6 ms·

Retarded is not a slur. Never was. People keep picking arbitrary words and saying they're "offensive", but there's no reason why. I have heard kids call each

Retarded is not a slur. Never was. People keep picking arbitrary words and saying they're "offensive", but there's no reason why. I have heard kids call each other "mentally challenged" and "developmentally delayed", I kid you not. Younger kids have trouble pronouncing those, so maybe that's something? Anyway, I refuse to partake in the euphemism treadmill.

arpa 6y ago
I found it ironic that in screenshot it says both "r-word" and "DeepFuckingValue". Zeitgeist, i guess.
kenjackson 6y ago
Retarded can definitely be used as a slur. And, in general, you don’t need to be offended for a word to be offensive to others.
- vorpalhex 6y ago
  I was at some point describing a friend and used the word "gypsy". Another friend got very upset at me and went on a long rant about how the word is offensive and wrong and I should be ashamed for using it. I used gypsy because it's the title the person I was describing used. It's how they asked to be referred to, and as it's their literal blood heritage, I'm going to refer to them however they want to be referred to. This happens today with words like "transsexual" - there are people very offended by that phrase and there are people who self-label using that phrase and want to be called that. If we as a species are going to continue down a path of globalization where we have a lot of different cultures and communities around us, we're going to have to understand a word is not verboten universally. There's a difference between someone not wanting to be called retarded and taking offense anytime the word itself is used - even in non-derogatory contexts.
germinalphrase 6y ago
My Midwestern upbringing was certainly peppered with people using ‘retard’ as a slur, so... mileage may vary?
- Person5478 6y ago
  I think the idea is that a slur is a much stronger insult typically aimed at one's ethnicity. What's being said here is that the word retard is an insult, but does not rise to the level/strength of a slur.
  - germinalphrase 6y ago
    Feels like you’re cutting that a bit thin. In any case, my experience (and - probably - the context of my cultural upbringing) was that the word was used to both denigrate people with developmental disabilities and to degrade those who did not. This wasn’t calling someone a “loser”. This was using an immutable characteristic of someone’s personhood against them and attacking others by asserting a resemblance.
    - Person5478 6y ago
      In the US calling someone a retard is considered very tame compared to calling them a nigger or spic, etc. Yes, calling someone a retard isn't polite, but it's nowhere near the level of offense of the other words. Not all insults are created equal and that was the point the other poster was making. Putting it in the same category as the other words is a bit much. It's like comparing Harvey Weinstein with that drunk asshole who slapped the waitress on the ass. Neither are good, but they also don't deserve to be described as equivalent.
  - mint2 6y ago
    Wait I’m misunderstand you, right? Reading your comment it almost seems like yours saying that the r word isn’t a slur or isn’t that bad of one?! It’s a word that takes a whole class of people and uses them as an insult when talking about other people. Are you seriously going to try to pull some narrow technical originalist definition to argue that in this specific edition of this specific dictionary it defines “slur” as being about ethnicity and thus that word can’t be a “slur” bc it effects a class of people that isn’t a specific ethnicity?
    - 6y ago
newacct583 6y ago
The original context, FWIW, is that the /r/wallstreetbets community calls themselves "retards" ironically. That is absolutely a slur; calling someone "retarded" in that sense is calling them stupid by likening them to people with developmental disabilities. And that is offensive to a lot of people in the modern world. And, to be perfectly frank, that offense is exactly the reason why the WSB community adopted it in the first place. They wanted to be edgy, if it wasn't a slur they would have chosen a different term that was.
- nate_meurer 6y ago
  And according to Taylor Lorenz, by using the word "retard" in your reply, you are perpetuating this slander and showing yourself to be insensitive and ableist. If your defense of Ms Lorenz upthread was at all sincere, you should apologize for your use of this word and then delete your account. I'm being obviously sarcastic, but I'm guessing the irony will be lost on you.
- ric2b 6y ago
  But they called _themselves_ retards, they're not insulting others. It's because they're aware that most of what they do is dumb gambling (with some occasional actual research thrown in) but they do it anyway.
quantified 6y ago
Most definitely a slur, on the spectrum with “fag”. Special ed teachers are “tard wranglers”. Got that from one of my little ones. I suspect “you retard” is stronger than “that’s retarded”. Unlike various other slurs, the word has various valid uses apart from mental development so it’s not going away.

arpa 6y ago

I found it ironic that in screenshot it says both "r-word" and "DeepFuckingValue". Zeitgeist, i guess.

kenjackson 6y ago

Retarded can definitely be used as a slur. And, in general, you don’t need to be offended for a word to be offensive to others.

vorpalhex 6y ago
I was at some point describing a friend and used the word "gypsy". Another friend got very upset at me and went on a long rant about how the word is offensive and wrong and I should be ashamed for using it. I used gypsy because it's the title the person I was describing used. It's how they asked to be referred to, and as it's their literal blood heritage, I'm going to refer to them however they want to be referred to. This happens today with words like "transsexual" - there are people very offended by that phrase and there are people who self-label using that phrase and want to be called that. If we as a species are going to continue down a path of globalization where we have a lot of different cultures and communities around us, we're going to have to understand a word is not verboten universally. There's a difference between someone not wanting to be called retarded and taking offense anytime the word itself is used - even in non-derogatory contexts.

germinalphrase 6y ago

My Midwestern upbringing was certainly peppered with people using ‘retard’ as a slur, so... mileage may vary?

Person5478 6y ago
I think the idea is that a slur is a much stronger insult typically aimed at one's ethnicity. What's being said here is that the word retard is an insult, but does not rise to the level/strength of a slur.
- germinalphrase 6y ago
  Feels like you’re cutting that a bit thin. In any case, my experience (and - probably - the context of my cultural upbringing) was that the word was used to both denigrate people with developmental disabilities and to degrade those who did not. This wasn’t calling someone a “loser”. This was using an immutable characteristic of someone’s personhood against them and attacking others by asserting a resemblance.
  - Person5478 6y ago
    In the US calling someone a retard is considered very tame compared to calling them a nigger or spic, etc. Yes, calling someone a retard isn't polite, but it's nowhere near the level of offense of the other words. Not all insults are created equal and that was the point the other poster was making. Putting it in the same category as the other words is a bit much. It's like comparing Harvey Weinstein with that drunk asshole who slapped the waitress on the ass. Neither are good, but they also don't deserve to be described as equivalent.
- mint2 6y ago
  Wait I’m misunderstand you, right? Reading your comment it almost seems like yours saying that the r word isn’t a slur or isn’t that bad of one?! It’s a word that takes a whole class of people and uses them as an insult when talking about other people. Are you seriously going to try to pull some narrow technical originalist definition to argue that in this specific edition of this specific dictionary it defines “slur” as being about ethnicity and thus that word can’t be a “slur” bc it effects a class of people that isn’t a specific ethnicity?
  - 6y ago

newacct583 6y ago

The original context, FWIW, is that the /r/wallstreetbets community calls themselves "retards" ironically. That is absolutely a slur; calling someone "retarded" in that sense is calling them stupid by likening them to people with developmental disabilities. And that is offensive to a lot of people in the modern world. And, to be perfectly frank, that offense is exactly the reason why the WSB community adopted it in the first place. They wanted to be edgy, if it wasn't a slur they would have chosen a different term that was.

nate_meurer 6y ago
And according to Taylor Lorenz, by using the word "retard" in your reply, you are perpetuating this slander and showing yourself to be insensitive and ableist. If your defense of Ms Lorenz upthread was at all sincere, you should apologize for your use of this word and then delete your account. I'm being obviously sarcastic, but I'm guessing the irony will be lost on you.
ric2b 6y ago
But they called _themselves_ retards, they're not insulting others. It's because they're aware that most of what they do is dumb gambling (with some occasional actual research thrown in) but they do it anyway.

quantified 6y ago

Most definitely a slur, on the spectrum with “fag”. Special ed teachers are “tard wranglers”. Got that from one of my little ones. I suspect “you retard” is stronger than “that’s retarded”. Unlike various other slurs, the word has various valid uses apart from mental development so it’s not going away.