Oh, how I hate the R-word.
"Retarded."
That word really strikes a chord, doesn't it? As someone who might have Asperger's Syndrome, this word cuts as deeply as using "autistic" as a slur.
If you read my blog attacking the word "autism" as a slur, then you know my feelings. Like "autism," the R-word is an insult that attacks people with autism or people with other mental deficiencies. By calling someone a "retard," you're cutting that person deep in such a way that's indescribable. By using the R-word, you're telling me, "I'm a bigot and will demean the very core of what you are." It's like calling a black person the N-word, a gay person the F-word, a woman the C-word, a transperson the T-word (or "she-male" for a transwoman), or a Jewish person the K-word.
The casual use of an offensive word does nothing except make people feel unwelcome and insecure. Words cut deep. "Retard" is one such case where it cuts REALLY deep, especially to someone like myself, because it attacks me as a person. And I know it affects millions of others, too. The second you use this ableist slur so freely, you're being a bigoted bully. Language shouldn't be taken for granted, and casual use of "retard" should not be tolerated.
The sad part about this is how often I see it on here. I won't be afraid to admit that I am someone who once reported people occasionally for using it so casually. Unfortunately, the posts often stayed up, so I don't remember the last time I did it. I don't know the current situation about it, but if usage of this word as an ableist slur (either in verb or noun form) isn't a part of the abusive behavior rule, then I feel it needs to be changed.
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