(Florida) Activists want state to end use of word 'retard'

[alp227]

Last edited Mon Feb 25, 2013, 01:29 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: Orlando Sentinel

Luminaries ranging from Lady Gaga to Super Bowl-winning quarterback Joe Flacco have come under fire for using the word "retard."

A nationwide campaign to end the use of the "r-word" which activists say is demeaning to people with special needs, has spread to Florida. Supporters of the move hope to persuade lawmakers to remove the word from state regulations when their upcoming session begins next month.

Advocates are working to pass a bill that would replace "mental retardation" and "mentally retarded" with "intellectual disability" and "intellectually disabled." Although the terms in the state regulations aren't meant to be cruel, advocates say replacing them will raise awareness on the insensitiveness of the word in its different forms and should no longer be acceptable.

Read more: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/os-florida-end-use-retard-word-20130224,0,7827604.story

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The Young Turks had a 15 minute discussion last summer about campaigns against the "retard" and "gay" slurs, "Are We Too Politically Correct?":

[Deep13]

1. Isn't retardation a specific disability?

Or is it a symptom?

[Confusious]

2. I don't think they use it any more

But wikipedia had an interesting take on it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_retardation

The terms used for this condition are subject to a process called the euphemism treadmill. This means that whatever term is chosen for this condition, it eventually becomes perceived as an insult. The terms mental retardation and mentally retarded were invented in the middle of the 20th century to replace the previous set of terms, which were deemed to have become offensive. By the end of the 20th century, these terms themselves have come to be widely seen as disparaging and politically incorrect and in need of replacement.

I don't like it simply for the fact it messes with science.

How long before activists want another word for black hole?

[immoderate]

8. I think wiki is right. A term evolves into how people use it.

Whatever is used to euphemise some mental defect will cycle down as an insult. "Mental defect" providing an example.

--imm

[Kelvin Mace]

9. Remember all the trouble a city official in Seattle

(I think) got into for using the word "niggardly"? I think it cost him his job.

I have to admit that I am annoyed by the constant changing of words. When I grew up my wife who has MS would have been called crippled, then "handicapped", then "disabled", then "physically challenged", then "differently abled", all this in a period of 20 years or so.

It gets old quick.

[greiner3]

16. "It gets old quick."

I am sorry 'accepted' labels for your your wife's MS have evolved over time.

I think the changing terms of any human disease or condition is the result of both newly conceived breakthroughs in the medical understanding of said maladies and the changing mores of the general public.

See my post #15.

[Kelvin Mace]

17. The old part is that people pay too much attention to words

and almost no attention to context. If the accepted term for what was formally called "retarded" is now "developmentally disabled", then why are folks getting upset when we call politicians like Florida's governor retarded?

We are not talking about the developmentally disabled, we are talking about people willfully stupid.

As always, George Carlin said it best:

[dorkulon]

11. "the euphemism treadmill" -- thanks

I've been trying to put my finger on that one for a long time.

[valerief]

21. Political correctness is a political tactic to make out someone as a "the bad guy".

That's all it does. It "invents" new connotations for words and uses those new connotations as weapons against "the other".

[Kelvin Mace]

28. "Politically Correct" speech

is Doublespeak for Doublespeak.

[alp227]

33. OK really I even have to hear complaints about PC on a LIBERAL message board? n/t

[valerief]

35. Ever since "bitch" became politically incorrect, yes. nt

[alp227]

36. What if a man called you a bitch to your face? N/t

[valerief]

41. Men, have. Context is everything, not words. nt

[Orsino]

40. Incorrect.

Political correctness documents changes in meaning. It does't invent them.

When medical diagnoses of mental retardation gave rise to the shorthand "retarded," sooner or later the bigoted were going to start equating the term with "stupid" or "bad" (c.f. "gay&quot . That taints the word in the eyes and ears of many.

PC people did not invent the process. Language evolves, and polite people evolve with it.

[valerief]

42. The PC people (people who can afford mass media) decide the connotation, per their

social engineering objectives, and propagandize it via media campaigns. Connotations don't change by "magic". Smearing the words "liberal" and "union" didn't just happen. Just like abortion is a contrived problem used to pit 99%ers against each other, these "un-PC" words are also a contrived problem.

[Orsino]

44. You're conflating propaganda with actual shifts in attitude.

Have all civil rights movements been corporate-driven? No.

Politically correct speech is also interpersonal, as we attempt not to offend one another.

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. No. We use the term 'intellectually disabled' in my state.

I don't think any states use 'retarded' anymore.

[BlueJazz]

3. I've used the word to denote somebody is retarded. It was classless of me and cruel...

...and hurtful to others.
My only (shitty) excuse is that I didn't mean it the way most people think of the word.

I shan't do it again.

[valerief]

22. Yes, but you can still call someone stupid, even though there are stupid people in the world

who may get insulted (once they're told to get insulted, because they're too stupid to get insulted in the first place).

This "don't use this word" shit is just a distraction from real problems.

[BlueJazz]

25. What you say is true. Sometimes I piss off people and don't have a clue what the hell is going on.

Like crawling through reality trying not to step on fragile eggs.
One persons perception of a word is miles apart from what you would think...

Being a Physicist, people ask me : Do you have the answers??

I tell them: Fuck, I don't even know most of the questions.

[valerief]

26. You can't use the word physicist. It sounds like fizzy cyst and someone might

have a fizzy cyst and you'll make them cry.

Banning words is so tiresome. Once you ban it, another one replaces it. It's a poutrage treadmill. Has calling the N word the N word removed racism? No. Letting Oprah becoming a megastar has been a step in the right direction to end racism. Certainly electing an AA prez is a step in the right direction. Of course, now Merkan racism isn't against AA folks but Middle Eastern folks. I guess racism has its own treadmill, too.

[union_maid]

4. I think it's just an inaccurate term

"Developmentally disabled" is the expression I see used most often now, but "intellectually disabled" works better in some situations. Either are more accurate than "mentally retarded", IMO and cover a broader spectrum of issues that can manifest themselves in superficially similar ways.

[DesertRat]

6. Good for them. It's time.

[RC]

7. That is exactly the problem with the PC.

No matter what word they want banned, another word or phrase will take its place, which in turn will then become the next insult, slur, to be banned, ad nauseous, until there are no words left to ban and we are down to banning grunts and hand gestures. I'm sure they are already working the hand gestures.

How about just respecting each other instead? Apply context, the mind-set of the speaker/listener, to the situation, instead of blindly censuring words because they are on someone unpublished list.

[dipsydoodle]

14. Exactly.

Context is everything - a fact generally ignored here in the Meta-discussion Forum.

[Bibliovore]

18. Neil Gaiman had a nice post about PC -> respect recently.

"I started imagining a world in which we replaced the phrase 'politically correct' wherever we could with 'treating other people with respect', and it made me smile."

http://neil-gaiman.tumblr.com/post/43087620460/i-was-reading-a-book-about-interjections-oddly

[Orsino]

45. +1 n/t

[bobclark86]

10. I guess the ARC needs to change it's name...

Many places have gone to "Arc" instead of "A.R.C.," but it's still there: The Association of/for Retarded Citizens.

I loled over the "black hole" bit... would the speakers prefer "clusterfuck?"

[gordianot]

12. Give it time and Cognitive Disability will go the way of other terms Retarded, Imbecile, Moron.

Some one will come up with a derogatory insult derived from cognitive disability and direct it toward those they dislike. The term "retarded" was originally used as an alternative description to "moron", "imbecile" that described level at which individuals scored on an intelligence test. The original assumption in using the term "retarded" was that the development of those who scored on standardized tests either the Wechsler or Stanford Binet was slower development than others. That view was flawed and does not adequately describe the levels of support a person requires to function.

As a person who worked in the field for 30 years I found people who were labeled "retarded" to be caring, considerate, competent, resourceful, empathetic, artistic, and very successful. I remember one situation that really changed the way I viewed the field and term "retarded". After evaluating a 5 year old the diagnostic conclusion was that the child was functioning in the moderate range of Mental Retardation. Since the child's father was a successful business man the team did not want me to use the term "retarded". My response was then you explain it I explained it in terms normative performance and am sure there was a lot of confusing jargon. After the better part of 40 minutes circumventing the label the father suddenly turned to me and asked if we were talking about "Mental Retardation". Yes was my response. To the looks of shock the Father stated that his son is just like him. He was late learning to talk, could barely read as an adult, could not do math without a calculator and had a poor memory. For all the things he could not do he stated he was "damn good" with bricks and mortar. He asked that those at the table not give up on his son the same way others did not give up on him, then added he was sure he made more money than anyone at the table.

I totally cringe when people are described by slurs "retard", "moron" etc. It is what is in YOUR heart not the word. Do not give up on people even if you think they are members of the 47% or 3 to 4 standard deviations below the mean.

[RC]

23. I'm waiting until DU's term "Moran" is deemed hurtful to the 3rd Way.

And the PC swarm tries to ban that word.



( No in this post.)

[gordianot]

31. It will probably happen at some point someone will object as for me I accept the term "moran".

To me "moran" describes very well those who make ignorant (non cognitive) nasty slurs about others and is a really descriptive icon.

[dipsydoodle]

13. You still use spaz over there as abb. of spastic

to convey clumsiness whatever.

In the UK that would be highly derogatory and as such has more or less 100% disappeared from use. Even the Spastic Society here changed its name to SCOPE back in 1994 to successfully help remove use of the word.

[greiner3]

15. My mom's education, and teaching, specialty was the deaf.

However, her duties also included teaching the mentally disabled.

I just had first hand knowledge of the hurtful, and downright wrongness, of the put down of the word 'retard.'

Also, in my time i have witnessed the term, 'dumb' to portray those unable to talk, change to mute.

As one who has had a lifetime bout with bipolar and major depression, I welcome the change of the overall term 'crazy' to mental illness.

Could it be that the stigma of the mentally ill will be the next 'civil rights' battle?

Jus' saying.

[bemildred]

19. I can remember when "retarded" was the euphemism of choice.

Now it's the worst insult. How is one supposed to make sense in those conditions?

[HockeyMom]

20. Consumers

is the term used by people working in the field with developmentally delayed adults. Children are just generally referred to as special needs.

[gordianot]

24. I have also heard the terms "lids" "mers" "bumper" and "ADD's" several others.

Translation

Lids= Learning Disability
Mers= Mentally Retarded now Cognitive Disability
Bumper= Traumatic Brain Damage
Adds= Attention Deficit Disorder is particularly used towards a parent who makes excuses for poor parenting.
limper= client who refuses physical therapy


Professionals should know better.

[KurtNYC]

27. When I worked through a temp agency they had code words for the clients

These were for the people hiring temps, or more specifically the people that the temps would report to:

"Difficult personality" = manager who lacks social, managerial and motivational skills, aka 'asshole'

"Creative personality" = inconsistent or unpredictable, disorganized, possibly ADD or ADHD

"Moody" = on drugs and/or prescription meds

"it's a family business" = expect unprofessional, tension filled workplace with relatives who just fight each other yet can't be fired. Be ready to get blamed for everything.

"had an incident" = means they are sending a male temp because this exec or middle manager made unwelcome sexual talk or advances at female assistant(s)

"They need someone who can go with the flow" or "be flexible" = means that the general environment of the workplace may be unprofessional and not compliant with OSHA, federal laws, local laws, common sense, political correctness, etc. They need someone who won't walk out, sue or both.

[kestrel91316]

29. WTH?? So now "gay" is a "slur", too????

[alp227]

34. Go to your local jr. high school and you'll see why.

Or if you've raised teenagers within the past 15 years you probably know.

[kestrel91316]

37. Well I sure don't see gay people objecting to being called gay.

That's what they refer to THEMSELVES as. So it's not a slur.

[alp227]

39. True BUT...

a BIG difference exists between the acceptable dictionary use and slang use of the word (not ok).

[vrp]

30. But,

we still need the term to refer to Gov Scott!

[radicalliberal]

32. "I'll GET you for saying that!"

"And stop calling me Gollum!"

[yurbud]

38. Gollum? I thought he looked like Bat Boy in that photo

[BlancheSplanchnik]

43. the words, "Idiot" and "Moron" were originally medical terms for different gradations

of mental disability.

In 19th and early 20th century medicine and psychology, an "idiot" was a person with a very severe mental retardation. In the early 1900s, Dr. Henry H. Goddard proposed a classification system for mental retardation based on the Binet-Simon concept of mental age. Individuals with the lowest mental age level (less than three years) were identified as idiots; imbeciles had a mental age of three to seven years, and morons had a mental age of seven to ten years.[9] The term "idiot" was used to refer to people having an IQ below 30.[10][11] -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiot



So, is anyone talking about the word "douche-bag"???? Ohhhhh, no one seems to have a problem with that one, eh? Well, a lot of women don't like it, but hey, who cares what they think.