# 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:** 8
**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 20, 2022, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/142 "2022-05-20T20:01:16Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > I believe that they feel that using such terms is a form of jerkitude, and as such, they should be sanctioned on the Don’t be a jerk prime directive. Ok, that’s the straightforward literal way I read it, and that’s what I responded to - that this is functionally equivalent to banning the word. So now I’m not sure what _you_ meant by saying it was being witty…? ---
**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, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/143 "2022-05-20T20:09:02Z")
I’ll have to let them explain it. But it was funny ---
**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 20, 2022, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/144 "2022-05-20T20:20:54Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > But it was funny Agreed, and in fact my comment was principally a response to the first thing I quoted, what @JKellyMap said. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/145 "2022-05-20T20:38:11Z")
Okay, I think that is good enough. A list of “banned” words would not be productive > [@octopus](#): > > Anyways cunt isn’t banned in the Pit. The bringing back of the word off the restricted list was actually celebrated. Yes, sadly, and that says a lot about the board back then, with misogyny widespread and obvious. . ---
**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, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/146 "2022-05-20T20:48:57Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > I don’t really get this. What is the functional distinction between this and banning the word as hate speech? If someone uses the word, they are sanctioned by the mods. Yes. I’m a bit exasperated with the “but it’s a tool for outing creeps” argument, with its implication that once they’re outed as creeps, we just shrug our shoulders and don’t do anything about that. If its use is enough to out someone as a creep, unless there’s some significant reason to think it’s not the same thing as outing them as a jerk, I don’t see why it shouldn’t be sanctioned. We don’t need to keep creeps around here. I might be a little more lenient with this than I’d be with racist epithets, because I think there’s legit a group of folks–mostly young dudes from the gamer world–who aren’t completely aware how offensive it is. Use of the n-word as an insult ought to be an instaban, because there’s no claiming ignorance of that. Use of “retard” as an insult might allow for a single sharp warning (or even, on St. Crispin’s Day, a mod-note) to make sure the miscreant knows what’s up. ---
**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 20, 2022, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/147 "2022-05-20T20:51:51Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes, sadly, and that says a lot about the board back then, with misogyny widespread and obvious. Back then . . . in the dark ages of . . . 2018, > [@Listen up, motherfuckers!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listen-up-motherfuckers/817831): > > In case you haven’t seen it, [we’ve removed the restricted word list](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=858601) from the Pit. You are now officially free drop f-bombs at any target, in whatever configuration you desire. Keep in mind, this only applies to the [“bad word”](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=508858) list. Rules against hate speech remain in full effect, as do [all other Pit rules](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=507985). Now go forth and be filthy. ---
**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, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/148 "2022-05-20T20:55:24Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I think there’s legit a group of folks–mostly young dudes from the gamer world–who aren’t completely aware how offensive it is A lot of young dudes from the gamer world are pretty crappy human beings. ---
**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, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/149 "2022-05-20T20:58:44Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > A lot of young dudes from the gamer world are pretty crappy human beings. I mean, sure–but ignorant crappy human beings can sometimes fix themselves. If they’re ignorant or thoughtless, a sharp correction may suffice. I don’t think that’s the case with n-word-as-insult users. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/150 "2022-05-20T21:19:16Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > Back then . . . in the dark ages of . . . 2018, Yes, this board has progressed in 4 years. ---
**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 20, 2022, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/151 "2022-05-20T21:25:59Z")
Not really for me to say . . . but I’d bet there’s a lot of folks that would be happy to tell you that that word used in the Pit was the least of the misogyny problems this board ~~had~~ has. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/152 "2022-05-20T21:29:51Z")
Least? No. A lesser problem? Of course. But it is and was a symptom. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/153 "2022-05-20T22:48:34Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Would you advocate for the SDMB removing the BBQ Pit forum so no one can say mean things to another poster? We are not talking about being mean. We’re talking about slurs being made against a disadvantage minority. You know, like the n-word and f-word (for gay people). And we already ban those on the entire board. There’s no reason why gay people and black people are special minorities. Using slurs against a minority clearly crosses a line that merely being mean to someone does not. It turns that minority into an insult, and thus insults everyone of that minority. You can’t equate that with just being mean to one person. You’re acting like we’re creating something new. We’re not. We’re just asking the mods to be consistent with this particular aspect of hate speech. If slurs against minorities are banned, then it should be all slurs—or at least all slurs most people know about. The general public has known that “retard” was a slur that attacks all mentally challenged people since the 1990s. That’s about the same time we learned “tranny” was a slur. Yet “tranny” is enough to get you a warning or even banning\*, but “retard” is not. \*I remember reporting a poster who used that term in the Pit after having racked up a ton of Warnings. They were banned. And this was years ago. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/154 "2022-05-21T00:30:53Z")
# [Can we get rid of “retard” next?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755) > [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > I would very much like to be done with the term here. I’m just hoping we can accelerate the banning of words on the SDMB until there are only 3 or 4 left. That’ll make post-writing a lot easier. Then we can move onto banning entire songs, poems, books and ideas from society as a whole. ---
**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 21, 2022, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/155 "2022-05-21T00:33:47Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > 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. I was born in 1951; and I got that particular memo quite a few years ago – long enough that I no longer remember when. I’d agree with a warning first instead of an instaban; but not because I think this is a brand new issue. > [@k9bfriender](#): > > 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. I wish we had a better one than “stupid”, though. Because while that’s a word that gets applied to all sorts of people often enough to not carry the charge of “retard”, it nevertheless carries some implication that the problem isn’t only that the person did something “stupid”, but that they’re essentially “stupid”. And, of course, if they are – then they can’t help it. And if they can help it – then we want them to, surely? But I haven’t been able to think of a really good substitute. “Willfully ignorant” is a lot more accurate, but it’s too many syllables. > [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > Back then . . . in the dark ages of . . . 2018, > > In case you haven’t seen it, [we’ve removed the restricted word list](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=858601) from the Pit. You are now officially free drop f-bombs at any target, in whatever configuration you desire. Keep in mind, this only applies to the [“bad word”](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=508858) list. Rules against hate speech remain in full effect, as do [all other Pit rules](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=507985). Now go forth and be filthy. What’s that got to do with using “retard” or “cunt” as an insult – other than possibly to confirm that they shouldn’t be used, even in the Pit? The only word specifically given as permissible is “fuck” and permutations thereof. Some people object to that word also, but I’ve never heard anybody object to it on the grounds that it’s denigrating any particular group of people. > [@BigT](#): > > Using slurs against a minority clearly crosses a line that merely being mean to someone does not. It turns that minority into an insult Exactly. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/156 "2022-05-21T00:36:18Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > I’m just hoping we can accelerate the banning of words on the SDMB until there are only 3 or 4 left. You get botch, format, and kazoo. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/157 "2022-05-21T00:39:54Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > You get botch, format, and kazoo Who’re you calling a k-----? Mods!!! Greyson called me the k-word!!! 😆 ---
**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 21, 2022, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/158 "2022-05-21T00:41:20Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > I’m just hoping we can accelerate the banning of words on the SDMB until there are only 3 or 4 left. But that would make it _much_ easier for you to figure out acronyms. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/159 "2022-05-21T00:45:08Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > But that would make it _much_ easier for you to figure out acronyms I don’t have any problem figuring out acronyms. Given enough time I also don’t have any problem figuring out Hungarian. Naturally, like all conscientious writers and considerate Dopers, when I post here I don’t use any acronyms, initialisms, or Hungarian which I don’t expect the average Doper to know. ---
**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 21, 2022, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/160 "2022-05-21T01:20:12Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > But I haven’t been able to think of a really good substitute. “Willfully ignorant” is a lot more accurate, but it’s too many syllables. It’s not willful ignorance that causes someone to put a gun to their testicles and pull the trigger. If it’s not stupid, I really don’t know what other word can be used there. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.E](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.e/32/8932_2.png) [@Mr.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.E)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/161 "2022-05-21T01:20:30Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > I’m just hoping we can accelerate the banning of words on the SDMB until there are only 3 or 4 left. That’ll make post-writing a lot easier. > > Then we can move onto banning entire songs, poems, books and ideas from society as a whole. I’m not entirely convinced of George Orwell’s “Newspeak can inherently suppress dissent” linguistic determinism, but I’m willing to give it a try. Max\_S is doubleplus ungood! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755.md?page=9)