I recently saw an article that was entitled, “10 Reasons Why You Should Stop Using the R Word” and I was so confused...why do we need a reason, let alone ten, to stop using the R-word?
Why can’t we stop using it because it offends an entire group of people?
Why can’t we stop using it because it is outdated and hurtful?
Why can’t we stop using it because it is dehumanizing?
Why can’t we just stop?
If you aren’t sure which R-word I am referring to, I am talking about the word “retard(ed)” (it hurts me to even type that), which comes from the phrase “mental retardation.” We stopped using this phrase in medical, educational and clinical settings in 2010, almost a decade ago, when a federal law was passed to change the phrase to “intellectual disability.” This term is used to describe a person that has certain limitations in areas such as cognition, communication, adaptive skills, or social skills. Intellectual disabilities affect 2-3% of the population, however, many people in our country are uneducated on the term and use it in an offensive way, such as “That’s so r***!” or “Are you r***?”
Seriously, y’all? Can’t we think of a better way to get our point across? There are literally HUNDREDS of other adjectives. Don’t choose this one.
Let me put it this way: you wouldn’t use a racial or an ethnic slur to describe something, nor would you let your kids use it to describe something. So why use the r-word? Why let your kids use it? This word is only used as an insult. No one uses it in a positive way, no one uses it to lift someone up. It is used to belittle. It is used to tear down.
Even if you use it unintentionally, it’s offensive.
Even if you’re joking, it’s offensive.
Even if you “didn’t mean it,” it’s. still. offensive.
So now that you know better, you can do better. Now that you’ve heard how insulting, how dehumanizing, how derogatory this word is, you can remove it from your vocabulary. You can shed a light on its misuse. This isn’t about political correctness. This is about respect. Be an example to your family. Be an example to your friends. Heck, be an example to a stranger. But, whatever you do, promise me that you will #SpreadTheWordToEndTheWord, because when you know better, you can do better.
