Poll: Have you ever used the word "retard" to refer to someone in a derogatory way? / LJWorld.com

Response		Percent	Votes
Yes		75%	903
No		24%	296
Total	1199

RETICENT_IRREVERENT 3 years, 2 months ago

I don't use the "r" word.

Bladerunner 3 years, 2 months ago

What kind of retarded poll question is that?

peachesncream 3 years, 2 months ago

im with harley on this one, how else can you use the R word...walk up to some lady and say wow i love your dress it makes you look so RETARDED...id rather hear a vulgur word come out of someones mouth than that word.

peachesncream 3 years, 2 months ago

im with harley on this one, how else can you use the R word...walk up to some lady and say wow i love your dress it makes you look so RETARDED...id rather hear a vulgur word come out of someones mouth than that word.

Boston_Corbett 3 years, 2 months ago

As long as I can call the Ron Paul supporters Paultards.

sourpuss 3 years, 2 months ago

So "dumb" has transcended its original meaning, but "retarded" can't. Okay. Words are just words, people, even the most "vile" of them.

CLARKKENT 3 years, 2 months ago

the people trying to do away with this word, need to get a life. this is just "retarded"

grammaddy 3 years, 2 months ago

Only when referring to the Retardican party. I know I know, that's not very PC of me, huh? So sue me.

alm77 3 years, 2 months ago

I broke the habit when I embarrassed myself by using it the wrong way in front of my pastor who had spent his life raising/fostering mentally retarded children and working for ARC (Association of Retarded Citizens). That'll cure ya in a hurry!

Mel Briscoe 3 years, 2 months ago

no. my mother would've slapped me or my brother upside the head had we used that terminology. it was never acceptable in our household. now i am a mother and i don't allow my children to use it. there are far too many more descriptive words in the english language to utilize when describing someone acting silly, goofy, stupid, ignorant, asinine, etc. no need to use a term which is associated w/ folks who were born w/ developemental disabilities.

K_Verses_The_World 3 years, 2 months ago

Broken words never meant to be spoken

Bob Dylan - Everything is Broken

pmsharp 3 years, 2 months ago

No worse than using the "S" word (Stupid)!!!!

LarryNative 3 years, 2 months ago

Bleu, Does this fabric retard fire?

sundancewierdo 3 years, 2 months ago

I think the 25% are lying... and the word "retard" means... "re·tard /rɪˈtɑrd, for 1–3, 5; ˈritɑrd for 4/ Show Spelled[ri-tahrd, for 1–3, 5; ree-tahrd for 4] Show IPA –verb (used with object) 1.to make slow; delay the development or progress of (an action, process, etc.); hinder or impede. –verb (used without object) 2.to be delayed. –noun 3.a slowing down, diminution, or hindrance, as in a machine."

This definition doesn't say anything about people...

sundancewierdo 3 years, 2 months ago

I think the 25% are lying... and the word "retard" means... "re·tard /rɪˈtɑrd, for 1–3, 5; ˈritɑrd for 4/ Show Spelled[ri-tahrd, for 1–3, 5; ree-tahrd for 4] Show IPA –verb (used with object) 1.to make slow; delay the development or progress of (an action, process, etc.); hinder or impede. –verb (used without object) 2.to be delayed. –noun 3.a slowing down, diminution, or hindrance, as in a machine."

This definition doesn't say anything about people...

sundancewierdo 3 years, 2 months ago

I think the 25% are lying... and the word "retard" means... "re·tard /rɪˈtɑrd, for 1–3, 5; ˈritɑrd for 4/ Show Spelled[ri-tahrd, for 1–3, 5; ree-tahrd for 4] Show IPA –verb (used with object) 1.to make slow; delay the development or progress of (an action, process, etc.); hinder or impede. –verb (used without object) 2.to be delayed. –noun 3.a slowing down, diminution, or hindrance, as in a machine."

This definition doesn't say anything about people...

jonas_opines 3 years, 2 months ago

Not really. I've always found it to be a cumbersome word that just sounds dumb. I much prefer "idiot" or "idiotic" myself. Better ring to it. 'Course, that one probably had a similar origin, too, but my resistance to "retard" has always been aesthetic and not etomologic in nature.

sunshine_noise 3 years, 2 months ago

Well I think those who use the R word are insensitive. They've never had a close relationship to the special population. I had a sister with downs syndrome and I remember her telling us in tears that someone called her the R word. It was very hurtful to her. So in my family we did not use that word because we knew the significance of it. I'd rather say knucklehead if I'm referring to someone less intelligent, but by no means are the special population idiots. They have more heart and insight into life than most "so-called" average person. Perhaps some of these young people who use this word might end up having a special child which would make them understand the real negativity of this word. God works in mysterious ways. Think twice before using this word.

somedude20 3 years, 2 months ago

You are all a bunch of jagaloons

sunshine_noise 3 years, 2 months ago

I like that word jagaloon. Good choice dude

sunshine_noise 3 years, 2 months ago

I like that word jagaloon. Good choice dude

redmoonrising 3 years, 2 months ago

Like everything else in life, when we can't find something intelligent to say, we challenge the intelligence of the other person. Having had a "retarded" child and having spent a lot of time with numerous other children who could also be so termed, I have never found it funny. When I hear it coming out of someone's mouth, one look usually confirms that the person uttering it should have been in the same special ed class as my child who was smart enough to know that you don't gain anything by trying to make the other person look bad to make yourself look better (?). I have used the word "stupid" because it covers such a large portion of society that I can't offend that many people, can I? Oh, I'm such an idiot! I've been known to say that the only stupidity I can tolerate is my own. My "retarded" son might have been that but he wasn't stupid, thank God.

jumpin_catfish 3 years, 2 months ago

Duh

jumpin_catfish 3 years, 2 months ago

Duh

Mel Briscoe 3 years, 2 months ago

sundance, the point of this thread was not who has EVER used that word-- but who has used it in a derogatory context. anyone who has ever played a musical instrument and learned to play music has used the word retard/ritard.

justfornow 3 years, 2 months ago

It's retarded that some are posting two or three times on all the blogs.

jumpin_catfish 3 years, 2 months ago

Is there an echo in here?

Mel Briscoe 3 years, 2 months ago

echo? what echo?

what echo?

consumer1 3 years, 2 months ago

sticks and stones can break my bones but "R" words cannot never hurt me.

consumer1 3 years, 2 months ago

I don't evax use woxds the contain the lettex. That way I will be suxe not to offend anyone. You all have a wondexful day now, Ya heax!

consumer1 3 years, 2 months ago

What is next not being able to use the word "Liberal" in a derogitory way????

jaywalker 3 years, 2 months ago

Of course. I was a kid once.

CWGOKU 3 years, 2 months ago

Wow, grammaddy brought politics into a non-politcal qestion, what a stunner. It takes a village... idiot that is. The dems are in charge and still the mindless bashing.

BadAssterson 3 years, 2 months ago

Stan Smith of "American Dad" was able to use it in a complimentary way while patching things up with his wife in one episode.

Stan: "If being stupid makes you beautiful, then I think you're down right retarded!"

Leslie Swearingen 3 years, 2 months ago

Actually, I have never used that word. I use other words and phrases. For example, I might say that the driver in front of us is being creative. Or, is someone who can "think quick on their butt." Word use changes so over time. When I was a child the word gay meant happy, a fag was a cigarette, we said problem instead of issue.

Pywacket 3 years, 2 months ago

I used to use it---until I learned the word "f***tard."

I have mixed feelings. I tend to lean, with caution, toward agreeing with Sourpuss's comment about words transcending their original meaning. Most people who use the word "in a derogatory way" would never dream of saying it to someone who actually had cognitive challenges. It's something people say to others of "normal" intelligence who have said or done something dumb.

Sunshine Noise, many people with intellectually challenged people in their lives use this word with impunity--not toward the relative, but (see above) toward others--just as an insult.

The word becomes hurtful when someone DOES throw it in the face of someone like your sister. I would hope that most people, once they have matured past 3rd grade or so, would realize how wrong that is. We all need to make sure our kids know better.

As with many other words, kids can learn when this one is okay (directed harmlessly, and usually in jest, toward a friend in a private setting) and when it is utterly inappropriate (directed toward a person with Down Syndrome, for instance, or in a public setting, where they don't know who might be hurt or offended). Some, I realize, feel the word should never be used in any circumstance, and I respect that stance.

The ironic thing about this and other words that have evolved into something negative is that it started out with a positive and modern connotation. People with what we now call "mental challenges" were once called imbeciles, cretins, morons, and idiots--indeed, the psychiatric profession assigned those words to specific IQ ranges.

"Mental retardation" was seen as less derogatory, "retardation" simply indicating "slow learning" rather than anything hateful or judgmental. Naturally, once the word "retarded" became associated with having a lower IQ (or whatever measure you prefer), people started using the word on others--and it became a new insult.

Have you noticed? The same thing has happened to "special"--a word intentionally chosen for its innocuous nature (as in "Special Olympics," etc). I've heard lots of people calling each other "special" the same way they would say "retarded."

Whatever descriptive word we attach to "different" people is going to evolve and become a verbal bomb to throw at "non-different" people. It's a waste of time to try to shut down "retard," IMO. Might as well just teach people not to use it on those who do have challenges, as it is obviously hurtful to them and their families. The rest of us, if called that name, will just respond by telling the name caller what an imbecile he is.

monkey_c 3 years, 2 months ago

23% of respondents are lying retards

classclown 3 years, 2 months ago

How long until every letter in the alphabet is used to represent a suddenly taboo word?

PC running amuck yet again.

gsxr600 3 years, 2 months ago

Looks like 24% of people are lying in this poll.

Pywacket 3 years, 2 months ago

powershopper~ I used to know someone who called people "retreads," which I thought very funny.

somedude20 3 years, 2 months ago

now, does the "R" word sound better with a Boston accent. Retahdid

http://home.earthlink.net/~lnkn/retarded.wav

Mel Briscoe 3 years, 2 months ago

py, i liked your post. your a smart one i tell ya. :)

i have always tried to urge my children to expand their vocabularies. and as a result, i have gotten positive feedback from their various teachers throughout the years. a wide vocab is definitely a useful thing on so many different levels. and using "fag" to talk about gay folks, "retard" to talk about people w/ developemental disabilities and any racial slur to describe a person's skintone or ethnic makeup is so super lame-- it really puts one's limited language usage on display. i think w/ the whole "texting" generation, things may have gotten a bit worse. i am just glad that my children understand the importance of such things. they aren't perfect but they are cognizant of wordage and its effects on others.

oh, btw, f**ktard is a funny ass word! i don't use it but i get a little giggle everytime i've heard it used!

AreUNorml 3 years, 2 months ago

so many words that are no longer acceptable in the English language once were absolutely legitimate terminology. Why do people empower these words? the N-word, the R-word, the C-word (women love that one), and the F-word (the derogatory one, not the four letter one). These are just words. Is it the vitriol behind the word that upsets you? easy, just don't listen to the person who said it. This (attempted) banning of words just makes them more powerful.

thomgreen 3 years, 2 months ago

I don't think I've called anyone a retard since I was a kid, but I have been known to tell someone their way of thinking is retarded. Not referring to a person, but their limited development in mentally grasping a subject. Such as, it's retarded to call someone a retard.

Amesmb 3 years, 2 months ago

The word itself bothers me, I cringe whenever I hear it (same as the 'N' word and others), but it's only scratching the surface of the real issue, which is that it's still widely accepted to make fun of people who have developmental disabilities. It's oh-so-taboo to make fun of a race, ethnicity, etc. but people with disabilities are still fair game, which just isn't right. They're still people who deserve respect. They can't help the way they are.

Mel Briscoe 3 years, 2 months ago

"people with disabilities are still fair game, which just isn't right. They're still people who deserve respect. "

agreed.

middlemgmt 3 years, 2 months ago

I laughed pretty hard at "The Hangover" when he pronounced it "Ritard".

morganlefay 3 years, 2 months ago

People are way too oversensitive about the "retard" word. Geez...

morganlefay 3 years, 2 months ago

People are way too oversensitive about the "retard" word. Geez...

equalaccessprivacy 3 years, 2 months ago

I usually settle for "frighteningly ignorant" to describe all the simple-minded people around Lawrence who don't know how to mind their own business and get so hatefully aggressive they have the crude gumption to approach complete strangers on the basis of offensive stereotypes. Guess this is what Mom meant went she used to ask us if we were raised in a barn. One of the Shrivers recently said we need a civil rights movement of the heart in relation to the "R" word. I think people who would use this word or refer to just about anyone in terms of a perception of a disability are missing quite a lot in terms of heart, understanding, and intellect. At least the "R" word isn't patronizing ,and using it doesn't kiss to kill like so much of the presumptuous, unwanted, incompetent help people around Lawrence are so insistent about offering.

equalaccessprivacy 3 years, 2 months ago

I usually settle for "frighteningly ignorant" to describe all the simple-minded people around Lawrence who don't know how to mind their own business and get so hatefully aggressive they have the crude gumption to approach complete strangers on the basis of offensive stereotypes. Guess this is what Mom meant went she used to ask us if we were raised in a barn. One of the Shrivers recently said we need a civil rights movement of the heart in relation to the "R" word. I think people who would use this word or refer to just about anyone in terms of a perception of a disability are missing quite a lot in terms of heart, understanding, and intellect. At least the "R" word isn't patronizing ,and using it doesn't kiss to kill like so much of the presumptuous, unwanted, incompetent help people around Lawrence are so insistent about offering.

consumer1 3 years, 2 months ago

I am follically impaired so, no bald jokes, ... unless of course they are really funny! permission granted to make fun of my bald head.

consumer1 3 years, 2 months ago

I am follically impaired so, no bald jokes, ... unless of course they are really funny! permission granted to make fun of my bald head.

Calliope877 3 years, 2 months ago

sunshine_noise (anonymous) says... "Well I think those who use the R word are insensitive. They've never had a close relationship to the special population. I had a sister with downs syndrome and I remember her telling us in tears that someone called her the R word. It was very hurtful to her. So in my family we did not use that word because we knew the significance of it. I'd rather say knucklehead if I'm referring to someone less intelligent, but by no means are the special population idiots. They have more heart and insight into life than most "so-called" average person. Perhaps some of these young people who use this word might end up having a special child which would make them understand the real negativity of this word. God works in mysterious ways. Think twice before using this word."

I have a brother who is a "special needs" adult, and I use the word frequently, but not in reference to him or anyone like him. I reserve the word "retard" strictly for stupid people who should know better and retard or slow the rest of us down...hence the meaning of the word retard. It's not the word that is insensitive, it's the context some people use it in that can be insensitive.

monkey_c 3 years, 2 months ago

Consumer - I think it would be more technically correct for you to say that your hair follical's are retarded.

sundancewierdo 3 years, 2 months ago

justfornow (anonymous) says... "It's retarded that some are posting two or three times on all the blogs." I think it's a glitch in the site. It's been happening on lots of blogs for the last several days.

Honeychild I was only pointing out that it doesn't matter how you use the word, someone will always take offense. If I'm trying to fix a clock, a gear is retarded, and I say "this is retarded". It is likely someone would be offended. It's ridiculous, I know.

Mel Briscoe 3 years, 2 months ago

true, sundance, but you are walking a tight rope... i mean, people have used the "well n*gger just means a dumb person" as if that's the context that people REALLY use it in and that it is utilized by some folks in a manner not indicative to people of subsaharan african origins. so, by proxy, it is then okay to use that word.

person A: oh quit being a n*gger!

person B: a WHAT?! what did you call me?!

person A: wait, buddy, according to the dictionary, n*gger means a stupid person.

person B: oh, so, you were just calling me stupid, you weren't referring to my dark skin or ancestory in a defammatory way?

person A: exactamundo.

person B: well... you know, i was planning on pounding you in the face but now? now i'm just going to chuckle a nice hearty chuckle because i think its darned funny to be called stupid!

hahahahahahaha!

whats_going_on 3 years, 2 months ago

I generally use the word "ignorant"

sundancewierdo 3 years, 2 months ago

honeychild, that is not at all the same thing. the actual definition of retard refers to a mechanical malfunction, or a verb relating directly to an object. There is a "slang" section in online dictionaries that does describe the word as a derogatory remark toward developmentally challenged persons, however not it's intended original meaning. As far as that tightrope you speak of, I think that "gay" and "fag" would qualify. Both words meant something entirely different and took on a slangy meaning later. For example, "he's gay", is supposed to mean happy. Not anymore.

As for the word you used for comparison, it is what it is. It's a noun only, and not at all acceptable in any shape or form. *see definition below from merriam webster website...

"1 usually offensive; see usage paragraph below : a black person 2 usually offensive; see usage paragraph below : a member of any dark-skinned race 3 : a member of a socially disadvantaged class of persons"

erotomania 3 years, 2 months ago

I do find the word amusing, but tend to go with inside jokes to replace the word. Too many sensitive ears around!

OldEnuf2BYurDad 3 years, 2 months ago

Yes, I've used it in the past, but am considering a permanent switch back to "spaz".

Liberty275 3 years, 2 months ago

I use it mostly to describe liberals.

Liberty275 3 years, 2 months ago

there is another word that starts with "f" and ends with "k" that when put in front of "tard" is an adequate description of about 30% of people I come into contact with.

kusp8 3 years, 2 months ago

You're all a bunch of ritards. :)

kusp8 3 years, 2 months ago

You're all a bunch of ritards. :)

kusp8 3 years, 2 months ago

You're all a bunch of ritards. :)

Ricky_Vaughn 3 years, 2 months ago

I've used it, but I avoid it now. I like to think I've grown since then.

Rainydaze49 3 years, 2 months ago

No! Ill admit I used to until I heard about 'Retard Strength'. Mess around and get snapped in half....

cletus26 3 years, 2 months ago

yeah i've used the word in a negative way in the past. now i only use it when the other words like, "slow, challenged, client, not right, and etc can not be understood to example whom im talking about.

George_Braziller 3 years, 2 months ago

The Journal-World sunk to a new low. I can't believe that question was even allowed into print.

shotgun 3 years, 2 months ago

Only when I'm referring to Sarah Palin.

Danimal 3 years, 2 months ago

Either 24% of us are lying, or our grandmothers have finally figure out how to use the internets.

Ron Holzwarth 3 years, 2 months ago

A long time ago, everyone that drove a Model T knew the word "retard" very well, because it was necessary to retard the spark in order to get your car started. To retard the spark, you moved one of the two levers by the steering wheel down. Then, you ran to the front of your shiny new Ford Model T and started cranking.

Modern cars retard the spark by themselves to enable the engine to start. And, we have a new invention to replace the hand crank in the front of the car, it's called a "starter".

Used in this sense, the word "retard" should not offend anyone. Notice from the definition below that the word "retard" is a verb, and not a noun.

Retard verb: , -tard·ed, -tard·ing, -tards. verb transitive: To cause to move or proceed slowly; delay or impede. verb intransitive: To be delayed. noun: A slowing down or hindering of progress; a delay. Music. A slackening of tempo. [Middle English retarden, from Old French retarder, from Latin retardāre : re-, re- + tardāre, to delay (from tardus, slow).]

kernal 3 years, 2 months ago

One day when me da walked into his bank, one of the VP's called out to him, "Hey, Retard!" , He was still laughing about it, and making her blush, until the last month of his life. He began college at 16 and was a member of Mensa, so far from being a "retard". But a great sense of humor. Sometimes derogatory words are not always meant to be malicious.

ecaldwell 3 years, 2 months ago

So here is a weird situation. I have been involved with Special Olympics for a few years now. Ihave taken the pledge to not use the R-word. I have heard speakers at events talk about how hurtful it is. My ex-husband has a girlfriend now with a severely retarded son. they regularly call him and others he is around Retards. It bothers the heck out of me and apparently they feel they have a free pass and can say it becuase she is the mother of a "retard". Am I the only person that finds this horrible? My biggest concern is that my children spend time with them.

Have you ever used the word “retard” to refer to someone in a derogatory way?

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