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When did the word retard start carrying the same weight as nigger? Is it an American thing?
by Dramatize 15y ago
When did the word retard start carrying the same weight as nigger? Is it an American thing?
- TillE 15y agoIf you're not American, you'll probably understand when I say it carries the same weight as "spaz".
- Dramatize 15y agoSpaz is a nothing word in Australia. I found this article which begins to explain the change: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112479383 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1124793...
- nhebb 15y agoIt's not on the same level, but it is considered a mean, insensitive word. When I was a kid (70's - 80's), it was used occasionally, but not that much. Advocates for the mentally retarded became vocal about the use of the word, and, for lack of a better term, it has since been considered politically incorrect. Since that time, I've noticed that usage of the word "retard" has gone way up. Same for the word "gay". Such is human nature.
- prawn 15y agoHave noticed it (opposition to the word "retard" in that context) in Australia as well.