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Mazel Tov Haifagirl, that in no way changes anything else said on this thread.
Also thos earent the only two times you heard the word used, this thread is riddled with it.
Haifagirl:
It is considered offensive to use “retard” as an insult because such use is hurtful to the developmentally disabled (for whom it was previously used exclusively as a technical name).
It is considered offensive to use “retard” for a developmentally disabled person because it has acquired a negative connotation due to being used as an insult.
When the person using the word in relation to a DD person is a close relative of said person, it is obvious that they do not mean it negatively. But this does not mean that the word is appropriate for general use. In your cases, the people using the word may not even be aware that many consider the word offensive.
(And would even those people use the word for that son or sister in their presence?)
it is obvious that they do not mean it negatively
I think I’ve demonstrated my ability to figure out all the different things someone can mean, but I’m a little busy, DaasYochid. Could I ask you to state your point explicitly?
(That’s a good word for b’feirush, for all you aspiring ArtScroll writers.)
Bump. I think that’ll do it.
the most striking point brought out on these discussions is what certain posters will be willing to agree with and defend just because popa said it.
I didn’t have a chance to read this thread yet – just the op. To tell you the truth, I don’t know if it would have occurred to me until a few years ago that it’s offensive to use the word this way.
But I have a friend whose daughter is retarded, and she told me once that one of her kids was really upset because of something that happened in school. I don’t remember the details but I think it had to do with one kid calling another kid retarded (except that it was in Israel so he used the hebrew word), and my friend’s kid (and my friend too) both thought it was very offensive.
I did point out to my friend that you can’t really blame the kid since it wouldn’t occur to a kid who doesn’t have a retarded sibling (and isn’t aware that his classmate does) that there was anything offensive about it. She agreed with me, but still found it upsetting.
I realized as I am writing this that I might have the situation wrong. It is possible that what happened was that he told his friend that he belongs in _____School and he named the school that my friend’s daughter is in (not knowing about my friend’s daughter).
In any case, I could hear why someone would not think it’s a problem to use the R word, but I could also hear why someone would. I want to ask my friend what she thinks.
you got to be a retard to think that saying retard is not offensive.
Hashkafahmaster613 – what does that make you? 🙂
Yes, “retard” is offensive. Because that’s what the word is for, plantainbrains. So are “imbecile”, “dunce”, “cumberground”, “birdbrain”, “nitwit”, “doofus”, “airhead”, and all other insults. Because an insult that is not offensive is useless.
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