UConn James Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Actually, I agree with Cinga here now that he's made me think about it. It is taking a cultural descriptor and turning into a perjorative, which is unnecessarily hurtful and unintentionally (usually) bigoted towards those to whom the descriptor actually applies. It's really no different than calling something that is stupid and undesirable "gay". It would be more cut'n'dried if language were static. But it isn't. There are any number of things for which ANY word that is used for it, even a purely clinical nonjudgmental descriptor quickly becomes a pejorative no matter how much those clinical people want to maintain it as a nonpejorative. Take words that describe human waste --- they ALL become off-color. Even when the so-called clinical terms are used, the person saying it almost always hesitates/pauses to non-verbally communicate that they're not using it crudely. Similarly, words for black/African-American/n-----/negro/etc. have changed back forth as to what's 'acceptable'/polite usage. Same with gay/homosexual/fag/queer/etc. 'Retarded' is currently in a state of flux, I'd say. Rude, but being used more and more and more colloquially as mentioned above. Describing people with Down's and other conditions, it's now pretty difficult to come out with the clinical word because that which is deemed offensive is changing and/or anything used to describe it can be deemed offensive by different people. Yes, I too frown on using "retarded" like this. But, realistically, you probably shouldn't get too upset. As David Gray sings, in "December": "Words don't bother me no more".... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakeYouToTasker Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Uh, maybe I'm the one that is.............slow here, but I guess I don't get it. Lent, best observed, requires difficult sacrifice. My senior year attending a Catholic high school, I attempted to give up sobriety. It was the most difficult and physically taxing thing I've ever attempted. It also resulted in a week long suspension that would have been an expulsion if the Dean of Students hadn't found it to be hilarious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UConn James Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 But it's the opposite. Retarded was never a cultural descriptor. It was never a medical term. Its use towards people has always been a pejorative, and from my vantage point, I'm glad that it's finally being used at the people who truly deserve the title. From Wikipedia: Mental Retardation GG, I'm surprised that you never heard of the term "mentally retarded." IIRC, that was the clinical terminology in use while I was in grade school.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Tom, you have such a way with words, but the term "retard", is one that went out in the 70s, and is demeaning to the reality of those who truly are... Why might you ask?? Because people came to realize, it was a term only idiots and morons used against people they disagreed with. What does it mean after all?? Slow??? Right??? I have one that is near and dear to me, that you would call "retarded", but in my own life, he never, ever fails to show me how ignorant I am. Me... with a 138 IQ.... Can learn so much from this "retarded" young man, and I do, every single day of my life... Yes, he's slow... But I can give him a math problem, most of you need a calculator for, and he can do it, on paper, I'd bet, within seconds of how long it took you to turn the calculator on... Heck, he watches the news, and could tell you, verbatim, what Obama said not only last night, but after a moment to collect his thoughts, I bet he could recite PBOs acceptance speech 4 years ago.... This "retard", is my baby brother.... A much better man than you, or I, can ever hope to be... One time I'll ask.... quit abusing that word... It only shows how ignorant WE are.... And I'm the legal guardian of a 35-but-functionally-12 year old nephew, who had his brain cooked by a fever when he was 5. I would consider it an abuse of "retarded" to call him, OR your brother, "retarded." Your brother sounds autistic, not retarded. My nephew has a brain injury, and is developmently disabled. I don't consider either one to be retarded. If you're offended by the use of "retarded" because you associate it with your brother, I auggest you stop associating it with him, and not blame me for your association. I never so much as implied he was retarded...you did. I have all the sympathy in the world for him, and if I had at all offended him would apologize. You, after having you make your own insulting association my responsibility, and invented offense where ot could only be given by projecting your own idiotic interpretations on to me...yeah, not so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dayman Posted October 20, 2012 Author Share Posted October 20, 2012 (edited) Words are only words gentlemen. And the internet is the internet. Context is reality. My take. Of course, I'm a pariah. Edited October 20, 2012 by TheNewBills Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Words are words gentlemen. And the internet is the internet. My take. Of course, I'm a pariah. I'm a pedantic supercilious anal orifice. Nice to meet you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 I'm a pedantic supercilious anal orifice. Gussy it up however you want. Anybody that's been here a while knows what you are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdnlng Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 And I'm the legal guardian of a 35-but-functionally-12 year old nephew, who had his brain cooked by a fever when he was 5. I would consider it an abuse of "retarded" to call him, OR your brother, "retarded." Your brother sounds autistic, not retarded. My nephew has a brain injury, and is developmently disabled. I don't consider either one to be retarded. If you're offended by the use of "retarded" because you associate it with your brother, I auggest you stop associating it with him, and not blame me for your association. I never so much as implied he was retarded...you did. I have all the sympathy in the world for him, and if I had at all offended him would apologize. You, after having you make your own insulting association my responsibility, and invented offense where ot could only be given by projecting your own idiotic interpretations on to me...yeah, not so much. Tom, this response was right on target, right up to your last sentence. I'll bet you've never been called magnanimous, have you? This whole conversation has been about both of you with close relatives that have some challenges and you're choosing to be a dick? For f's sake, Cinga takes exception with the word "retarded". Is it such a reach for you to say, "Hey, I meant no harm, been there and look at it differently but will try not to offend too often, but in case I do, "f" you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Gussy it up however you want. Anybody that's been here a while knows what you are Wait, I thought he was a crap-throwing monkey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 From Wikipedia: Mental Retardation My oversight. I should have said that retardation has not been used in medical terminology in over 20 years, if not more, as the pejorative has replaced its utility in the vernacular. Kind of like people no longer use queer and gay in their long standing meanings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VABills Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 My oversight. I should have said that retardation has not been used in medical terminology in over 20 years, if not more, as the pejorative has replaced its utility in the vernacular. Kind of like people no longer use queer and gay in their long standing meanings. We don't? I never got the memo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 We don't? I never got the memo. Not for 30 or 40 years. You know, a century ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RkFast Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 This thread is gay and retarded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VABills Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 This thread is gay and retarded. With a bunch of queers in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Anchorage Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 This thread is gay and retarded. This thread is gay full of faggots and retarded and filled with mental defectives I can outdo you any day of the week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdnlng Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 This thread is gay full of faggots and retarded and filled with mental defectives I can outdo you any day of the week. Gay, Gayer and Gayest: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RkFast Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 http://misfitpolitics.co/2012/10/michelle-branch-is-a-hypocrite/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 And I'm the legal guardian of a 35-but-functionally-12 year old nephew, who had his brain cooked by a fever when he was 5. I would consider it an abuse of "retarded" to call him, OR your brother, "retarded." Your brother sounds autistic, not retarded. My nephew has a brain injury, and is developmently disabled. I don't consider either one to be retarded. If you're offended by the use of "retarded" because you associate it with your brother, I auggest you stop associating it with him, and not blame me for your association. I never so much as implied he was retarded...you did. I have all the sympathy in the world for him, and if I had at all offended him would apologize. You, after having you make your own insulting association my responsibility, and invented offense where ot could only be given by projecting your own idiotic interpretations on to me...yeah, not so much. I have a nephew who is severly autistic and at the age of 29 has never spoken a word in his life and never will. I have never once called nor considered him a retard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakeYouToTasker Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 This whole thread would have been so much cooler if you guys had treated this situation as if Cinga had been in front of you. Instead you cowards opted for e-peens. Remember that. It's who you are as men. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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