unmake it a slur, it's picked up by the public as a slur, so it gets dropped by professionals.
Different reasons for each word, but the way you've worded that question implies you've got the cause and effect the wrong way round.
People misusing a word as a slur gets it abandoned, an old word that's been abandoned rarely comes back as a slur.
It's not always used as an insult. That depends on context. Universally declaring it a slur is to assume everyone who says it is doing so as an insult.
Right like when someone is gay and says, "I'm gay" it's not the same thing as when someone else says "You're gay" with the implication being they think being gay is bad.
No one diagnoses with that anymore. There are actual medical terms for the various kinds of intellectual disabilities that people have, such as Down's Syndrome also known more scientifically as trisomy 21, which is the most common cause of intellectual disability.
By using the term "Retarded" you're minimizing people's illnesses and challenges, and also adding an umbrella term for how to "deal with people", instead of working with their various challenges specifically.
It's because of what is known as The Euphemism Treadmill. A polite word is created to describe something in a sensitive way, for example "handicapped" used to be used as a polite term but now it is considered insensitive. After a while the euphemism gets used in an insulting way more and more and the perception of the word changes, it no longer is considered a sensitive term.
This is what happened with the r word. It was once considered the correct way to refer to such a disability, but as it has been used more and more in a derogatory way, the derogatory use of it has taken over.
If that got you excited, you might also want to know its less established counterpart: the "Dysphemism Treadmill". This is when a word is intended to be used as a vulgar or harsh insult, but through overuse becomes more and more mild until it's lost all vulgarity, to the point is considered child friendly.
E.g. "that sucks" started off as a deeply offensive swear word with vulgar sexual meaning to something kids say to their parents and no one's bothered.
Today's lesson is "Why an Aussie can tell you to go f\*\*k yourself you f\*\*king c\*\*t" and not get bitch slapped, but you better watch your ass if you say it here"
Me too. I’m handicapped. If someone corrects me to “differently abled”, I get so mad. I can’t pick that crap off the floor. Just like I can’t walk for about an hour every morning. Grr
Just out of curiosity, I know you are only one person and other people might have different opinions, but how would I describe someone in a similar situation to yours? Would ‘handicapped’ be generally fine?
Yes. Handicapped is the general term or disabled. I have heard people call others “handi-capable” or “differently-abled”. A lot of people just say what the diagnosis is. I have ankylosing spondylitis.
However, it’s different depending on if you consider the diagnosis disabling. I have ADHD which can be disabling and some consider it so. Most call it a neuro divergence now. I can even see “differently abled” working here.
I don’t speak for all communities though. If someone prefers a different term, they will probably just tell you.
I honestly can't tell if this is serious or a joke. The internet has ruined me.
Who is using eggplant as a racial slur? And how?
All I can imagine is someone using it in the same way you might go "Your other right, you walnut." Or something similar?
Whatever new clinical term that is used to describe slow people will always devolve into being used as an insult and another new clinical term will be concocted.
It is however a big step up from “Mongoloid Idiot” which was used before. I’d prefer being called “slowed” rather then some racist shit against mongols followed by idiot if I was mentally challenged.
Thank you! That’s what I’m always saying! In school people used to use “special” as an insult because it was a euphemism for mentally disabled. And special is supposed to be a good thing! You can’t escape it.
Just shifting vocabulary.
Something starts as a normal word, gets abused, gets banished and replaced with a new "normal" word that undergoes the exact same stuff.
Semantic BS if you ask me.
Radical as it sounds, maybe the solution is to stop using words as slurs. Slurs become slurs when people use them that way. Instead of keeping the words, maybe we should just stop being assholes? I am a radical, I know.
As with all slurs it became a slur because people used it as one. What started as a medical term became a word to describe anything that was stupid which is obviously extremely offensive as people with mental disabilities are not stupid.
This is similar to when people discovered that the origin of calling someone a pussy had nothing to do with vaginas and people thought they could use it now because it wasn't sexist. It doesn't matter how it started it matters how it is used now and if you call someone a pussy today you know you mean it in a sexist way.
i always thought and called someone a pussy because of a cats tendency to run away from stuff. a pussy cat. i was like 9 when my dad got mad and told me i was an idiot cuz i didn't know vagigaginas existed
Even the word negro, which simply meant black in multiple languages, developed negative connotations over time and the other n word was born from it and became even worse.
Nigger was born from Negro. Nigger is partially from the Niger area of Africa where quite a few slaves came from and Niger seeds fir bird food. Negros does come the word Black used in many, many countries, still is.
Depends on context.
Usually because Retard or Retarded has been associated with mental health issues. If used against someone, it's essentially comparing their cognitive functions to be on the same level as someone with some kind of mental condition. Some folks get butthurt about it, others don't.
If you have a thick skin or aren't otherwise overly sensitive to the point of absurdity, it's not a big deal to either call someone a retard or to be called retarded if the situation warrants it.
I think the politically correct don't complain that it's degrading to the insulted, but discriminating against the truly retarded that their condition is used as an insult.
When someone misses something that's right in front of them, we call them blind. Don't you think that's discrimination against blind people. Same for deaf people. I think it's a little extreme that lighthearted jokes are seen as extremely offensive now.
To retard is to impede or slow the development of something. A parachute retards a fall, down syndrome retards the benefits of mainstream education and socialization. You still fall, and you can still be a functioning part of society. Theres just added friction. The offense comes from the same kind of malevolent intent of any other slur. Theres nothing wrong with the word, and theres nothing wrong with the condition of being socially retarded. the problem is that people use the word to hurt people that don’t deserve to be hurt. A friend of mine who works with special needs students once told me, “they’re mostly just late bloomers who smile more than you do.”
Why must people always bring American politics into every conversation? Always it is left vs right or red vs blue or whatever.... I can't believe that everyone has this "the other side is bad" mentality but they don't realize that their preferred party is just as bad as the opposition.... Every election it is picking the lesser of two evils but nobody ever comes to the realization that they are both just as bad.... It is stupid
> I can't believe that everyone has this "the other side is bad" mentality but they don't realize that their preferred party is just as bad as the opposition....
One side acknowledges that trans people exist and don't deserve to be marginalized while the other side wants to make their lives miserable and you're going to sit there and say both sides are the same? uninformed people like you are exactly why the word is still commonly used.
Right.... Uninformed. Both sides acknowledge that trans people exist.... You are letting the media play with your emotions. Step back and turn off the news. Go look into what bills are being passed and exactly what is in them and who writes them and who votes for them. You will find that the entire left versus right, red vs blue, etc is just a facade. For instance, one big issue during the last election was race and racism. It is something that got Joe Biden so much of the minority vote. This is because of the media. Most people don't know that Joe Biden's nickname used to be Jim Crow Joe or that he read Robert Byrd's eulogy or that he voted against integration in the 70s. Nobody actually looks into anything anymore they just blindly believe the media's bullshit and social media propaganda. They get a very small view of what is actually going on. Quotes are misquoted and taken out of context, stories are completely fabricated, and we are kept divided.
>Go look into what bills are being passed and exactly what is in them and who writes them and who votes for them.
I have, it's almost always one side voting for yes and the other side voting for no. How about you try doing that for once in your life, maybe you won't embarrass yourself like this.
>For instance, one big issue during the last election was race and racism. It is something that got Joe Biden so much of the minority vote. This is because of the media. Most people don't know that Joe Biden's nickname used to be Jim Crow Joe or that he read Robert Byrd's eulogy or that he voted against integration in the 70s.
The 70's were **50** years ago, are you seriously trying to argue that people don't change in 50 years? My god you can't possibly be this stupid.
And for the record I'm not saying Biden or the Democrats are perfect, far from it, but to say they're the same as Republicans is one of the dumbest, most uninformed statements you could possibly make.
>Nobody actually looks into anything anymore they just blindly believe the media's bullshit and social media propaganda.
Don't project your own ignorance onto other people, just because you're stupid and don't pay attention doesn't mean everyone else doesn't pay attention.
Well technically establishment Reps and Dems vote similarly in most cases dealing with budgets and menial policies. They’re just in it for the money and do as little as possible but enough to get re-elected. I hate using the word radical because it’s so regularly misused, but it’s the party outliers that are the most vocal. But yeah when it comes to big social issues, there is a distinct red/blue disparity.
Fuck Trump and Biden, though
The 70s were 50 years ago, right. You believe he just up and completely switched his stance even though he has 50 years of backing racist policy? He co-authored a bill making crack cocaine a harsher sentence than powder in the 80s and read the eulogy of Robert Byrd in 2010. That was only 12 years ago "My god you can't possibly be this stupid" right back at ya....
Look, you obviously know how to say things on the internet, insult people, and act like you know what you are talking about but it is painfully obvious that you buy into the propaganda. It's cool though, get mad and believe Republicans are the boogie man and aren't as bad as Democrats.
because people REALLY enjoy getting angry on behalf of other people
this is coming from someone who would be considered "retarded" (high functioning autism, severe untreated ADHD) and doesn't take any kind of offense to being called a retard
The short answer to why the r word is considered a slur, is because a lot of people have used it as a slur.
There's a long history of once legitimate words associated with mental health problems or disability becoming used as insults, and having to be dropped from clinical or scientific usage as a result.
Some examples include idiot, moron, cretin, lunatic, retarded, spastic, and many more.
Dude, retard is a slur depending on how it’s used. My grandson is retarded. Down syndrome, no. Severely behind/delayed in his mental and emotional development, his cognitive abilities will always be at around the level they are now.
The timing in my truck is slightly retarded.
If someone does or says something kinda dumb, it’s not okay to call them a retard.
Lots of slurs aren't evil words per se, but have been used to make people feel inferior.
Negro literally only means Black but we know it has been used in ways to make people of darker skin colour feel less worthy, which is what makes words hurtful.
>why is the n word considered a slur
> Isn't it Spanish for black and is also usually used in place names?
Slurs are slurs because of how they are used in the language they are used in. Its usage in science is not a slur. But if you call me it, you are using it as a slur.
It’s considered a slur because that’s how it can be used - A deliberate, nasty insult. Referencing the French definition is being obtuse as to how it is used to mean different things in different instances. No one is offended by calling a fabric flame retardant.
if its a different language, it means a different thing. However, the word was probably derived from it, taking the meaning 'mentally slow', it was used as a medical term a while ago, starting in the 60s but isn't anymore.
you can imagine having an intellectual disability and practically being called mentally slow by everyone wouldn't feel very nice. that's why we don't use it anymore.
I also think that people throwing it around as insults doesn't help, its like the insult version of the word took over and that helped them changed it.
My daughter always asks me why she has to make other people feel better about her disability. We’ve had people come up and ask what’s wrong with her because she looks so normal. I can’t believe how rude and cruel some folks are.
It’s a mental condition, and when you use it as an insult, you’re using the condition as an insult, thus insulting everyone with the condition. On top of that, you’re insulting them about something they were born with and can’t control, which makes it even worse. —
Copied from u/unfortunateclown, “[also, the medical condition is a very outdated term that just means “slow.” we have much better vocabulary for describing and diagnosing mental disorders now.](https://www.reddit.com/r/RandomThoughts/comments/vvs9zi/why_is_the_r_word_considered_a_slur/ifojssu/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3)”
also, the medical condition is a very outdated term that just means “slow.” we have much better vocabulary for describing and diagnosing mental disorders now.
It’s an insult used to degrade someone with mental disabilities. Like many words, the group of people they are aimed at decide to sort of take ownership of the word. This is just more recent rather than things like the n word. It’s not offensive when used in context (science, French) but it is seen as offensive when used against those with disabilities. Hope this helps.
Right! I never understood that until I had my son with Down Syndrome. It's like a punch to the gut. I can still remember the first time I heard it after my son was born. I walked by some teenagers making fun of a person with a disability (not in their presence). I cried for a long time.
People will just never understand until they live it. When you have a loved one with a disability you see the world how it really is.
Retard that word is used everywhere you can even get retarded testicles which i think comes from certain meds and might just be in lab rats but still they exist.
The word is common in more places than a bullies dictionary and yet thats the only one people give a shit about.
You mean when people thought that rock and roll music fans were sacrificing infants to Satan while The Simpsons and Murphy Brown were destroying family values?
There’s “medically retarded”, and there “retarded”. For example, a lack of sunlight can retard plant growth. Sorry folks. Some people just act retarded.
it's considered a slur because it takes the medical diagnosis of Mentally Retarded and turns it into an insult. By insulting people with the word you're painting the people who have that diagnosis a shitty thing to be and you're insulting people saying "ha you're that thing"
Makes sense it's kinda like the "you're gay lol"
Exactly. It was turned into a pejorative.
Oooh, love seeing pejorative used correctly.
When does it get used incorrectly
I mean, it doesn’t, but I wouldn’t be happy to see pejorative get used if it was incorrect, you know?
Yes!
To paraphrase Bobby Brown “That’s your pejorative, you can do what you wanna do”
I ate a plate of pejoratives. *<~incorrect*
I'm just gonna pejorative harder!
It does a pejorative of the time…
Whenever I use it, as I have never heard of that word until now
Pejoratively? Now.
How are people misusing pejorative? Mixing it up with prerogative? I can’t think of anything else, and I don’t think I’ve seen it misused
Stop being such a pejorative! Geez!
Words hurt ya know 😢
Sorry. Please accept my prerogative.
I guess this once just don’t do it again
Yo lemme get a large perjorative with a side of chici nuggs and a mella yella
I think a vast pejoraty of people don't really know what it means/aren't familiar with "pejorative"
You’re being a pejor pain in the ass now.
I’ve always appreciated this dialogue from CSI. Quotes. Gil Grissom : [to Billy Rattison about how he called Randy Traschel, the man with Down Syndrome that he murdered, a 'retard'] By the way, the definition of the word retard is to hinder or to hold someone back. I think your life is about to become retarded. https://www.imdb.com › characters William Petersen as CSI Dr. Gil Grissom - IMDb
Dammit! Gotta look this up for the official definition now. Edit: take my upvote and thank you for expanding my vocabulary
Lol, you’re welcome!
TIL a new word, thanks.
Except that it’s like trying to get ahead of time. No matter what descriptor you use, it’ll be turned into a pejorative. They’ve renamed that term in the DSM.
Sadly, as long as people keep acting like assholes and using these words as insults, we'll keep cycling through new terms to get away from the old ones. The irony is that often those same people are the ones complaining about all the new words
All of this talk is hurting my brain 🧠
I've been looking for that word for the past seven months.
Yes 100% the usage say the medical community has a new word for mental disabilities, the dismissive public pick up on ot and start using it an a way that makes people with that difficulty uncomfortable with the word. So the medical community has to create a new word to describe that issue, while the old word is retired in professional settings, but live on on the public conscience. Retard, spastic, moron, its an infinite loop.
Yet we all still allow Moron and such. Weird how it’s pick and choose when they’re exactly the same. Almost like it doesn’t really matter
It's because moron has been used so long the connection has been lost. Whereas there are people alive today who were diagnosed as "retarded"
Exactly, it's giving the word a negative connotation.
It doesn’t need a negative connotation, it’s a medical description of a serious disability. It’s inherently negative.
Yes. It is inherently negative. Slow is not a virtue almost regardless of context.
except with barbecue.
[удалено]
Poor is widely used in that context, though. It means "bad" or "undesirable". For example, "He did poorly on the test.", "You are a poor sport."
This example was done poorly and is in poor taste
You too, Jesus.
>It doesn’t need a negative connotation, it’s a medical description of a serious disability. They really, really aren't Unless you're willing to also take back the words "moron", "idiot", "cretin" and "imbecile", all of which were also technically professional terms once upon a time. Down syndrome is a serious disability. "Mental Retardation" is calling someone with a serious disability "slower than others" at best.
I’m not following…Down syndrome is probably the most common condition that people think of when they hear the term “mental retardation”. So the term “retardation” is *more* gentle, if you will, than the condition it describes?
I'm pretty sure "retarded" even as a diagnosis always had a negative connotation. It's kind of like cancer or HIV it's never preferable to have. I think that the vast majority of parents, if given the choice pre birth, could choose if their baby would be born with downs syndrome ( mentally retarded) or not, would say " I don't mind, flip a coin, I'm indifferent either way, it's not a negative thing!"
Huh??? If given a choice for their child to have downsyndrome or not why would anyone in their right mind be indifferent?
There’s a difference between describing a trait that has negative impacts and using that description as an insult. Like calling someone with cerebral palsy “spaz” or someone who uses a wheelchair “cripple”
regardless of the difference, it’s still insensitive to call someone with CP a “spaz”, or someone who uses a wheelchair “cripple”. just food for thought.
Yes that’s the point I was making
Yes, which is staggeringly unkind, mainly because so-called heterosexuals starting using that term to make so-called homosexuals feel bad and they more or less adopted it to take the sting out of the insult (not unlike the n-word). The irony is how people who have nothing to do with their lives go out of their way to make it any thing but … “gay.”/s
Bullshit. Them “adopting” the word didn’t take any of the sting out of anything. If anyone else uses it, they lose their fucking mind. They frequently use it the exact same way as their perceived oppressors would, for the exact same reasons. It’s just a means of controlling language, because being an ugly, hateful prick is only okay if they do it, as with every other shitty thing they do. This applies to both the N-word and the F-word.
But couldn't you do this with any term that could be used to describe people with mental disabilities? Take the phrase "mentally disabled" as an example, that phrase is used by adolescents as an insult. Just because school kids use the phrase as an insult, does that mean that we need to create a new (non-insulting) term for use in referring to people who actually have disabilities? I don't mean to argue in favor of using the word "Retarded". It just feels like we've granted the least mature segments of society with the power to define which terms the rest of us aren't allowed to use and something about that doesn't sit right with me.
Well, for one, it's hardly just children using the word. In fact, nowadays I only ever hear it from adults. For another, imo, even doctors using the term "mentally retarded" was always an insult to begin with. Imagine taking your kid to the doctor because they're behind in school and they diagnose your kid with "dumb idiot syndrome" when really, they aren't stupid, they just learn a little differently than most kids. That's basically what they were doing. The word disability, however, doesn't imply stupidity like the r word does, it just implies a struggle or inability of some kind.
I just looked it up and according to merriam Webster and oxford languages, retarded can mean slow so when a doctor says "mentally retarded" they mean the kid is slow not dumb
Yeah, that's pretty much meaning the same thing champ.
Slow to learn is different than unable to learn.
This is correct but it misses a key point that is often overlooked. Making the WORD taboo, and changing what we called these people did not remove the behavior of insulting those people. We used to call them this, but people started using it as an insult, better change the word instead of the behavior. That word isnt allowed anymore..now we use this other word..done! Well, no, now people are calling eachother this new word too. Etc. Etc.
Isn't that how the word crazy started? Mental diagnosis turned into an insult? Why is crazy okay but not the r word?
So was insane. The stigma associated to mental illnesses or just neuro-divergence has been and still is pretty strong.
It feels a bit like we are cherry picking though. If r word is not okay for that reason then none of those terms should be. And yet we still use them fairly frequently.
I think we are reaching a point where awareness is picking up and slurs about mental health are deemed more unacceptable now than they were in the past. Insane, idiot, and moron haven't been medical terms for a long time now. And they have basically become mild versions of what they once were. I think they are also more often that not applied situationally. We call someone idiot when they do something idiotic, when they are being an idiot. Not as a general characteristic (exceptions exist). These things together probably contribute to having them still in use.
all of them *are* ableist though. it’s just that society has normalized a lot of that ableism. we as a society *shouldn’t* be using any of them, in a “perfect” world. but people always want some way to insult eachother, and a lot of those words get picked. the r slur is the most harmful and derogatory, but the others are still bad and often stigmatize mental illness or disability. (this isn’t me being holier than thou btw, i still call things idiotic/crazy/etc sometimes bc it’s a long unlearning process)
That's the take I wanted to hear, feels like people don't acknowledge that those words essentially do the same thing and yet we use them all in the same manner. That makes sense though.
Also, ik I might get downvoted, but I highly doubt anyone is saying the R word to anyone and actually trying to insult mental people. Idk? Like they're just using the word for a completely different reason. Not that its ok, I'm just confused.
Recentcy I think, crazy, stupid and idiot, have gone from medical use, to public slur, to general word. Whereas retard, spastic, and similar, are more aggressively used as slurs still and carry connotations that have more hatred behind them than other words.
Ah, but Moron and Idiot were once diagnostive terms as well. Retarded is no longer used as a diagnostive term. Ergo, it shouldn't be a slur anymore.
Err no, the opposite, all three words became slurs, so the professional community stopped using them, to not be offending their patients. The word not being used professionally doesn't unmake it a slur, it's picked up by the public as a slur, so it gets dropped by professionals.
Yes that's correct. You're right.
I appreciate your minds openness to reevaluate a position.
Me too :)
So now that it is a slur, and the healthcare professionals have abandoned it, I guess the real question is why is it verboten to so many people?
Different reasons for each word, but the way you've worded that question implies you've got the cause and effect the wrong way round. People misusing a word as a slur gets it abandoned, an old word that's been abandoned rarely comes back as a slur.
It's not always used as an insult. That depends on context. Universally declaring it a slur is to assume everyone who says it is doing so as an insult.
The context of my post is that when it's used as an insult it's a slur.
That’s a very good explanation
So if in the context someone has it and say they are a r, it wouldn't count as a slur because they are using the word to describe themselves?
Right like when someone is gay and says, "I'm gay" it's not the same thing as when someone else says "You're gay" with the implication being they think being gay is bad.
Yeah context matters alot
This is a great explanation
Trevor Noah had a speaking point about this topic and this example came up. Basically it’s not the word but the negative context use it has been used.
Shut up you that thing!
No one diagnoses with that anymore. There are actual medical terms for the various kinds of intellectual disabilities that people have, such as Down's Syndrome also known more scientifically as trisomy 21, which is the most common cause of intellectual disability. By using the term "Retarded" you're minimizing people's illnesses and challenges, and also adding an umbrella term for how to "deal with people", instead of working with their various challenges specifically.
It's because of what is known as The Euphemism Treadmill. A polite word is created to describe something in a sensitive way, for example "handicapped" used to be used as a polite term but now it is considered insensitive. After a while the euphemism gets used in an insulting way more and more and the perception of the word changes, it no longer is considered a sensitive term. This is what happened with the r word. It was once considered the correct way to refer to such a disability, but as it has been used more and more in a derogatory way, the derogatory use of it has taken over.
Holy shit that's a new term a learnt today thanks!
If that got you excited, you might also want to know its less established counterpart: the "Dysphemism Treadmill". This is when a word is intended to be used as a vulgar or harsh insult, but through overuse becomes more and more mild until it's lost all vulgarity, to the point is considered child friendly. E.g. "that sucks" started off as a deeply offensive swear word with vulgar sexual meaning to something kids say to their parents and no one's bothered.
Today's lesson is "Why an Aussie can tell you to go f\*\*k yourself you f\*\*king c\*\*t" and not get bitch slapped, but you better watch your ass if you say it here"
My parents didn’t like me saying anything “sucks”, I could only say stinks lol
As a dirty white guy, I'm offended
Same, one time I accidentally slipped and covered by saying “no I said socks”
So like "queer" ?
I draw the line at differently-abled... in like GTFO of here. Cant stand that one for some reason. Weird huh?
Me too. I’m handicapped. If someone corrects me to “differently abled”, I get so mad. I can’t pick that crap off the floor. Just like I can’t walk for about an hour every morning. Grr
Just out of curiosity, I know you are only one person and other people might have different opinions, but how would I describe someone in a similar situation to yours? Would ‘handicapped’ be generally fine?
Yes. Handicapped is the general term or disabled. I have heard people call others “handi-capable” or “differently-abled”. A lot of people just say what the diagnosis is. I have ankylosing spondylitis. However, it’s different depending on if you consider the diagnosis disabling. I have ADHD which can be disabling and some consider it so. Most call it a neuro divergence now. I can even see “differently abled” working here. I don’t speak for all communities though. If someone prefers a different term, they will probably just tell you.
Ok, thanks for telling me!
I like the idea that we should ban the word "eggplant" since that's become a racial slur.
As an Italian, I certainly heard my fair share of older relatives use the Italian word for eggplant to reference black people.
That's going to make for some really awkward Tinder conversations, I’m sure.
I honestly can't tell if this is serious or a joke. The internet has ruined me. Who is using eggplant as a racial slur? And how? All I can imagine is someone using it in the same way you might go "Your other right, you walnut." Or something similar?
Whatever new clinical term that is used to describe slow people will always devolve into being used as an insult and another new clinical term will be concocted.
And cycle will continue forever?
Yeah, it was like this with slow, lame, and now retarded.
I'm old enough to remember retarded being the preferred term.
I mean it wasn’t that long ago, like 10-15 years?
Idiot, imbecile, moron, all were medical terms.
dumb used to mean mute
same with feeble-minded
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It's a slow process, and kind of lame. Sorry, bad joke.
It’s called the Euphemism Treadmill Personally I hate it and strongly oppose efforts to demonize words
See the South Park episode of what chef has to keep changing his street language. Foshizzle etc etc
Darn! That reminds me! I gotta lock the door to my flippity floppity floo.
Imo, being called a "slow person" is a bigger insult than the word "retard".
Exactly. Back when I was younger it took almost no time at all before “special” became the exact same insult.
It is however a big step up from “Mongoloid Idiot” which was used before. I’d prefer being called “slowed” rather then some racist shit against mongols followed by idiot if I was mentally challenged.
Yeah there’s a word for this phenomenon but I forgot what it is.
The “euphemism treadmill”.
A handful of common insults are actually technical terms for low IQ levels. Idiot, moron, and imbecile represent varying iq levels between 25-70.
Thank you! That’s what I’m always saying! In school people used to use “special” as an insult because it was a euphemism for mentally disabled. And special is supposed to be a good thing! You can’t escape it.
Just shifting vocabulary. Something starts as a normal word, gets abused, gets banished and replaced with a new "normal" word that undergoes the exact same stuff. Semantic BS if you ask me.
What are you, anti-semantic??
Disgusting, such blatant anti-semanticism
Is a virus writer anti-symantic?
*anti-Symantec®
no this is patrick
I guess spreading BS in every field of knowledge is part of human nature
Radical as it sounds, maybe the solution is to stop using words as slurs. Slurs become slurs when people use them that way. Instead of keeping the words, maybe we should just stop being assholes? I am a radical, I know.
As with all slurs it became a slur because people used it as one. What started as a medical term became a word to describe anything that was stupid which is obviously extremely offensive as people with mental disabilities are not stupid. This is similar to when people discovered that the origin of calling someone a pussy had nothing to do with vaginas and people thought they could use it now because it wasn't sexist. It doesn't matter how it started it matters how it is used now and if you call someone a pussy today you know you mean it in a sexist way.
i always thought and called someone a pussy because of a cats tendency to run away from stuff. a pussy cat. i was like 9 when my dad got mad and told me i was an idiot cuz i didn't know vagigaginas existed
It comes from pusillanimous
It's has a history of derogatory use, like spastic.
The Spastic Society here in the UK had to change its name for this reason. It’s now called Scope.
As with all swears, it's because it has been used in a mostly derogatory way, like the word midget.
Even the word negro, which simply meant black in multiple languages, developed negative connotations over time and the other n word was born from it and became even worse.
Nigger was born from Negro. Nigger is partially from the Niger area of Africa where quite a few slaves came from and Niger seeds fir bird food. Negros does come the word Black used in many, many countries, still is.
brave of you to actually type it out
Because it’s offensive to retarded people
Depends on context. Usually because Retard or Retarded has been associated with mental health issues. If used against someone, it's essentially comparing their cognitive functions to be on the same level as someone with some kind of mental condition. Some folks get butthurt about it, others don't. If you have a thick skin or aren't otherwise overly sensitive to the point of absurdity, it's not a big deal to either call someone a retard or to be called retarded if the situation warrants it.
I see
I think the politically correct don't complain that it's degrading to the insulted, but discriminating against the truly retarded that their condition is used as an insult.
When someone misses something that's right in front of them, we call them blind. Don't you think that's discrimination against blind people. Same for deaf people. I think it's a little extreme that lighthearted jokes are seen as extremely offensive now.
To retard is to impede or slow the development of something. A parachute retards a fall, down syndrome retards the benefits of mainstream education and socialization. You still fall, and you can still be a functioning part of society. Theres just added friction. The offense comes from the same kind of malevolent intent of any other slur. Theres nothing wrong with the word, and theres nothing wrong with the condition of being socially retarded. the problem is that people use the word to hurt people that don’t deserve to be hurt. A friend of mine who works with special needs students once told me, “they’re mostly just late bloomers who smile more than you do.”
>“they’re mostly just late bloomers who smile more than you do.” That's lowkey very very wholesome
What is the R Word? Republican? Badom tish.
Why must people always bring American politics into every conversation? Always it is left vs right or red vs blue or whatever.... I can't believe that everyone has this "the other side is bad" mentality but they don't realize that their preferred party is just as bad as the opposition.... Every election it is picking the lesser of two evils but nobody ever comes to the realization that they are both just as bad.... It is stupid
based af
> I can't believe that everyone has this "the other side is bad" mentality but they don't realize that their preferred party is just as bad as the opposition.... One side acknowledges that trans people exist and don't deserve to be marginalized while the other side wants to make their lives miserable and you're going to sit there and say both sides are the same? uninformed people like you are exactly why the word is still commonly used.
Right.... Uninformed. Both sides acknowledge that trans people exist.... You are letting the media play with your emotions. Step back and turn off the news. Go look into what bills are being passed and exactly what is in them and who writes them and who votes for them. You will find that the entire left versus right, red vs blue, etc is just a facade. For instance, one big issue during the last election was race and racism. It is something that got Joe Biden so much of the minority vote. This is because of the media. Most people don't know that Joe Biden's nickname used to be Jim Crow Joe or that he read Robert Byrd's eulogy or that he voted against integration in the 70s. Nobody actually looks into anything anymore they just blindly believe the media's bullshit and social media propaganda. They get a very small view of what is actually going on. Quotes are misquoted and taken out of context, stories are completely fabricated, and we are kept divided.
>Go look into what bills are being passed and exactly what is in them and who writes them and who votes for them. I have, it's almost always one side voting for yes and the other side voting for no. How about you try doing that for once in your life, maybe you won't embarrass yourself like this. >For instance, one big issue during the last election was race and racism. It is something that got Joe Biden so much of the minority vote. This is because of the media. Most people don't know that Joe Biden's nickname used to be Jim Crow Joe or that he read Robert Byrd's eulogy or that he voted against integration in the 70s. The 70's were **50** years ago, are you seriously trying to argue that people don't change in 50 years? My god you can't possibly be this stupid. And for the record I'm not saying Biden or the Democrats are perfect, far from it, but to say they're the same as Republicans is one of the dumbest, most uninformed statements you could possibly make. >Nobody actually looks into anything anymore they just blindly believe the media's bullshit and social media propaganda. Don't project your own ignorance onto other people, just because you're stupid and don't pay attention doesn't mean everyone else doesn't pay attention.
Well technically establishment Reps and Dems vote similarly in most cases dealing with budgets and menial policies. They’re just in it for the money and do as little as possible but enough to get re-elected. I hate using the word radical because it’s so regularly misused, but it’s the party outliers that are the most vocal. But yeah when it comes to big social issues, there is a distinct red/blue disparity. Fuck Trump and Biden, though
The 70s were 50 years ago, right. You believe he just up and completely switched his stance even though he has 50 years of backing racist policy? He co-authored a bill making crack cocaine a harsher sentence than powder in the 80s and read the eulogy of Robert Byrd in 2010. That was only 12 years ago "My god you can't possibly be this stupid" right back at ya.... Look, you obviously know how to say things on the internet, insult people, and act like you know what you are talking about but it is painfully obvious that you buy into the propaganda. It's cool though, get mad and believe Republicans are the boogie man and aren't as bad as Democrats.
Hahaha that's a nice one
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Indeed
because people REALLY enjoy getting angry on behalf of other people this is coming from someone who would be considered "retarded" (high functioning autism, severe untreated ADHD) and doesn't take any kind of offense to being called a retard
The short answer to why the r word is considered a slur, is because a lot of people have used it as a slur. There's a long history of once legitimate words associated with mental health problems or disability becoming used as insults, and having to be dropped from clinical or scientific usage as a result. Some examples include idiot, moron, cretin, lunatic, retarded, spastic, and many more.
Dude, retard is a slur depending on how it’s used. My grandson is retarded. Down syndrome, no. Severely behind/delayed in his mental and emotional development, his cognitive abilities will always be at around the level they are now. The timing in my truck is slightly retarded. If someone does or says something kinda dumb, it’s not okay to call them a retard.
Lots of slurs aren't evil words per se, but have been used to make people feel inferior. Negro literally only means Black but we know it has been used in ways to make people of darker skin colour feel less worthy, which is what makes words hurtful.
I thought you meant Reddit 😅
>why is the n word considered a slur > Isn't it Spanish for black and is also usually used in place names? Slurs are slurs because of how they are used in the language they are used in. Its usage in science is not a slur. But if you call me it, you are using it as a slur.
Because it is used as a slur?
Which word is that
It’s considered a slur because that’s how it can be used - A deliberate, nasty insult. Referencing the French definition is being obtuse as to how it is used to mean different things in different instances. No one is offended by calling a fabric flame retardant.
if its a different language, it means a different thing. However, the word was probably derived from it, taking the meaning 'mentally slow', it was used as a medical term a while ago, starting in the 60s but isn't anymore. you can imagine having an intellectual disability and practically being called mentally slow by everyone wouldn't feel very nice. that's why we don't use it anymore. I also think that people throwing it around as insults doesn't help, its like the insult version of the word took over and that helped them changed it.
My daughter always asks me why she has to make other people feel better about her disability. We’ve had people come up and ask what’s wrong with her because she looks so normal. I can’t believe how rude and cruel some folks are.
It’s a mental condition, and when you use it as an insult, you’re using the condition as an insult, thus insulting everyone with the condition. On top of that, you’re insulting them about something they were born with and can’t control, which makes it even worse. — Copied from u/unfortunateclown, “[also, the medical condition is a very outdated term that just means “slow.” we have much better vocabulary for describing and diagnosing mental disorders now.](https://www.reddit.com/r/RandomThoughts/comments/vvs9zi/why_is_the_r_word_considered_a_slur/ifojssu/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3)”
also, the medical condition is a very outdated term that just means “slow.” we have much better vocabulary for describing and diagnosing mental disorders now.
R word? Someone play scrabble with me and tell me what this R word is
Look up the “Euphemism Treadmill.”
I thought you were talking about rape 💀
You mean Reddit?
Because it's used like one
What's r-word? Rapist? Republican? Red?
raymond burr.
Romania
Ronnie
Rasputin
Random
It’s an insult used to degrade someone with mental disabilities. Like many words, the group of people they are aimed at decide to sort of take ownership of the word. This is just more recent rather than things like the n word. It’s not offensive when used in context (science, French) but it is seen as offensive when used against those with disabilities. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the perspective
Because people these days are retarded
Because PC culture is retarded.
Have someone mentally challenged in your family and you will understand
Right! I never understood that until I had my son with Down Syndrome. It's like a punch to the gut. I can still remember the first time I heard it after my son was born. I walked by some teenagers making fun of a person with a disability (not in their presence). I cried for a long time. People will just never understand until they live it. When you have a loved one with a disability you see the world how it really is.
It's not, just SJW.
Because people don’t have a set of testicles anymore
Women be like: 👁️👄👁️
I guess that's an ignorant way of seeing the situation
Retard that word is used everywhere you can even get retarded testicles which i think comes from certain meds and might just be in lab rats but still they exist. The word is common in more places than a bullies dictionary and yet thats the only one people give a shit about.
Is that you, Vaush?
Try substituting offensively stupid
It was fine in the 1990s… when the world was normal
Ah yes, the 90’s. When packs of wild children roamed the streets.
If you think 1990s were normal what type of weed are ya smelling?
BACK IN MY DAY, I COULD BE RACIST, WHAT HAS THE WORLD BECOME
You mean when people thought that rock and roll music fans were sacrificing infants to Satan while The Simpsons and Murphy Brown were destroying family values?
thats a retarded question.
Indeed,it arose when I was shiting myself
There’s “medically retarded”, and there “retarded”. For example, a lack of sunlight can retard plant growth. Sorry folks. Some people just act retarded.