Why Use of the R-word Needs to Stop and People become more Civil
– Why Use of the R-word Needs to Stop –
Abusing and cursing are acts that most of us have been practicing for a long time now. At times we curse and abuse consciously, while at other times, very innocently. We use words like crazy, mad, and the r-word, retarded. Whatever our reasons for doing this, we are aware that some persons have a strong dislike for these. Also, others take particular exceptions to certain kinds of words we use on them. we want to look at why the use of the r-word needs to stop.
Do you know about the r-word? Have you ever been confronted after using the r-word on someone? Evidently, not many people will want to be addressed as people with deficiency or any inadequacies.
Consequently, when this deficiency points to mental malfunctioning, a lot of people can be so upset about the use of the r-word. This is one reason why the use of the r-word needs to stop.
How much do you know about the r-word and the recent trends surrounding it? Have you ever been a victim of harsh abuse? Or had derogatory languages like the r-word used on you? I may not know how you dealt with it, but many persons are becoming so offended by the use of this r-word.
Therefore, in this article, you will be able to learn and gather a significant amount of information about the r-word and why the use of the r-word needs to stop. You will learn what the r-word is and why the use of the word needs to be stopped.
Thus, you have to be mindful of many things in speaking to people as some expressions such as the use of r-words, can lead to so many confrontations and quarrels.
What is the R-word in Recent Times and How is the Use of the R-word?
In modern use, retard is a pejorative term either for someone with a mental disability or for someone who is stupid, slow to understand, or ineffective in some way. The adjective retarded is in the same way used for something very foolish or stupid.
It was previously used as a medical term. The verb “to retard” means to delay or hold back, and so “retard” became known as a medical term in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to describe children with retarded mental development.
Up until around the 1960s, the terms “moron”, “idiot”, “cretin” and “imbecile” were all genuine, non-offensive terms to refer to people with mental intellectual disabilities and low intelligence.
These words were discontinued in that form when concerns arose that they had developed negative meanings, with “retard” and “retarded” replacing them.
After that, the terms “handicapped” (United States) and “disabled” (United Kingdom) replaced “retard” and “retarded”. Disabled is now considered the more polite term in the United States as well.
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Etymology of the R-Word
The word retard dates as far back as 1426. It stems from the Latin verb retardare, meaning to hinder or make slow. The English adopted the word and used it as similar meaning, slow and delayed. The word “to decelerate” would become a more common term than “to retard”.
Modern use of the R-word
“Retard” has transitioned from an impartial term to one that is negatively loaded. For this reason, it is now widely considered degrading even when used in its original context.
Much like today’s widely socially acceptable terms idiot and moron, which are also defined as some sort of mental disability, when the term retard is being used in its pejorative form, it is usually not being directed at people with mental disabilities. Instead, people use the term when teasing their friends or as a general insult when in an argument.
What some Person Say about Why Use of the R-Word Need to Stop
Some people have had some really horrible experiences. A whole lot of bullying and mocking has been done with the use of the r-word. Those who have suffered this embarrassing fate will certainly not wish to experience them again.
Thus, this article has compiled some quotes and words from some persons about the use of the r-word and what the r-word is offensive. You can scan through them and start seeing why the use of the r-word needs to stop.
1. The R-word is Exclusive
“What’s wrong with “retard”? I can only tell you what it means to me and people like me when we hear it. It means that the rest of you are excluding us from your group.
We are something that is not like you and something that none of you would ever want to be. Also, we are something outside the “in” group. We are someone that is not your kind. I want you to know that it hurts to be left out here, alone.”
> John Franklin Stephens
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2. The R-word spreads Hurt
“It is wrong to pain people with your language. Especially, when you have already been made aware of your oral transgression’s impact. Make no mistake about it: WORDS DO HURT! And when you prepare your speech with “retard” and “retarded,” you are spreading hurt.”
> John C. McGinley
3. The R-word is Offensive
“The word retard is considered hate speech because it offends people with intellectual and developmental disabilities as well as the people that care for and support them.
It alienates and excludes them. It also emphasizes the negative stereotypes surrounding people with intellectual and developmental disabilities; the common belief that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities should be segregated, hidden away from society, which, in my opinion, is really old-fashioned.”
> Karleigh Jones
4. The R-word is Derogatory
“Because the word has become a casual description of anything negative or flawed, ‘retarded’ is no longer considered an appropriate way to describe people with intellectual disabilities.
And any use of the word, even when used as slang and not intended to be offensive, is hurtful – because it will always be associated with people who have disabilities.”
> Sara Mitton
5. The R-word is HATE SPEECH
“I don’t think you understand how much you hurt others when you hate. And maybe you don’t realize that you hate. But that’s what it is; your pre-emptive dismissal of them [people with intellectual disabilities], your dehumanization of them, your mockery of them, it’s nothing but another form of hate. It’s more hateful than racism, more hateful than sexism, more hateful than anything.”
> Soeren Palumbo
6. The R-word Ignores Individuality
“Words matter. People don’t need to scoff at others to make a point. Everyone has a gift and the world would be better off if we recognized it.”
>Tim Shriver
7. The R-word Equates Intellectual Disability with Being Dumb or Stupid
When saying the R-word, “What we mean is that he is as stupid as someone who is mentally handicapped, and we mean that in the most derogatory sense. The implication is that the only characteristic of mentally handicapped individuals is their stupidity.”
> Crystal, Stanford, CA
8. The R-word is Incorrect
“When you say the “R” word it makes people feel bad and it hurts my feelings and I don’t want to hear you guys say it. Instead, you can call me a leader, a hero, or a human being, but please don’t call me the “R” word.”
> Dony Knigh
9. The R-word fosters Loneliness
“It hurts and scares me when I am the only person with intellectual disabilities on the bus and young people start making “retard” jokes or references.
Please put yourself on that bus and fill the bus with people who are different from you. Imagine that they start making jokes using a term that describes you. It hurts and it is scary.”
– John Franklin Stephens
words written with a painted wood type , created and designed by CactuSoup.
Legal Perspective Towards Why Use of the R-word Need to Stop
At present, there are not many laws for or against the use of the r-word. In fact, it is just a few communities that have paid attention to this subject matter. Many people do not hold the word in any significance.
Generally, it seems a matter of very trivial magnitude to some. Though, in reality, there are places where the use of the r-word has caused a whole lot of stir.
There have been a number of lawsuits and litigations stemming from this practice. Many people find the r-word to be quite offensive and derogatory and would not take it. A whole lot of reasons have been advanced why the use of the r-word should be stopped or punishable by law.
In the United state, for instance, a law called Rosa’s Law was signed. Rosa’s Law, named after Rosa Marcellino, a nine-year-old girl with Down syndrome was enacted on October 5, 2010, by former president Barrack Obama. Accordingly, the goal of this word removal was to remove language that may be considered hurtful from communities.
Gradually, the use of the r-word is drawing much attention and is being regarded and offensive in many climes. Recently, even people in distant countries from the US are also rejecting the use of the r-word.
Thus, depending on your location and the sensitivity of the people you have around you, you may need to watch carefully how you use the r-word.
Truthfully, many people make use of the r-word quite carelessly. Though, it is true that most of them may have any negative connotations in their minds. However, for the sake of those at the receiving end, we all have to curtail how we use the r-word in the present day.
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CSN Team.
