Opinion of the R-Word Campaign

[Maxwell]

I hate campaigns against any word.

[Illuminati Blood Drinker]

"Retarded" as an adjective is one thing, but "retard" as a noun used as an insult is comparable to nigg-r, fagg-t, etc.

Comparing the word "retard" to the n-word is really the ultimate example of clueless whiteness.

Tell me, when were the mentally disabled ever:
-Treated as property to be beaten, whipped, tortured, raped, etc. etc. at their owners' mercy
-Denied the basic rights to vote, of freedom of expression, of freedom of speech, etc. because they were mentally disabled
-Villainized as barely-human, degenerate rapist monsters in critically acclaimed motion picture works
-Brutally tortured and killed for flirting with non-disabled individuals
-Savaged by police dogs for peacefully marching for their rights
-etc. etc.

I mean, dear lord. I know it is not easy to get by as a mentally disabled person in this country, or any country. But the fact of the matter is, the mentally disabled in this country have not experienced a FRACTION of the oppression blacks have, and trying to make that comparison just betrays an utter lack of understanding of this country's long and tortured history of race.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Phwezer, I absically agree with you on that the comparison with the n word is faulty, you do know that pretty much everything you listed used to be common place treatment of the mentally disabled throughout many societies. And because they've never had the capacity to defend themselves or recount their abuse, their history is more cloudy and obscure.

Playing oppression like the Olympics is never a great idea.

[TNF]

While I understand the sentiment behind the campaign and sympathize, to some extent, with it, I don't find it to be a particularly useful way of going about ending any existing stigmas the public might have about the mentally retarded. Changing language is a dead-end political strategy, for the most part because it doesn't really *do* anything. The idea that changing the words we use to describe certain people, things, or activities will lead to substantive political change is silly.

[SWE]

"Retarded" as an adjective is one thing, but "retard" as a noun used as an insult is comparable to nigg-r, fagg-t, etc.

Comparing the word "retard" to the n-word is really the ultimate example of clueless whiteness.

Tell me, when were the mentally disabled ever:
-Treated as property to be beaten, whipped, tortured, raped, etc. etc. at their owners' mercy
-Denied the basic rights to vote, of freedom of expression, of freedom of speech, etc. because they were mentally disabled
-Villainized as barely-human, degenerate rapist monsters in critically acclaimed motion picture works
-Brutally tortured and killed for flirting with non-disabled individuals
-Savaged by police dogs for peacefully marching for their rights
-etc. etc.

Pretty frequently throughout history?