The "R" give-and-take

re·tard

verb

riˈtärd/

  1. 1.

    delay or hold back in terms of progress, development, or accomplishment.

    "his progress was retarded past his limp"

The word retard dates equally far back every bit 1426. Information technology stems from the Latin verb, retardare, meaning to hinder or make boring. The English adopted the give-and-take and used it as similar meaning, slow and delayed. The first fourth dimension the word "retard" was printed in American newspapers was in 1704. At this time, information technology was used in a way to draw the slowing down or the diminishing of something. The beginning time that any form of retard was used to depict mentally disabled people was during the 1960s when "there was a push button amidst disability advocates to use the characterization mental retardation.This push from advocates was considering older terms for the mentally disabled, like moron, imbecile, feeble-minded and idiot, had adult negative meanings. Retard was not used to refer to mentally disabled people until 1985. It was widely accustomed to refer to people who are mentally disabled as mentally retarded, or equally a retard. From there, it turned quickly into a pejorative term, as people began to use it interchangeably with words like stupid, or idiot. Many communities, particularly in North America, regard the word as no longer socially adequate. The fact that it is nonetheless commonly used has led to a continuing debate. A mutual replacement is the phrase "the r-word."

U.Southward. President Barack Obama signed South. 2781 into law on Oct five, 2010. Known every bit Rosa'due south Police, it is a nib that inverse references in federal law; the term mental retardation was replaced by mental disability. Additionally, the phrase "mentally retarded private" was replaced with "an individual with an intellectual disability".  Rosa's Law was named after Rosa Marcellino, a nine-year-erstwhile girl with Down syndrome. She worked with her parents to have the words "mentally retarded" officially removed from health and education code in Maryland, her dwelling state.With this new police force, "mental retardation" and "mentally retarded" no longer exist in federal health, or instruction and labor policy. The rights of individuals with disabilities will remain the same. The goal of this word removal was to remove language that may be considered hurtful from communities.

I came across this article (in a serial of articles) that the Huffpost Bear on weblog has posted on the topic.

03/05/2014 11:47 am ET | Updated May 05, 2014

Sometimes I experience like Professor Van Helsing, or perchance Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I keep trying to kill this thing and it just won't die. Of course, my nemesis is the "r-give-and-take," not a vampire.

Like Dracula, the r-word just sucks the life out of those of united states who fall in its path. It spreads like an infection from person to person. It seems as though perfectly nice people who "mean no harm" get bitten by hearing others using the term while "meaning no damage." And so it goes, from person to person, until information technology becomes and then common that even Presidential Chiefs of Staff, radio talk show hosts, movie characters and famous political pundits employ the nasty slur — then say they "meant no impairment."

To all of you lot who use information technology, permit me say it ane more time, THE R-WORD HURTS. You lot don't have to aim the give-and-take directly at me to hurt me and millions of others like me who alive with an intellectual inability. Every time a person uses the r-word, no matter who information technology is aimed at, it says to those who hear it that information technology is okay to utilize it. That's how a slur becomes more and more common. That's how people like me get to hear it over and over, fifty-fifty when you think nosotros aren't listening.

So, why am I hurt when I hear "retard." Let'south face it, nobody uses the give-and-take as a term of praise. At best, it is used as some other way of maxim "stupid" or "loser." At worst, it is aimed directly at me every bit a way to label me as an outcast — a matter, non a person. I am not stupid. I am not a loser. I am not a thing. I am a person.

It hurts me to think that people assume that I am less than a whole person. That is what is so atrocious virtually slurs. They are intended to make their target seem smaller, less of a person. People who live with an intellectual inability practise not have an easy life. We have to fight to understand what the rest of you accept for granted. We fight for education. We fight to live among the rest of you. We struggle to make friends. We often are ignored, even when nosotros take something to say. Nosotros fight so hard to be seen as whole people. Information technology hurts so much, later on all that struggle, to hear you casually use a term that means that you assume we are less than whole.

How shall we answer to those of you who all the same use the r-give-and-take? Well, similar Van Helsing and Buffy, nosotros are going to aim at your centre. The only difference is that nosotros are adamant to bulldoze a smile, not a stake, through your heart. Come join me on the side of the expert guys. I promise you will feel better nearly yourself — and no other people will have to feel bad nigh themselves.

This postal service is office of a series produced by The Huffington Post and the Special Olympics in conjunction with Spread the Word to End the Give-and-take sensation twenty-four hour period on Wed, March 5. To find out more about the Spread the Discussion entrada, please visit the website. Join u.s.a. in taking the pledge at R-Word.org. Read all posts in the series here.

stw2010

Here is a video that I constitute on The Mighty site

[youtube https://world wide web.youtube.com/watch?v=Mayk4fXrL2w&west=560&h=315]

Here is an NPR piece on the topic of rethinking the word.

</iframe>http://world wide web.npr.org/role player/embed/112479383/112651583

What do you recall about this whole topic? Nosotros would dearest to hear from yous, please post in the comments.