Wikepedia states
“Much like today’s 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.”
Is it only a slur if directed at soneone with mental disabilities? Is it a slur if durected at onself?
Whats lemmies take on this?
I’m retarded and I don’t find it offensive
It is always a slur, even directed to someone mentally healthy, because it reinforces ableist and hateful stereotypes.
The same way calling men and boys female slurs like bitch or pussy is mysogonistic and puts women down.
You don’t call a person a “retard” in a complimentary way. You compare them to a mentally disabled person to convey how dumb or stupid they are. Putting other people down at the same time.
Yes, it is a slur.
Is idiot or moron a slur?
Those have a cartoonish atmosphere to them, similar to “fool”. Have you ever seen the R word used by a childrens’ character in a lighthearted light?
Yes, it’s a slur. Especially outside of the US (where mental conditions are less overtly stigmatised).
Supposedly it’s being “reclaimed” by the alt-right on Twitter. But obvously don’t listen to the alt-right’s views on social progressiveness.
Also, don’t call yourself “retarded”, you’re better than that. <3
Edit: I’m in the UK, and I find this list useful to figure out what’s offensive and what isn’t: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-standards/offensive-language
Supposedly it’s being “reclaimed” by the alt-right on Twitter.
omg I would love to see some examples! is it like when they claimed that, “We are all domestic terrorists”? I would pee my g-string if I saw that they seriously said, “We are all re******” 😆
Slurs should not be excusable when directed at oneself.
For example, if you were to say “I am a retard” in front of someone with a disability, who may have been labeled as such throughout their life, how do you imagine they would feel about that?
Disagreed. As a certified lifelong retard with the papers to back it up medically, I will never relinquish my right to refer to myself however I want. If someone else takes offense, it’s 100% on them.
Remember, offense is always taken, never given.
Remember, offense is always taken, never given.
If you believe this idiot semantic nonsense then you really are a retard.
proudly proclaiming that you use slurs… doesn’t mean it’s not a slur
Exactly. Responsibility always lies with the recipient, you cant blame me for punching your face, its your pain. I didnt rape you, you got yourself raped.
Lol equating words with physical actions. Guess us retards are in good company here. Have a seat.
While you may have the right to call yourself what you want, you shouldn’t use it in an “us” context. At least I wouldn’t be okay with it.
Let’s go through examples:
“He’s retarded” - that’s a slur, unless it’s ironic.
“That was retarded” - not a slur, cause it’s kinda taking a dig at an action, not a person.
“I’m retarded” - technically a slur but almost always used with a hint of irony, therefore usually not a slur.
That’s how I use the word with my friends. And I have autism, so technically 100 years ago I would have been the resident retard ;)
Utterly incorrect. Irony does not affect whether a thing is a slur or not. It doesn’t matter what you use the slur towards, it remains a slur. Any excuse you use to explain why you can use a slur is exactly that: an excuse.
Youre right that irony doesnt stopbit being a slur, but usage absolutely matters. Unless you think its inexcusable black people using the n word with each other? Context is incredibly important.
Just to make it clear, I am white, so take my opinion on this with a grain of salt.
From what I understand, there isn’t a universal consensus among black communities that the n-word is okay between black people. Some people get just as offended no matter who says it.
Of course, some people are perfectly fine with it, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a slur. It’s still a slur, it’s just not offending anyone at that moment. It’s like an empty gun: it won’t harm anyone, but it’s still a gun.
Any excuse you use to explain why you can use a slur is exactly that: an excuse.
I guess that is what I take issue with, that statement makes it sounds like any use of a slur is always wrong regardless of context and that any reason for using it is just to wiggle out of you being a bad person.
I mean, it might be a good excuse. Doesn’t change the slur.
In Blazing Saddles, the actors playing the racists apologised to their co-stars after every take. They had a damn good excuse to say what they said, but they still apologised for saying it.
What’s wrong with someone having cognitive difficulties? Why do you feel the need to use the word as a descriptor for negative things?
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nothing. I have autism. There’s nothing wrong with me, but I’m obviously a little bit different like other people, which in itself is neither good nor bad.
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because we need a descriptor and that’s just what my friends use; we know what we mean with it and what we don’t.
Also I’m gonna take those questions at face value, but I’m just gonna note the first question is a bit out out of left field, as no one implied that something’s wrong with that.
But I don’t wanna assume you are an asshole, so I’m gonna take it as a misunderstanding.
The way I usually see it playing out is that people usually call things are negative “reatarded” (e.g. “This app is retarded!”, “Wow, I thought that tomato was a fruit, lmao I’m still retarded!”). It just pushes the negative stereotypes associated with it. I don’t know if that’s what you are doing, but that’s how I see a lot of “stop being sensitive bros” do it.
I know its easy to say that every one who hears you talk fully understands precisely what you mean, but do they? I’ve seen stories of people who “ironically” use racial slurs and didn’t realise that it resulted in most of their friends turning out to be actual racists. Likewise, are you pushing away would-be friends who don’t want to associate with people who casually throw out slurs? That’s ignoring the impact of saying it in a public place, where victims of abuse can hear it.
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Dictionary definition for a slur is: an insulting or disparaging remark or innuendo
Calling someone a retard definitely aint a compliment and even when used jokingly among friends, the meaning of the word itself still remains the same. I think everyone agrees that the n-word is a slur too despite black people calling eachother that without the intention to offend and no offence being taken. By this definition, I’d say retard counts as a slur too.
However, if someone takes issue with the word retard but doesn’t mind the use of words moron, idiot or imbecille, then they’re just being a hypocrite.
So idiot, moron, cunt, fucker, bitch, slut, dick, cock, dickhead cockhead, cunthead, fuckhead, bitchface, shit, shithead, shitface etc etc
Are all slurs by the dictionary definition?
Fuck the people that pick and choose the words they get upset about. People happily useing the n-word and then getting insulted 10mins later when the r-word is mentioned are the worst.
Lol show me any example of some one using the n word then getting mad about the r word
I’m autistic and both me and my autistic friends call ourselves retarded all the time lol. I’d rather be called that than “neurodiverse” or whatever the euphemism treadmill has come up with.
(As an aside, it’s also an engineering term, for it’s original meaning, slow down)
It means you are not afraid. Because most people are really worried about someone telling them that they are being racist, insulting, or whatever they come up with. The definition of being these things is up to the person, not you. So you are a racist if you are being called a racist by someone, appearently. :)
Maybe you can tell that im mostly laughing at the politically correct movement of today… :)
You have to differentiate. Calling your friends stuff is one thing, doing so to others is something different. It still is a slur, no matter what it has been years ago, and it will hurt somebody.
But yeah, we use it too from time to time. I am autistic myself and so are most of my friends. But my preferences or my condition doesn’t give me some special right to act like a jackass to others.
I mean, at the very least we can try.
the engineering term is a different word with different pronunciation. It’s not even a noun.
Removed by mod
I love how people are dictating to you how you are allowed to use a word that describes yourself. Its like telling a black man he cant say the n-word (i would type it and put it in " but can almost guarantee ill be banned for doing that) because its racist.
Slurs work like a treadmill. Technical terms start being used as slurs (“moron” and “idiot” are examples) and are replaced by new, neutral words, and the cycle begins again. We’ve had a few decades of “special” being used as a euphemism for mental disability, and that word is on its way to becoming a slur (in certain contexts, it can be used unambiguously as one).
But moron and idiot both come from simmillar backgrounds as retarted why is only retarded a slur and not the others?
They are slurs, but there’s so much distance between today and the original medical usage of these terms that people have forgotten. Both are still terms with a history based in describing someone with an intellectual or developmental disability
So hows retard any different?
Time.
Idiot is 14c Moron 1922 Retard 1950-1960
So all 3 are ages ago moron and retard are very simmillar why is it acceptabpe to say moron and not retard?
https://www.etymonline.com/word/retard https://www.etymonline.com/word/moron https://www.etymonline.com/word/idiot
Words like moron and idiot can be used as generalized insult. They can be offensive, but it doesn’t refer to a certain person or people. Moron and idiot are both defined as being stupid and stupid is defined of lack of intelligence or common sense. The word “retard” refers to people that have mental retardations. The individual person can control being stupid, but they can’t control being mentally retarded.
Welp ur half right here is what doctor duck duck go says :
moron /môr′ŏn″/
noun
A person who is considered foolish or stupid.
A person of mild mental retardation having a mental age of from 7 to 12 years and generally having communication and social skills enabling some degree of academic or vocational education. The term belongs to a classification system no longer in use and is now considered offensive.
idiot /ĭd′ē-ət/
noun
A person who is considered foolish or stupid.
A person of profound mental retardation having a mental age below three years and generally unable to learn connected speech or guard against common dangers. The term belongs to a classification system no longer in use and is now considered offensive.
I’ll take half right
But ull still give me a downvote for copy pasting the actuall definition cos u where incapable of fact checking urself.
Welp seems we can also use ur argument for retard as well, so not only are you half wrong you argument proves me full right.
retard
noun
Retardation; delay. Similar: retardation delay
A mentally retarded person.
A person who is stupid or inept, especially in social situations.
Whoa whoa whoa. Slowdown. I didn’t downvote you. I actually forgot to vote at all
And you’re insinuating that I’m a retard because I downvoted you? Take a day from lemmy friend. We all get worked up and I believe you’re worked up
Well if it wasnt u then i guess poor timing didnt bother to check so guess im retarded if anyone is. And no i was simply showing that your argument for why the other words are fine applies equally to “retard”.
I think “slur” also requires a component of direct offense for it mean anything. I don’t think it is valid to be offended for somebody else if that somebody else isn’t actually offended. If I make up a slur on the spot denigrating some aspect of your person that you do not find offensive (eg. Flumplenook - for a person who’s a bit clumsy), is it really a slur?
So if you call someone retarded, and they do not have the mental faculties to be offended, is it really a slur?
For slurs to have any meaning, any power, they need to be understood and internalized as offensive.
Many people who would be labelled “retarded” (as in, people with learning disabilities presenting external physical symptoms like Down’s Syndrome) find the term offensive and say it is a slur. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, because they are not affected in the same way. It is a slur.
Everything is a slur. It’s not about the word, it’s about intention and usage. Everyone who is fine with idiot but gets karen-y at retard does not care about people of reduced intelligence but only about oppressing those around him and making himself feel superior.
So calling oneself retarted is fine?
Only if you have a condition which could fall under the umbrella of mentally retarded. Otherwise you’re just trying to illustrate a depreciation of self-worth, by insinuating that those with said disabilities are somehow worth less because of it.
It’s that last part that’s shitty.
I would argue that it’s not ok due to the context of the word and self-deprication creates negative feedback loops
If you can’t even spell the slur, that’s another reason not to use it
One could make the point the word is rigged against lighthearted contexts.
The WOKE liberal mob will have to PRY the word from my COLD RETARDED HANDS because I will never stop saying it
Thats fucking retarted
As someone on the autism spectrum, I don’t mind using it or hearing people use it at all, as long as it’s being used as a synonym for “dumb” and not being used to specifically disparage someone with a disability. Just like “idiot”, words evolve over time from being specific words to refer to disabilities to just general words for someone being a dumbass.
Dumb is also to describe someone who is disabled. Like yourself, I’m ASD, and don’t really mind it, as long as it’s not being used in a nasty way.
Idiot I didn’t realise, thanks for the education.
Yes, it’s explicitly made to compare to people with developmental disorders who are even to this day bullied with this word. Don’t use it.
Is that because such people are properly referred to by that word?
Can you imagine walking up to a stranger in a wheel chair and saying something like; “Hey cripple, your legs don’t work?”
Is cripple a slur? Not really (imo) but you dehumanise someone with words and reduce them to only be their affliction. Eliminating everything about them that might be special and individual.
No it’s because they’re demeaned using it.
They’re not properly referred to by that word. They USED to be referred to by that word back when they (falsely) believed that such disorders made them inferior.
Classifying those who were mentally less-developed as “retarded” became the excuse for a world that would try all types of monstrous experiments, ostensibly in an attempt to “heal them” because this was they only way “those people” could be a use to society; as lab rats for things like lobotomies, electro-shock therapy and any other wacky insanity that the early 20th century had dreamed up.
In effect, while “retarded” was once the so-called medical terminology it very quickly became shorthand for an entire group of people that could be dismissed and used because they’d serve no other purpose otherwise.
Mental retardation is no excuse for abuse. But it’s still an apt term, in denotation. But the connotation has become unacceptable.
A plant’s growth may be retarded due to various conditions, and that may interfere with it’s prospects for survival.
Fire retardant may prevent a fire from starting, or stop one that has started to develop.
But when considering people, there are a whole slew of subtle problems, including that people may include that in their identity, and give up. They can be treated, possibly, but that’s all for them now. You’re a retard. It leaves no room for other things. People still feel this way about some diagnoses that, if they didn’t lean into them so hard, leave plenty of room for change. But the social weight behind “retard” just carries too much crap, and speaks volumes - some of which may be true, but a lot of which is not.
‘Disabled’, ‘undeveloped’, and ‘inhibited’ can be good terms. But most of it depends more heavily on how we treat others and what has been taken into common use.
