“Dude you’re such a retard!”

“That’s so retarded!”

We’ve heard it many times before. And whether you like to admit it, you have probably used it as well. It’s okay, I have too. Only a few years ago did we open our eyes and realize that the word is offensive, and a huge movement to end the word began. Even just typing the words now makes me cringe. But as I sit here in this Starbucks occupied by college students and full-grown adults, I hear the word being tossed around like it’s nothing, and it has occurred to me that as a society in general we don’t understand the implications of the R-word.

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “retard” as the slowing down of the development or progress of something, and that is exactly correct. So mental retardation simply refers to a slower human development, and many people are born with this disability. There’s nothing wrong with that and retardation simply denotes this condition, and that’s fine. The issue arises when we turn the diction to be an insult.

When the R-word is used as an insult, it implies that somebody is less than, and thus that anybody affected by any sort of retardation is also less-than, and that is simply not true. So in the end, not only is it rude but it’s also false, so anyone using the word just ends up looking like an uneducated fool.

It’s just the same as calling somebody a faggot. It’s not okay because even unintentionally, it puts down the gay population. So just as you would never call somebody a fag, you should never call somebody a retard. It makes me feel sick just to see these words in my own writing, but I feel that it needs to be said.

Look at it this way--if you are a girl, it is undoubtedly condescending to hear somebody say “you are acting like a girl.” And if you are a female dog, you wouldn’t want to hear somebody say “quit being a little bitch” because that is what you are. We are all born how we are born and we can’t help it. So why should we be criticized over something we have no control over?

I understand that when the R-word is used to affront somebody, it isn’t the objective to offend anybody who is actually affected by retardation, but it does and it needs to stop. No matter one’s sexual orientation, gender, ethnicity, religion, hair color, age, or state of abilities, people are people and need to be treated with respect. And if you are still using the R-word, it’s pretty embarrassing that you can’t come up with a better insult and you should probably buy a dictionary.

P.S. I encourage you to go to r-word.org to sign a pledge that you will spread the word to end the word!