# Can we get rid of "retard" next?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755>\
**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:** 1\
**Showing post:** 428

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [June 1, 2022, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755/428 "2022-06-01T23:30:43Z")

</div>

> [@Max\_S](#):
>
> I think this recent warning is relevant to the thread:

Perhaps @engineer_comp_geek could confirm something. There was general consensus here that insta-Warnings were not warranted for a first inappropriate use of “retard”, and I just wanted to point out that (I think) this is not what we’re seeing here.

Here’s the full text of the post in question:

> [@Why "hand" for direction?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hand-for-direction/965400/9):
>
> Really? You’re a full grown adult and you don’t know left from right without saying “hand”? And that nonsense story about an army recruit who didn’t know right from left? No, he wasn’t illiterate, he was retarded.

The term “retard” was not directed at @CairoCarol, but the first part of the post was. So I think what we’re seeing is a Note about first inappropriate use of “retard”, and the upgrade to Warning is for the first couple of sentences as an insult toward another poster. All of which looks like good moderation to me, that poster was really rude in that thread.

---

_[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-retard-next/964755)._