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I wonder if this is an age thing? Up until very very recently, “retarded” did mean what we now refer to as mentally disabled. It was a slur that people pushed b

I wonder if this is an age thing? Up until very very recently, “retarded” did mean what we now refer to as mentally disabled. It was a slur that people pushed back on just like the words that preceded it, but the pejorative figurative use won out. But it’s too recent to say that’s definitively not what it means anymore. It’s hard to date these kinds of things, but the first document I found was the social security administration changing their terminology in just 2013. It seems pretty clear cut that while maybe “retarded” has a different meaning for younger people than it does for my age group, the phrase “literally retarded,” is clearly contrasting against the figurative use. It seems clear that it’s pointing right back to mental disability, even if “literally” is figurative here. Maybe the lesson here is that for quickly shifting words that mean something different to different generations, sensitivity is a worthwhile thing in a forum whose users span a few generations.

reaperducer 6y ago
Up until very very recently, “retarded” did mean what we now refer to as mentally disabled When I was young, it meant children who were not developing either mentally or physically to the timeline of a statistically average child. It was not necessarily a pejorative. It was just a fact.
PartiallyTyped 6y ago
I would like to point towards urban dictionary and different definitions of literally [1] that I found quite amusing, please excuse the language. > a word with no meaning in today's USA. Person 1: I am literally going to have a stroke if I see another tweet about fake news. Person 2: Are you really? Should I call 911? --- > Who fucking knows anymore? First, it meant factual, and now it means fictional. What the fuck, internet... what the fuck? --- > a much misused adverb, often for emphasis > "I literally died of embarrassment." > "Really? How was reincarnation, you fucking illiterate dipshit?" --- > A good way to show that you are a total drama queen twit is to use the term 'literally' to describe every mundane thing that you do in life --- All of this begs the question, when does a definition of a word change? I suppose it happens when we collectively agree on it, or perhaps when a large enough segment of the population agrees. Perhaps at this point, literally can mean figuratively if we consider the misuse, in the same way we accept irregardless and regardless as being one and the same. But I suppose then a new word would be necessary to literally mean literally and avoid confusion. [1] https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Literally https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Literally
- iguy 6y ago
  "begs the question" is another phrase whose meaning is now in the uncertain zone, by the same process.
- 6gvONxR4sf7o 6y ago
  > All of this begs the question, when does a definition change of a word change? (This is a perfect context for “begs the question”) I think that form of the question isn’t a useful one and that’s the issue in the broader discussion. A definition is a useful yet leaky abstraction. If you take the viewpoint that a dictionary is merely descriptive, then “the” definition isn’t really a thing. “A” definition is more appropriate. If a definition is an attempt to capture one of the common ways people use and understand a word, your question becomes this: When do the ways people use and understand a word change? At what point is there close enough to nobody left using a word in a given way? The distinction is crucial here because a word can mean many things, and it can mean different things to different people. I’d answer your question by pointing to that phrase about science: It progresses one funeral at a time.
michaelt 6y ago
> the phrase “literally retarded,” is clearly contrasting against the figurative use. There is a current fashion to use "literally" as an intensifier, rather than to mean "not figuratively". Google "literally misuse" for a wealth of hand-wringing articles. I'm pretty sure RicoElectrico is using "literally" as an intensifier - after all, companies don't have thoughts or minds, cannot be IQ tested, and therefore cannot have intellectual disabilities.

reaperducer 6y ago

Up until very very recently, “retarded” did mean what we now refer to as mentally disabled When I was young, it meant children who were not developing either mentally or physically to the timeline of a statistically average child. It was not necessarily a pejorative. It was just a fact.

PartiallyTyped 6y ago

I would like to point towards urban dictionary and different definitions of literally [1] that I found quite amusing, please excuse the language. > a word with no meaning in today's USA. Person 1: I am literally going to have a stroke if I see another tweet about fake news. Person 2: Are you really? Should I call 911? --- > Who fucking knows anymore? First, it meant factual, and now it means fictional. What the fuck, internet... what the fuck? --- > a much misused adverb, often for emphasis > "I literally died of embarrassment." > "Really? How was reincarnation, you fucking illiterate dipshit?" --- > A good way to show that you are a total drama queen twit is to use the term 'literally' to describe every mundane thing that you do in life --- All of this begs the question, when does a definition of a word change? I suppose it happens when we collectively agree on it, or perhaps when a large enough segment of the population agrees. Perhaps at this point, literally can mean figuratively if we consider the misuse, in the same way we accept irregardless and regardless as being one and the same. But I suppose then a new word would be necessary to literally mean literally and avoid confusion. [1] https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Literally https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Literally

iguy 6y ago
"begs the question" is another phrase whose meaning is now in the uncertain zone, by the same process.
6gvONxR4sf7o 6y ago
> All of this begs the question, when does a definition change of a word change? (This is a perfect context for “begs the question”) I think that form of the question isn’t a useful one and that’s the issue in the broader discussion. A definition is a useful yet leaky abstraction. If you take the viewpoint that a dictionary is merely descriptive, then “the” definition isn’t really a thing. “A” definition is more appropriate. If a definition is an attempt to capture one of the common ways people use and understand a word, your question becomes this: When do the ways people use and understand a word change? At what point is there close enough to nobody left using a word in a given way? The distinction is crucial here because a word can mean many things, and it can mean different things to different people. I’d answer your question by pointing to that phrase about science: It progresses one funeral at a time.

michaelt 6y ago

> the phrase “literally retarded,” is clearly contrasting against the figurative use. There is a current fashion to use "literally" as an intensifier, rather than to mean "not figuratively". Google "literally misuse" for a wealth of hand-wringing articles. I'm pretty sure RicoElectrico is using "literally" as an intensifier - after all, companies don't have thoughts or minds, cannot be IQ tested, and therefore cannot have intellectual disabilities.