Anonymous wrote:It's absolutely a valid word, and continues to have valid uses in English. As someone who finds it highly offensive when used as an insult, and think it's outdated and best avoided when used to describe people with intellectual disabilities, I have no problem with a sentence such as:
"Putting the cooked chicken in the fridge will retard the growth of bacteria".
There are many other words in English that are acceptable in some contexts, but not when applied to people, such as "Oriental" or "Bitch", or not when used as a slur such as "Gay".
How is this hard to understand?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:It's a generational thing and I am struggling to figure out how to teach my kids this. I work with engineers and programmers and at work we call everything retarded or this is retarded and broken. etc... Or dammit Jim who wrote this retarded function.
It's really not hard. First of all you stop using the word. Just put it out of your vocabulary. When opportunities come up to talk about it with your kids, such as when you overhear it or come across it in the media, make your feelings clear. And if your child, or another child in your care, uses it, then react the same way you would if they said "nigger" or "cunt" or "fag". Swiftly and decisively.
I've told kids point blank "You may not use that word in my house. It is offensive to me. I'll let it go this time, because I understand you might not have known, but if I hear it again I will ask you to leave." If they're younger, I give an explanation about why it's hurtful to use someone's description as an insult. A 4 year old can understand.
Wow, I never hear this word in the workplace. That's shocking.
NP here. My cousin uses the word in its derogatory manner and she's a social worker who works with...people with disabilities. I almost fell out of my chair when I hear her say it. Head-shaking, really.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:It's a generational thing and I am struggling to figure out how to teach my kids this. I work with engineers and programmers and at work we call everything retarded or this is retarded and broken. etc... Or dammit Jim who wrote this retarded function.
It's really not hard. First of all you stop using the word. Just put it out of your vocabulary. When opportunities come up to talk about it with your kids, such as when you overhear it or come across it in the media, make your feelings clear. And if your child, or another child in your care, uses it, then react the same way you would if they said "nigger" or "cunt" or "fag". Swiftly and decisively.
I've told kids point blank "You may not use that word in my house. It is offensive to me. I'll let it go this time, because I understand you might not have known, but if I hear it again I will ask you to leave." If they're younger, I give an explanation about why it's hurtful to use someone's description as an insult. A 4 year old can understand.
Wow, I never hear this word in the workplace. That's shocking.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:It's a generational thing and I am struggling to figure out how to teach my kids this. I work with engineers and programmers and at work we call everything retarded or this is retarded and broken. etc... Or dammit Jim who wrote this retarded function.
It's really not hard. First of all you stop using the word. Just put it out of your vocabulary. When opportunities come up to talk about it with your kids, such as when you overhear it or come across it in the media, make your feelings clear. And if your child, or another child in your care, uses it, then react the same way you would if they said "nigger" or "cunt" or "fag". Swiftly and decisively.
I've told kids point blank "You may not use that word in my house. It is offensive to me. I'll let it go this time, because I understand you might not have known, but if I hear it again I will ask you to leave." If they're younger, I give an explanation about why it's hurtful to use someone's description as an insult. A 4 year old can understand.
Anonymous wrote:It's a generational thing and I am struggling to figure out how to teach my kids this. I work with engineers and programmers and at work we call everything retarded or this is retarded and broken. etc... Or dammit Jim who wrote this retarded function.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There are valid uses of the word retard--for example, its use as a verb. The primary problem is people who use it as an insult.
Ok well let's flip this around, what if we called someone slow? Isn't that just as bad?
Anonymous wrote:There are valid uses of the word retard--for example, its use as a verb. The primary problem is people who use it as an insult.