# 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:** 5
**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 20, 2022, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/82 "2022-05-20T16:17:11Z")
But what about when it comes to news? I can’t think of a word that would better work in “Stupid gun news of the day.” Labelling a poster, or a post, as stupid, rather than pointing out the flaws and demerits of that post is lazy at best. But to categorize all the reports of people doing, well, _stupid_ things with their guns _needs_ some sort of derogatory word associated with it. IMHO, of course. ---
**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 20, 2022, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/83 "2022-05-20T16:18:18Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > But what about when it comes to news? > > I can’t think of a word that would better work in “Stupid gun news of the day.” Excellent point. That’s a great use of the word, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/84 "2022-05-20T16:19:03Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Are all these people “trash,” or might some of them just need a little advice? I was born in 1972, a teen in the late 80s. My primary and middle schools had a special ed class with children with severe cognitive disabilities. My cousin was one of them. Anyone who used the word then was garbage. ---
**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 20, 2022, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/85 "2022-05-20T16:19:25Z")
Just to check: is there any advantage anyone can think of to keep the word “retard” around without sanctions on those who use it or its variations as a term of disparagement? ---
**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 20, 2022, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/86 "2022-05-20T16:27:00Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > . Anyone who used the word then was garbage. Agree to disagree. I went to a private school in the 1980s, and I was sensitive to these things to an extent, but I probably used the word a few times — whereas my son is in a public school right now, and one of the best things about that is his daily interaction with neuro-atypical kids. So, as I said above, he’s more hip to this than I was at his age. But “trash”? Eh. We’re here to fight ignorance. It will take a lot longer than we thought, if we dismiss ignorance with such a broad and scathing brush. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/87 "2022-05-20T16:28:10Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > The word “nigger”, or the word “niggardly”? Sorry, the former; the original Latin term is “niger”. Also the word “neger” is part of English, derived from the same source, but I’ve never heard it actually used in practice. ETA: The term “niggard” is derived from a Scandinavian term and is totally unrelated though it is pronounced very similarly (and is usually considered offensive due to that similarity). ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/88 "2022-05-20T16:29:00Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > > > Circles of trash people > > Okay, perhaps. I was thinking of people born in, say, 1965, who used it as a teen in the early 1980s (not NICE even then, but VERY widespread, and not all those people were trash), and missed the memo on it as they aged. Are all these people “trash,” or might some of them just need a little advice? I don’t think they’re all trash, but YMMV. I mean, I can only thank god that I’m not the same person I was back then. Retarded? Yeah, I used it. Along with all of the other slurs listed in this thread. ---
**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 20, 2022, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/89 "2022-05-20T16:30:12Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > > [@Atamasama](#): > > > > However, the term does derive from the Latin word for “black”. > > The word “nigger”, or the word “niggardly”? It’s hard to tell what “the term” here references. According to Wiki, niggardly comes from Old Norse. Maybe there is a connection in archaic Indo-European, but I doubt it. > **[Controversies about the word niggardly | Etymology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversies_about_the_word_niggardly#Etymology)** > > Niggardly (noun: niggard) is an adjective meaning 'stingy' or 'miserly'. Niggard (14th C) is derived from the Middle English word meaning 'stingy,' nigon, which is probably derived from two other words also meaning 'stingy,' namely, Old Norse hnǫggr and Old English hnēaw. The word niggle, which in modern usage means to give excessive attention to minor details, probably shares an etymology with niggardly. > Nigger, a racial slur widely considered to be offensive, derives from the Spanish word negr... ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/90 "2022-05-20T16:30:34Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > I mean, I can only thank god that I’m not the same person I was back then. Retarded? Yeah, I used it. Along with all of the other slurs listed in this thread. All I can say is that even as a teen I did _not_ and neither did my circle of friends. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/91 "2022-05-20T16:31:40Z")
> [@eburacum45](#): > > According to Wiki, niggardly comes from Old Norse. Yes, I knew that but given it’s a term that I never think about, it had slipped my mind. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/92 "2022-05-20T17:21:18Z")
Pardon me for weaseling on this one, but I am both for and against, although more in the ‘for’ category. The term is harmful, offensive, and demeaning in comparing people who chose to do foolish things to people who have no choice in their physical/intellectual/emotional development. Using it casually is wrong, and I feel no issues in judging people who use the terms freely and casually. The against is broken up to two issues, one general and one board specific. In general, I, like probably everyone, wouldn’t use the term or it’s derivatives in thinking speech, but have been known to use them, or equally offensive ones (I -STILL- catch myself using terms like ‘gyp’ and then immediately apologizing for it), when speaking quickly especially in moments of passion. And that applies even when on boards where I’m typing a half page long screed. And since we cannot easily delete our posts, and may miss it during the editing window, or only catch it when we re-read the thread days/weeks/months later, it seems like a hard ban would be problematic. I would though support it being noted, and if (like a lot of offenses here) it became a common theme for specific posters, it could escalate to a warning BUT… That brings me to the technical issue specific to the board. I always try to take to heart a comment from @What_Exit to me some time ago, the mods are a VERY limited resource. There are countless new, unzombied, or ongoing threads every day that are generating countless flags. Sometimes it lulls, sometimes (see the thread in ATMB about gun debates) faster than the posts themselves! And that leaves out the kneejerk belligerence that often shows up here the moment a mod notes someone on behavior. Which of course, consumes more time. Back to usage on the term in question, I think it should continue to be discouraged, and if the mechanics of mod time/energy allow (they’re in the thread anyway as a reader) to be officially discouraged (maybe as the “not even a note, but please don’t” comment I see from time to time). I also suggest that we the posters have the tools at our disposal in said threads to call out the usage of the term, and perhaps the well-intended among us using it in the heat of the moment can continue to improve ourselves. If people are bound and determined to continue using it, well then, it’s easy to point out said trend to the mods to then take more formal action. Sorry for the book all. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/93 "2022-05-20T17:28:24Z")
Are we talking about calling someone a ‘retard’, or describing someone or something as ‘retarded’? Or both? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/94 "2022-05-20T17:30:04Z")
I mean both. There is no distinction, just as saying something is “niggery” isn’t okay. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/95 "2022-05-20T17:40:51Z")
Ok, just clarifying. I thought it had been considered offensive for a very long time, but increasing in degree over that time just like other words that get worked out of the language. It’s been long enough now. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/96 "2022-05-20T17:43:26Z")
Can someone please show me the kids that are being hurt by this? My son is on the spectrum and he uses that word. And so does his friends that are also on the spectrum. I don’t recall them using that word on people, but they will definitely call situations “retarded”. ---
**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 20, 2022, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/97 "2022-05-20T17:44:35Z")
Here’s a post from today that, I think, uses “stupid” well (several times): \ ---
**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 20, 2022, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/98 "2022-05-20T17:46:56Z")
Sorry, that wasn’t the post. It’s this one (from that thread), by Riemann: “ He has an equally idiotic misconception of language, that words have no objective meaning, that they mean nothing more nor less than the subjective intent of the specific speaker. What derives from that obviously stupid premise are a whole lot of stupid but stubborn conclusions that mean any engagement with him in any language thread (whether theoretical, or related to SDMB policy) is invariably confusing and counterproductive. But it’s notable that both his legalistic view of morality expressed here and his stupid misconception of the nature of language converge on a conclusion that racism is okay.” ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/99 "2022-05-20T17:48:18Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Can someone please show me the kids that are being hurt by this? My son is on the spectrum and he uses that word. And so does his friends that are also on the spectrum. Plenty of folks use insults casually, often without thinking of the deeper meanings (I certainly didn’t when I was younger), but I have found that persons in and of a group sometimes use it amongst themselves more freely. There are similar terms used amongst groups that they would not allow an outsider to use. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/100 "2022-05-20T17:55:42Z")
Become the language police in The Pit is definitely inviting a slippery slope. Went and saw Doug Stanhope last weekend. Good show. Heres a bit he did in the past on this very issue: Video is NSFW [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/7dqsgxLyl5E/maxresdefault.jpg "Doug Stanhope - Using the term retarded") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dqsgxLyl5E) ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/101 "2022-05-20T18:05:12Z")
I’m also curious where was this thread when the phrase "Shut up Big-Tard! Was coined? Because nobody seemed to have a problem with that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755.md?page=6)