on the use of the word "retarded"
What do you think about using the word "retarded" to describe people and things that are kind of dumb?
I have known several people to be quite offended by this. All of these people have had retarded brothers or sisters. One gentleman made the (meritorious, I think) argument that "retarded" means "delayed in developing," and that's not what people mean when they say "Ann Coulter/the lyrics to Beyonce's 'Upgrade U'/your outfit is/are retarded."
Others have argued that it is inappropriate to refer to retarded people at all when describing other things; similarly, some feminists argue that it is inappropriate to use the word "rape" metaphorically, because it lessens the experience of actual rape victims.
However, I think anyone with a sensitivity for language would have to agree that the environmental movement really hit on something with "the rape of the Earth." Sometimes, that's exactly what you mean, in which case the argument becomes one to restrict the deployment of the word to thoughtful and considered uses only.
So, according to this line of reasoning, you shouldn't use "retarded" to describe any old thing you don't like; you should only use it when it adds specific rhetorical power. For instance, the lyrics to Beyonce's "Upgrade U" do not, in fact, sound like they were written by an actual retarded person. They're just a bit silly, is all. Does Ann Coulter actually sound like a retarded person, or like someone who is delayed in developing? Not exactly. The word would be more appropriate for incidents in which, for instance, the President completely fails to replace a noun with an appropriate pronoun (Laura and I's spirits are uplifted any time we go to a school that's working).
(While my experience is somewhat limited to watching Life Goes On, I'd say that most retarded people are somewhat more likely to misconjugate a verb than to write a book-length invective accusing abortion doctors of prompting the World Trade Center attacks).
However, if you actually meant something like, "That outfit looks like something Rosie O'Donnell wore in Riding the Bus with my Sister," then "retarded" would be just the right adjective.
Discuss!
p.s. How you gon' upgrade me --
What's higher than number 1?
you know I used to beat that block.
Now I be's the block.
I have known several people to be quite offended by this. All of these people have had retarded brothers or sisters. One gentleman made the (meritorious, I think) argument that "retarded" means "delayed in developing," and that's not what people mean when they say "Ann Coulter/the lyrics to Beyonce's 'Upgrade U'/your outfit is/are retarded."
Others have argued that it is inappropriate to refer to retarded people at all when describing other things; similarly, some feminists argue that it is inappropriate to use the word "rape" metaphorically, because it lessens the experience of actual rape victims.
However, I think anyone with a sensitivity for language would have to agree that the environmental movement really hit on something with "the rape of the Earth." Sometimes, that's exactly what you mean, in which case the argument becomes one to restrict the deployment of the word to thoughtful and considered uses only.
So, according to this line of reasoning, you shouldn't use "retarded" to describe any old thing you don't like; you should only use it when it adds specific rhetorical power. For instance, the lyrics to Beyonce's "Upgrade U" do not, in fact, sound like they were written by an actual retarded person. They're just a bit silly, is all. Does Ann Coulter actually sound like a retarded person, or like someone who is delayed in developing? Not exactly. The word would be more appropriate for incidents in which, for instance, the President completely fails to replace a noun with an appropriate pronoun (Laura and I's spirits are uplifted any time we go to a school that's working).
(While my experience is somewhat limited to watching Life Goes On, I'd say that most retarded people are somewhat more likely to misconjugate a verb than to write a book-length invective accusing abortion doctors of prompting the World Trade Center attacks).
However, if you actually meant something like, "That outfit looks like something Rosie O'Donnell wore in Riding the Bus with my Sister," then "retarded" would be just the right adjective.
Discuss!
p.s. How you gon' upgrade me --
What's higher than number 1?
you know I used to beat that block.
Now I be's the block.
posted by JenIsFamous at 10/19/2006 09:28:00 AM
11 Comments:
Beyonce makes my brain ache.
Oh sorry, I meant to say...
My brain be achin yo.
I have a cat who consistently acts retarded (for real), and it's gotten the word retarded back into my vocabulary. Having a mother who works in Special Ed kept me PC about this for a while, but no more.
I don't often use retarded to mean "stupid" or "bad" (though I think the connection from developmentally disabled to Beyonce that you're looking for is the common ground of stupid), but I have re-embraced the similarly incorrect use of gay. My roommate and I differentiate between functionally gay and "sweater gay" - Is that guy gay? / That sweater looks gay. (A sweater can look functionally gay, as in making its wearer look like a homosexual, but it can also be just kinda gay.)
Well. There are some flaws in your reasoning (most people do only know movie or television versions, and don't know what to do with real people: do you think Rosie's role is real?). But, being presumably one of the cited sibs you've discussed it with, I'm glad to see the question actually raised. And you got linked, even if it's not a grammatical issue per se. Anyway, being hypersensitive to it, I'm more pleased than not by your post. (Whether you in turn are hypersensitive to Cowboy friends reading your blog still or not is a different question.)
Amber! How exciting to see you comment on my blog! What if I liked you more than I liked cowboy? ;)
Anyway, thanks for weighing in.
Jen
Oh, and I absolutely do not think that Rosie's role was real. Dear God. That was one highly mockable acting job.
i work with someone who says "that's retarded" all the time for things that are dumb, lame, annoying ... and i always say as gently as i can, "dude, that is so not fair to actual retards"
For the past 11 years, Uncle Brian has been living with my family. Uncle Brian has Down's Syndrome - some might call him "retarded." For the first year that he lived with us, we would have shuddered at the sound of the word. After that intial period of complete PC wore off, my family has embraced the use of the word "retard."
It may sound awful, but every now and then, someone, especially someone with Down's, does something *gasp* retarded! We don't call HIM retarded, per say, but rather his actions are retarded. Hell, he refers to himself as "the 'tard" and laughs about it, but we don't actually call him a "tard."
As for using "retard" to describe something stupid, I have no qualms with it. For instance: "Uncle Brian put the dirty dishes back in the cabinet again." "Damnit, that's so retarded." is a pretty normal conversation in my household.
Yea, you're going to be related to THAT family - brace yourself. :-)
Although un-PC, using the word "retarded" loosely is mostly harmless. My big problem is that I hang around my buddy from Wisconsin who uses the term "gay" for things that let him down or are just sub-par. I seem to have picked up the habit. He's no caveman and neither am I, but it's hard to break a habit like that. You are far more likely to get yourself in hot water throwing "gay" around than "retarded", especially if you are in the entertainment biz.
Here's the Urban Dictionary definition of 'retarded'...
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=retarded
Oh my, Zombie. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. THAT makes me offended on behalf of retarded people.
Most PC and New Age peoples are retardos!!! na na na na na...
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