Retarded. Does this word offend you?

[yamahonkawazuki]

I use the word so frequently its just a part of my vocabulary.  Probably really juvenile, but I don't really care so whats the difference.

well the way i look at it. if its used in a demeaning fashion toward a well, "retarded" person, then id be upset. however, if i were acting in a retarded fashion or acting like an idiot, then hey i deserve it. or the way id see others deserving it. but for those that really cannot control how they act then no.

[dougdoberman]

What a bullshit copout by the majority of the people in this thread. 

If you wouldn't use the word to someone's face when it could actually apply to them, because you "have more respect" or "sensitivity" than that, then you sure as hell shouldn't be using it as a derogatory term towards anyone or anything else.


Yes, we've taken a big swing towards political correctness.  But that's not always a bad thing.  As was said earlier in this thread, language evolves in many ways.  Some of those are that we mature as a society and generally stop using words that refer derogatoraly towards segments of our society.  We realize that we don't get to use a word that other people have to contend with every day of thier lives.  (At least, the more mature & enlightened members of society realize that.  The rest soldier on as pathetic reminders of a backwards past.) 

You know, I expect this kinda crap from the sportbike oriented forums I read.  I go into them fully cognizent of the fact that the majority of the users will be immature squids.  I was surprised, as I perused this board over the last several days, to found out that it's, in many ways, worse than what I see elsewhere.   I certainly didn't expect to see "ghey" or "ghey" (really?  You think that spelling it that way makes it less offensive?) bandied about as much as I do.

To answer the question, no, the word doesn't offend me.  But the people who choose to use it in the manner referenced here certainly do.

Kudos to the handful of you in this thread who're against the use of the word. 

[bill14224]

Ohgood, your title is: Timing is Retarded

agreed bill. the word itself isnt offensive. it is how it is used. or the tone of ones voice when using it, i couldget highly angry if it were used upon someone who well, was truly retarded. or disabled or what the definition has been accepted as pc. midgets are no longer midgets. theyre vertically challenged. obese people are no longer obese. theyre horizontally challenged.  WTF 

I have relevant experience about this, and most people are clueless, no matter how well intentioned they might be,whether they're bar patrons, cab or limo drivers, bouncers, cops, nurses, teachers, medics, you name it.  They all show-up at bars, and they all meet my friend Todd.  Oh, yes they do.  Todd will be 40 this year, looks 30, he's a quadriplegic who sits in a wheelchair and cannot speak, but he's normal in every other way and loves to party and socialize.  He uses a communicator to talk to us which is a specialized laptop computer.  Most of the people I mentioned assume he's retarded, deaf, or both, and he's anything but.  Yes, he's brain-damaged.  His umbilical cord got caught around his neck and strangled him while he was being born, eliminating his ability to speak or have any fine movement in any of his limbs, but by my estimation he was 50 I.Q. points ahead of most of you to begin with, so after the damage he's even with you.  He sees your phony sympathy a mile away and it drives him crazy.  Some are sincere.  Most are not, and you stick out like a sore thumb.  Think about that next time you visit someone in a wheelchair.  Assume he's a moron at your peril.

Let's understand what we're dealing with here.  Plenty of ignorance to go around from where I sit.  Top to bottom, ignorance, deep ignorance, is everywhere on this issue.  Most of you don't have a clue what it's like to be severely handicapped with a normal mind.  Worse than a murder sentence.  Todd is a rare case, but he's out there.  Don't make-up your minds too fast.

[Toogoofy317]

I use the word so frequently its just a part of my vocabulary.  Probably really juvenile, but I don't really care so whats the difference.

You sir have the emotional IQ of a teenage boy who is just now going through puberty. You think that what you said has some sort of "shock" value but it doesn't people have been pulling it for way to long. It just shows that you also don't have the intelligence to come up with an original remark. I pray that you never become disabled or retarded because you are not emotionally strong enough for it.

Good day to you all. I'm out of this argument.

Mary

[yamahonkawazuki]

Ohgood, your title is: Timing is Retarded

agreed bill. the word itself isnt offensive. it is how it is used. or the tone of ones voice when using it, i couldget highly angry if it were used upon someone who well, was truly retarded. or disabled or what the definition has been accepted as pc. midgets are no longer midgets. theyre vertically challenged. obese people are no longer obese. theyre horizontally challenged.  WTF 

I have relevant experience about this, and most people are clueless, no matter how well intentioned they might be,whether they're bar patrons, cab or limo drivers, bouncers, cops, nurses, teachers, medics, you name it.  They all show-up at bars, and they all meet my friend Todd.  Oh, yes they do.  Todd will be 40 this year, looks 30, he's a quadriplegic who sits in a wheelchair and cannot speak, but he's normal in every other way and loves to party and socialize.  He uses a communicator to talk to us which is a specialized laptop computer.  Most of the people I mentioned assume he's retarded, deaf, or both, and he's anything but.  Yes, he's brain-damaged.  His umbilical cord got caught around his neck and strangled him while he was being born, eliminating his ability to speak or have any fine movement in any of his limbs, but by my estimation he was 50 I.Q. points ahead of most of you to begin with, so after the damage he's even with you.  He sees your phony sympathy a mile away and it drives him crazy.  Some are sincere.  Most are not, and you stick out like a sore thumb.  Think about that next time you visit someone in a wheelchair.  Assume he's a moron at your peril.

Let's understand what we're dealing with here.  Plenty of ignorance to go around from where I sit.  Top to bottom, ignorance, deep ignorance, is everywhere on this issue.  Most of you don't have a clue what it's like to be severely handicapped with a normal mind.  Worse than a murder sentence.  Todd is a rare case, but he's out there.  Don't make-up your minds too fast.

i meet people in this situation frequently. and  converse with them like theyre one of us. because they are. i need to learn at least some sign language. because i run into MANY deaf people. i know just 3. hello, goodbye and thank you, well 4 counting " i love you. " but that one is rarely used. except in conbination with thank you. regarding the mentally retarded. i dont know how you  would converse wiht the mentally retarded/ or i guess its developmentally disabled?, i see many talking SLOWLY to them , " like H...e.....y T.....h....e...r.....e"  most i know by name. and most can understand if we were conversing. its liek incoming they can process fine, its outgoing that many have trouble with

[bill14224]

There's another misconception.  There's no need to speak slowly to the low I.Q. club.  Retarded people can listen as fast as we can.  They're often sneaky, manipulative, and downright nasty too.

My mother made her career in the mental health field and couldn't always find babysitters so I spent a lot of time around retarded folks when I was a kid.  Most of them are not people you want to be around.  Most of them are not very nice at all.  Forrest Gump was a movie.  Retardation usually brings-out the worst in people.  I guess I'm saying retarded people are on average quite a bit nastier than the general public.  They are not equivalent to the rest of us, just with a low I.Q.  There's more to it than that but in this P.C. world it cannot be discussed.

There, I spoke the truth.  Let the rocks fly.

[SAFE-T]

There's no need to speak slowly to the low I.Q. club.  Retarded people can listen as fast as we can.

My mother made her career in the mental health field and...I spent a lot of time around retarded folks when I was a kid.  Most of them are not people you want to be around. 

Let's keep in mind there are people with challenges who are still highly functional and then people who are right off the chart and would be dead in short order if someone didn't look after them 24/7.

Someone with a disability that is still communicative and ambulatory is a far cry from someone who takes their clothes off and defecates in public.

There is some stuff in the world that truly sucks but you learn to deal with it and make the best of it you can, and not through calling it something it isn't. In our lifetime we will soon have the world's largest population of disabled people the world has ever seen ~ I only hope we will have the right mix of intelligence and humanitarianism to deal with the challenges this will bring.

[yamahonkawazuki]

someone here had a custom title. we todd did. the full version goes like this"
i am we todd did. sofa king we todd did. which by itself looks like random words.  but when said aloud....... ive worked for a local group as a caregiver in a group home. these guys , and ladies too. ( was a 5 bdrm home. )  but as a child helped by easterseals, back in the day ( 78-79-80. i was/am, hydrocephalic. anyhoo back to the guys/gals. those people i consider them as equal to if not better than us. and DAMN smart too . guys can game. ( pc stuff. like bf2 planetside  in my sig there is a screenshot of game. ) when they get angry though. WOW id not want to be their opponent. earning their trust however was the interesting part. if they had the mind of say a 7yo, i could get on their level. and earn their trust. trust was and is key there. once i had to move on like i described earlier in this thread, and had to get my replacement to take on the responsibilities. when that happened, he had earned their trust, and the day i left i threw a party. i still try to stpo by and see how htey are doing. they do remember me. so they imho are not less of a person than i am or you are or whatever. they just have a different set of circumstances than myself or you. but i thoroughly enjoyed their company. 

[SAFE-T]

If an adult has the mind of a 7 year. old they are no longer an adult, but a 7 year. old in an adult-size body. Doesn't make them less 'valuable' as a human being, but definitely not equal to or better than a person with normal abilities.

Why do people have such a hard time accepting that not everyone is equal ? I can't understand why we have to artificially elevate our opinions of others to be able to treat them with respect.

[yamahonkawazuki]

If an adult has the mind of a 7 year. old they are no longer an adult, but a 7 year. old in an adult-size body. Doesn't make them less 'valuable' as a human being, but definitely not equal to or better than a person with normal abilities.

Why do people have such a hard time accepting that not everyone is equal ? I can't understand why we have to artificially elevate our opinions of others to be able to treat them with respect.

am sorry i dont agree with this on principle. ( partially)  to see one as leass equal, to me would say meh your less of a person. i do see what you were trying to say though.

[mister]

This thread is retarded 

[SAFE-T]

Think of it this way ~ children are not our equals either, but we still treat them with due care and respect. A lot of people are less valuable to society when you think of it, but we still owe them their dignity.

[SAFE-T]

LESS of a person, but not less of a PERSON.

[SAFE-T]

And I think this is a pretty good discussion, for a motorcycle forum.

[Electrojake]

Good golly man, this thread is STILL going?
If this gets moved over to my neighborhood (The Tard Farm), we can set ya' all up with some Aussie psychotherapy and get this issue nailed down once and for all.

Just sayin' 
Peace,
-Ej-

[yamahonkawazuki]

LESS of a person, but not less of a PERSON.

Gotcha my friend. i mis-interpreted