Claire Chapman
English 101
Editorial Essay
September 28, 2015
The Unnecessary Insult
“That’s so retarded.” “He’s such a retard.”
The word “retarded” may just seem like a passing comment used as slang, but to many, it is a demeaning term that affects an entire people group. This word isolates people with mental challenges and their families from the rest of society, when really, they should be treated no differently from anyone else. The word “retarded” and the negative connotations it now carries are generalizing and unnecessarily derogatory to people with intellectual disabilities, and its use needs to stop.
An opposing argument to halting the word’s use is that “retard” used to be politically correct in describing those with disabilities; however, that has changed over time. The verb “retard” can be literally defined as “to make slow; delay the development or progress of (an action, process, etc.); hinder or impede.” Scientists in the 1950’s began using the term “mental retardation” to replace worse terms for those with challenges, such as “idiocy” and “feeble mindedness.” This change in wording was an improvement. Unfortunately, though, over the last 60 years, the word has gained negative connotations. No longer simply meaning “slow,” “retarded” has become slang for “stupid,” “bad,” and “unintelligent,” which, intended or not by users, correlates with those who are mentally challenged. This word has become an insult, and to continue applying it to people with intellectual disabilities is condoning the association of them with stupidity: a reprehensible stereotype.
To continue, using the word “retarded” is unfairly generalizing. While “intellectually disabled” or “mentally challenged” imply variety and the possibility of overcoming adversity, “retarded” only implies slowness and stupidity. For example, if a person has an “intellectual disability,” said disability could present itself in any way, but if a person is “retarded,” they are seen solely as unintelligent and slow. The types of intellectual disabilities are too numerous to count, with each displaying different signs and behaviors, just as typical personalities do. Every single person, with or without disability, is capable of achieving whatever he or she desires, so why is it necessary to label either group?
Perhaps the most compelling argument of all is that this word is offensive to the people it is aimed toward and completely unnecessary. Joseph Franklin Stephens, a Special Olympics athlete, explains, “It hurts and scares me when I am the only person with intellectual disabilities on the bus and young people start making “retard” jokes or references. Please put yourself on that bus and fill the bus with people who are different from you. Imagine that they start making jokes using a term that describes you. It hurts and it is scary.” With over one million words in the English language, alternatives to “retarded,” both slang usage and the term for those who are mentally challenged, are not hard to find and certainly worth the effort. Because the word “retarded” has taken on such a degrading meaning, it very much impacts and offends those it suggests and their families. Even using it outside of the context of people with disabilities still implies them just the same, and until that false implication that some people are inferior to others is removed from our speech patterns, it cannot be removed from our minds and culture.
To close, the word “retarded” is incorrectly used, generalizing, and too offensive to those with intellectual disabilities to continue adopting. This word is disrespectful to its intended targets and excludes them from society in a way that is dehumanizing. For every possible use of “retard” or “retarded,” there are at least a handful of other words that could convey the exact same message. Why selfishly cling to this one word that brings hurt every time it is uttered when the alternatives could be the catalysts to a world of inclusion and acceptance?
English 101
Editorial Essay
September 28, 2015
The Unnecessary Insult
“That’s so retarded.” “He’s such a retard.”
The word “retarded” may just seem like a passing comment used as slang, but to many, it is a demeaning term that affects an entire people group. This word isolates people with mental challenges and their families from the rest of society, when really, they should be treated no differently from anyone else. The word “retarded” and the negative connotations it now carries are generalizing and unnecessarily derogatory to people with intellectual disabilities, and its use needs to stop.
An opposing argument to halting the word’s use is that “retard” used to be politically correct in describing those with disabilities; however, that has changed over time. The verb “retard” can be literally defined as “to make slow; delay the development or progress of (an action, process, etc.); hinder or impede.” Scientists in the 1950’s began using the term “mental retardation” to replace worse terms for those with challenges, such as “idiocy” and “feeble mindedness.” This change in wording was an improvement. Unfortunately, though, over the last 60 years, the word has gained negative connotations. No longer simply meaning “slow,” “retarded” has become slang for “stupid,” “bad,” and “unintelligent,” which, intended or not by users, correlates with those who are mentally challenged. This word has become an insult, and to continue applying it to people with intellectual disabilities is condoning the association of them with stupidity: a reprehensible stereotype.
To continue, using the word “retarded” is unfairly generalizing. While “intellectually disabled” or “mentally challenged” imply variety and the possibility of overcoming adversity, “retarded” only implies slowness and stupidity. For example, if a person has an “intellectual disability,” said disability could present itself in any way, but if a person is “retarded,” they are seen solely as unintelligent and slow. The types of intellectual disabilities are too numerous to count, with each displaying different signs and behaviors, just as typical personalities do. Every single person, with or without disability, is capable of achieving whatever he or she desires, so why is it necessary to label either group?
Perhaps the most compelling argument of all is that this word is offensive to the people it is aimed toward and completely unnecessary. Joseph Franklin Stephens, a Special Olympics athlete, explains, “It hurts and scares me when I am the only person with intellectual disabilities on the bus and young people start making “retard” jokes or references. Please put yourself on that bus and fill the bus with people who are different from you. Imagine that they start making jokes using a term that describes you. It hurts and it is scary.” With over one million words in the English language, alternatives to “retarded,” both slang usage and the term for those who are mentally challenged, are not hard to find and certainly worth the effort. Because the word “retarded” has taken on such a degrading meaning, it very much impacts and offends those it suggests and their families. Even using it outside of the context of people with disabilities still implies them just the same, and until that false implication that some people are inferior to others is removed from our speech patterns, it cannot be removed from our minds and culture.
To close, the word “retarded” is incorrectly used, generalizing, and too offensive to those with intellectual disabilities to continue adopting. This word is disrespectful to its intended targets and excludes them from society in a way that is dehumanizing. For every possible use of “retard” or “retarded,” there are at least a handful of other words that could convey the exact same message. Why selfishly cling to this one word that brings hurt every time it is uttered when the alternatives could be the catalysts to a world of inclusion and acceptance?