Words

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Mental retardation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Do you have a word or phrase that makes you cringe, and die a little inside, to hear, regardless of context or the direction to which it's applied? You know, words like nigger, spic, wetback, spearchucker, wop, dago, kike, greaser, beaner, chink, slant-eyes, gook, honky, ofay, porch monkey, pepper belly, chili chomper, zipperhead, or others of their ilk? I think we can all agree these are hateful, hurtful words. You can argue that words are just words, but that's specious. Words have a specific meaning, and are used for a specific intent, or should be, anyway.

I have a word. I feel it is every bit as full of hate and hurt as any of those words I listed. I think most people, though, see nothing wrong with it because they haven't been touched by it. They don't know anybody that has it. Therefore they go around flinging it at people who make a mistake, at someone who does something wrong, like push on a door marked PULL. You want to call them a dumbass, or stupid? Fine, I can go along with that.

Just don't call them a retard. You have no idea how physically sick it makes me to hear that word used. You wouldn't use any of those others, up there. Stop using this one, too.

Walrilla
Father of a developmentally delayed, very mildly mentally retarded, extremely beautiful daughter, who I love very, very much.