# Can we get rid of "retard" next? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 20, 2022, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755 "2022-05-20T11:27:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/322 "2022-05-22T03:40:13Z")
Under @Whack-a-Mole’s model, shouldn’t online gaming communities by now have reached a state of socially progressive civilzed perfection? ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/323 "2022-05-22T03:42:18Z")
Gamers, like any group, are a diverse bunch. The industry is bigger than movies and most people in first world countries (and a lot of second world ones, and even third world countries) play games. There isn’t really a single gaming community. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/324 "2022-05-22T03:43:50Z")
I play games. I even play games online with other people. But from your warning, i assumed you meant the portion of gaming culture that consists mostly of teenage boys enacting toxic masculinity. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/325 "2022-05-22T03:51:13Z")
My broader point was that if the mere _idea_ someone might want to say that word causes people here distress, then they’re going to have a bad time when they discover just how prevalent it is as an accepted insult among a broad spectrum of people in different areas of the gaming world. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/326 "2022-05-22T03:51:57Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > My broader point was that if the mere _idea_ someone might want to say that word causes people here distress It’s good that no one has said anything like that then. Your concerns are unneeded. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/327 "2022-05-22T03:54:27Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > It’s good that no one has said anything like that then. Your concerns are unneeded. You mean besides all the people going on about how it’s allegedly an awful, hateful word? That’s still a form of distress. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/328 "2022-05-22T03:59:41Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > You mean besides all the people going on about how it’s allegedly an awful, hateful word? It _is_ a hateful word, and I do think that it has no place in our community. That doesn’t mean it causes “distress” to know that there are those out there that like to use it to express themselves. That’s entirely something that you have imagined out of whole cloth. Tell me, how much distress does it cause you to know that there are people in this community that don’t want to be associated with hateful language? Seems quite a bit. It must truly “give you the vapors” to know that when I visit my mother, I’m not even allowed to use the word “fuck”. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/329 "2022-05-22T04:02:12Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Tell me, how much distress does it cause you to know that there are people in this community that don’t want to be associated with hateful language? Seems quite a bit. Not much, but I find the hand-wringing and virtue-signalling here tiresome at times. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/330 "2022-05-22T04:04:52Z")
Impressive, you seem determined to work your way through the whole of the alt-right thesaurus. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/331 "2022-05-22T04:05:28Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > Not much, but I find the hand-wringing and virtue-signalling here tiresome at times. A more perfect example of said “virtue signaling” one would be hard pressed to find. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/332 "2022-05-22T04:06:48Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > A more perfect example of said “virtue signaling” one would be hard pressed to find. You mean besides starting a “Let’s ban a word I don’t like even though no-one here uses it anyway” thread? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/333 "2022-05-22T11:44:07Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > I have seen “aspy” used as a slur on some Reddit threads. I don’t know about the “aspy” spelling , but “aspie” is tricky, because it _is_ used as a slur, but it’s _also_ the word used for self-description by [some of the people in question](https://www.aspie.org.uk/). ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/334 "2022-05-22T11:54:05Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > No, I am not stepping from one to the next, the bigots are. Exactly! Once again, who are the REAL snowflakes? ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/335 "2022-05-22T12:30:30Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Oh look…they used the bad word! To be accurate, they used the word ‘retarded’ correctly, as an adjective. They did not label a segment of society with the noun ‘retard’, which is dehumanising, and forcing them into a subhuman category. I doubt very much that medical professionals, even in America, ever routinely used the term ‘retard’ to refer to their clients. (And if they did, they should have been ashamed). ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/336 "2022-05-22T12:42:10Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > A more perfect example of said “virtue signaling” one would be hard pressed to find. Indeed. Also, in terms of people getting the vapors, it seems to me that the wailing and gnashing of teeth over the perils of sanctioning a word’s use are far more vaporous. There’s a lot of projection happening in this thread, and everyone may be best served by not characterizing the emotional state of those they disagree with, lest they inadvertently characterize their own. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/337 "2022-05-22T13:56:15Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > My broader point was that if the mere _idea_ someone might want to say that word causes people here distress, then they’re going to have a bad time when they discover just how prevalent it is as an accepted insult among a broad spectrum of people in different areas of the gaming world. Why would you think that people who don’t want to see the word here don’t already know that? It’s precisely because the word became commonly used as an insult that it’s become charged. Anyone objecting to it knows perfectly well that it’s been, and among some people still is, so used. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/338 "2022-05-22T19:47:27Z")
No wonder the OP gave up. This is probably about the thousandth time we’ve had a conversation like this. You know what I learned? That letting bigots, racists, homophobes spread their crap because it shows who they are so you can argue with them doesn’t work. They already know what they are and they don’t care if you know. That’s the whole point of them posting. They want you to read their brand of crap. Over and over again. You are not going to shame or change them. You know what does work? Not letting them start their shit in the first place. Why do you think we don’t have all the threads about “racialism” anymore? It wasn’t because they got tired after 20 years, it was because they weren’t allowed to start shit like that anymore. Once they couldn’t openly post their crap they quickly faded away. Just treat it like any other jerk, mod note(s) - warning - suspension - ban. If someone wants to die on this particular hill, give them what they want. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/339 "2022-05-22T21:08:21Z")
Excellent post. There’s nothing I can add. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/340 "2022-05-22T21:43:44Z")
People who want to sanction language and ridicule and attack those who don’t. Orwell is looking more prophetic every day. There is a whole forum on this site dedicated to insulting other posters with vile language and yet here we are worried someone’s feelings are hurt. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/341 "2022-05-22T21:47:12Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > There is a whole forum on this site dedicated to insulting other posters with vile language and yet here we are worried someone’s feelings are hurt. Always good to hear from you. If it weren’t for you, [this thread would likely never have existed](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-be-the-only-person-stunned-at-just-how-badly-president-joe-biden-is-doing/949851/727). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755.md?page=18)