the word "retarded"

[Beckers]

A lot of people don't seem to understand the main use of this word so here is a little info.

Quote from the Merriam-Webster Online dictionary....

Main Entry: 1re·tard
Pronunciation: ri-'tärd
Function: verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French retarder, from Latin retardare, from re- + tardus slow
transitive verb
1 : to slow up especially by preventing or hindering advance or accomplishment : IMPEDE
2 : to delay academic progress by failure to promote
intransitive verb : to undergo retardation
synonym see DELAY
- re·tard·er noun



Have a nice day

[iamcool]

ermm y did you feel we needed to know that?

[7Harry7Potter7]

ermm y did you feel we needed to know that?

yes I was wondering the same thing.

[Killthesmiley]

i think its because a lot of people take offence to it...

heres the thing. I don't understand why, in this day and age, with physical violence and physical weapons, why we still allow words to perform such hurt and a blow to our mind and emotions.
I understand that some people my have retardation in that family, and i understand that people may find it abusive and politically incorrect, and just wrong to us that word. I really understand that. Trust me, i know.
But after so long of letting it hurt, and letting it be politically incorrect, you can only realise that it is honestly just a series of symbols, that we have given names and sounds to, put together to form a word, with misunderstood and misjudged and re-vamped meanings.
Take to word n****r. yup, i said it. i'm white...i hate saying the word. And yea i find it offensive...but why??? Why do we find it offensive?? Because of a series of histroical events that revolutionize freedom. It used to be only used to called men and women from Nigeria. Then slave traders became calling all black men and women that in negativity. Then slave owners, then so on and so on. Because of history and revolutionary events, we find it a disgusting word....but its still only A WORD.
Retarded, I find, falls under the same catagory to some people. To me, it's jsut second nature to call someone (jokingly) retarded. But what does it mean. I thank beckers for puttng the definition of retarded on the board. THAT, my good people, is the definition of retarded. The only reason we give it a different meaning, is because we allow ourselves to do so. We allow ourselves to make it a hurtful and disgusting word. When really....it's not. It just means that someone is just not acting smart.


now i'm not trying to start an argument. All i'm doing is pointing out a fact. THis has been a debate for DECADES. and it will never be solved. I'm not saying I'm right, I'm not saying I'm wrong. All I ask is for you to consider the points I've made, and address the issue in your own mind. Because after this post, i hope not to reply to it again. Because apparently...i start drama!!! lol

[Killthesmiley]

....it *-ed out the word....but i think you know what i said.

[7Harry7Potter7]

I was thinking that beckers posted that because she doesn't like people to use that word, and I COMPLETELY understand that. No arguement whatsoever. I was just wondering why she posted that definition of the word.

[nakita]

....but its still only A WORD.

sorry I had to edit that, it was well said, but really long


I agree that it is just a word, and we shouldn't let it hurt us (sticks and stones and what not) but if you KNOW that it offends some people, and you KNOW that in society, if not the dictionary, it has a different meaning (think slang), then you should not be using that word in that way.
I was thinking of the word b*tch. Female dog, right? Well, it's slang definition is a malicious, unpleasent, selfish person, especially a woman, or a lewd woman.
You got me thinking about the word n*gger too. You said it used to be only used to describe men and women from Nigeria, but do you really think that the men and women from Nigeria described themselves with that word? N*gger was a derogatory word used by people working with the slave trade, it was a slang term to begin with.
About the use of the word retard: sounds good in theory, but do you think it's any comfort to the kid who hears "retard" whispered behind him when he stumbles over a word as he reads aloud in class? Everyone knows that retard has long been a word used to call someone stupid, probably came from the term mental retardation (which makes sense as a term... a mental delay...) but I don't know that for sure, I'm just speculating.

[Broken Kid]

I'm not sure why this is being brought up again either. It's been hashed through quite a bit: http://lonelygirl15.com/forum/viewtopic ... 4157#84157

I think if someone finds it offensive and sees it used almost exclusively in a derogatory manner, people should avoid using it.

[kageyuki]

I think if someone finds it offensive and sees it used almost exclusively in a derogatory manner, people should avoid using it.

I believe this kinda goes along with the concept of censoring one's speech. While I feel fine with it being used to hash out the "curse words" or foul langauage, where does it end?

This may be a good example of that. While "retard" or "retarded" are perfectly safe when put into context; meaning they are not considered foul vocabulary, there are still many people who take offense to those words because of their often degradory use.

But can (or rather should) those words really be avoided? I agree with BK. If the intent is to use those words in an offensive way, it's best not to use them. All of us, here, know how to use tact, don't we?

[acidfingers]

To the OP: "retarded" is an example of words which have taken on a new (in this case offensive) definition through the years. Same can be applied to many other words. Obviously there's some hidden agenda in posting this since there is no real comments from you about the subject, so I'm just going to assume you mean for people to stop using this word out of context.

I don't understand why, in this day and age, with physical violence and physical weapons, why we still allow words to perform such hurt and a blow to our mind and emotions.

It's not the words that cause the damage, it's the meaning behind them. As you said in your post, words are simply a symbolic representation of an idea. By someone saying something, they are simply expressing to me their ideas on some subject matter. In this case it would be someone calling someone or something retarded. It's offensive to me for someone to describe someone or something as retarded out of context. The negative connotation that the word contains is brought to the table to describe something when it could just have easily been described with more accurate and less offensive words.

But after so long of letting it hurt, and letting it be politically incorrect, you can only realise that it is honestly just a series of symbols, that we have given names and sounds to, put together to form a word, with misunderstood and misjudged and re-vamped meanings.

Exactly, the word now means something entirely different. It has taken on a derogatory meaning, which then means that someone using the word is trying to convey that derogatory meaning.

Take to word n****r. yup, i said it. i'm white...i hate saying the word. And yea i find it offensive...but why??? Why do we find it offensive?? Because of a series of histroical events that revolutionize freedom. It used to be only used to called men and women from Nigeria.

No, the word was an umbrella term for all black people. It developed its negative connotation through over 300 years of extremely vile treatment of that group of people. The word encompasses a number of centuries of complete and utter biggotry and ignorance of a nation. You cannot forget about that so that word will retain the new meaning that it has adapted.

It just means that someone is just not acting smart.

Did you even read the definition?

1 : to slow up especially by preventing or hindering advance or accomplishment : IMPEDE
2 : to delay academic progress by failure to promote

None of those refer to "not acting smart"

I would suggest reading the definition before talking about it...

[Luv2Skydive]

edited: no need to fuel the fire, right?

[LONGTIMELURKER]

Words hurt.... plain and simple... they get in your head and under your skin and tear you up...in an ideal world "words can never hurt me" but we are sooooo far from that...

punch me,I bleed and heal, call me a C*nt and I will never forget that ...sadly,it stays with you....

[Ziola]

I believe that the reason that Beckers mentioned this is because we have had this discussion before. As the mother of a mentally handicapped child, I find it rude and repulsive to refer to people that way. I have mentioned it to people, either through public post or PM.

While to some it may just be a word and I shouldn't be offended by it, I can't help it. To me, my son is a miracle. When he was born, I was told that he would never walk, talk, see, speak or hear. So, to see him going to school, riding his bike, taking skiing lessons, all the things a "normal" person would take for granted makes my heart just about burst. To see him struggle to perform simple academic tasks, things that a normal third grader would have no problem with, tears me apart.

So, I think that I have every right to be slightly offended by that use of the word. Its all good and swell for people who are not personally challenged by this sort of a situation to tell me to get over it, and grow thicker skin, but until you've lived a day in my life, or gone through the 3 surgeries that I went through with him, the countless MRI's, the years he spent in full leg casts, then please, show a little respect and curb your language.

I apologize for ranting and raving, but this is a very touchy subject for me.

Ziola

[Luv2Skydive]

I believe that the reason that Beckers mentioned this is because we have had this discussion before. As the mother of a mentally handicapped child, I find it rude and repulsive to refer to people that way. I have mentioned it to people, either through public post or PM.

While to some it may just be a word and I shouldn't be offended by it, I can't help it. To me, my son is a miracle. When he was born, I was told that he would never walk, talk, see, speak or hear. So, to see him going to school, riding his bike, taking skiing lessons, all the things a "normal" person would take for granted makes my heart just about burst. To see him struggle to perform simple academic tasks, things that a normal third grader would have no problem with, tears me apart.

So, I think that I have every right to be slightly offended by that use of the word. Its all good and swell for people who are not personally challenged by this sort of a situation to tell me to get over it, and grow thicker skin, but until you've lived a day in my life, or gone through the 3 surgeries that I went through with him, the countless MRI's, the years he spent in full leg casts, then please, show a little respect and curb your language.

I apologize for ranting and raving, but this is a very touchy subject for me.

Ziola

With all the things your son has overcome, do you consider him retarded?

[LONGTIMELURKER]

Ziola, your son sounds like a hard working, determined, young man, someone to be very proud of !