# I Pit people who use the word "retarded" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 2, 2011, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-use-the-word-retarded/566091 "2011-01-02T00:02:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-use-the-word-retarded/566091/81 "2011-01-03T17:02:02Z")
> [@Canadjun](#): > > I think Lobot is my hero. I’m paraplegic, so yes I am crippled, I am a cripple, I am disabled, I have a disability, I am handicapped, I have a handicap. Take your pick. A rose by any other name… Differently brained? ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-use-the-word-retarded/566091/82 "2011-01-03T18:00:50Z")
> [@Fish\_Nya](#): > > Being blind is not bad. Being deaf is not bad. Being disabled in anyway is _not bad._ Yu hu > [@Fish\_Nya](#): > > The effects of something being bad is different than the thing itself being bad. Nu uh. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-use-the-word-retarded/566091/83 "2011-01-03T18:13:05Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Man, there are some hateful fucks on this board. True. But if not for them, the sanctimonious fucks wouldn’t have anything to do. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-use-the-word-retarded/566091/84 "2011-01-03T18:33:14Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > His beef should be with the people insulting him with it, not the word. If someone calls him an asshole you’re not going to post in a pit thread declaring that the word “asshole” is now off-limits. If the word “asshole” becomes off-limits, I might as well just turn in my driver’s license. {Makes a note - insult **Lobot** and **Canadjun** just like everyone else. 😃 } ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-use-the-word-retarded/566091/85 "2011-01-03T18:37:49Z")
There is a difference between saying that someone sounds retarded, vs. saying that they sound like a retard. The second is offensive, the first is not. Joe ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-use-the-word-retarded/566091/86 "2011-01-03T18:48:53Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > MR is still a valid medical term still in current use (not all intellectual disabilities are caused by MR, by the way, so those words are not interchangable). Actually, those two terms [are interchangeable.](http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/dd/ddmr.htm) Intellectual disability is the new preferred term, although MR is still widely used. If you are thinking something acquired later in life such as dementia or traumatic brain injury is an intellectual disability, you have your terminology incorrect. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-use-the-word-retarded/566091/87 "2011-01-03T18:57:48Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > [Also idiotic, cretinous, and imbecilic.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_retardation#History_of_the_terminology) I’d say he’s a fool. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-use-the-word-retarded/566091/88 "2011-01-03T19:07:08Z")
> [@Pyper](#): > > Actually, those two terms [are interchangeable.](http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/dd/ddmr.htm) Intellectual disability is the new preferred term, although MR is still widely used. If you are thinking something acquired later in life such as dementia or traumatic brain injury is an intellectual disability, you have your terminology incorrect. . MR is only one kind of intellectual disability. I’ve worked in the field for years and have taught special ed and LD. Brain injuries certainly _can_ cause intellectual disabilities, but so can autism, so can degenerative diseases like Alzheimers, and certain LD’s (such as dyslexia) can be characterized as intellectual disabilities. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-use-the-word-retarded/566091/89 "2011-01-03T19:11:33Z")
Wiki definition of [Intellectual Disability](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_disability): > [@](#): > > Intellectual disability is a broad concept encompassing various intellectual deficits, including mental retardation (MR), deficits too mild to properly qualify as MR, various specific conditions (such as specific learning disability), and problems acquired later in life through acquired brain injuries or neurodegenerative diseases like dementia. Intellectual disabilities may appear at any age. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-use-the-word-retarded/566091/90 "2011-01-03T19:17:05Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > . > MR is only one kind of intellectual disability. I’ve worked in the field for years and have taught special ed and LD. Brain injuries certainly _can_ cause intellectual disabilities, but so can autism, so can degenerative diseases like Alzheimers, and certain LD’s (such as dyslexia) can be characterized as intellectual disabilities. Sorry, you are incorrect, or at least your information is out-of-date. Intellectual disability must be diagnosed in childhood (see [here](http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/dd/mr3.htm#causes)), so degenerative diseases and injuries occurring later do not count. The primary characteristic of learning disabilities is a normal to above average IQ paired with significantly impaired academic performance. (See [here](http://www.greatschools.org/special-education/LD-ADHD/evaluation-and-eligibility-for-specific-learning-disabilities.gs?content=943) for the IDEA definition.) Mental retardation/intellectual disability are NOT synonymous with learning disability because the primary characteristic of MR/ID is low IQ. MR is not a subcategory of intellectual disability, the two terms are interchangeable. Autism can be co-morbid with intellectual disability, but is not a type of intellectual disability, as some people with autism have normal intelligence. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-use-the-word-retarded/566091/91 "2011-01-03T19:18:17Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Wiki definition of [Intellectual Disability](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_disability): I’ll take the IDEA and CDC definitions over wikipedia. There is a lot of confusion about the terms, but I am using the definitions as outlined in IDEA 2004. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-use-the-word-retarded/566091/92 "2011-01-03T19:42:03Z")
The wikipedia definition comes from the DSM IV. I also happen to know for a fact that diagnoses like MI are referred to under the umbrella of “intellectual disabilities” by professionals in related fields (like me). ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-use-the-word-retarded/566091/93 "2011-01-03T19:48:25Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > The wikipedia definition comes from the DSM IV. I also happen to know for a fact that diagnoses like MI are referred to under the umbrella of “intellectual disabilities” by professionals in related fields (like me). Check your cite a little more thoroughly: > [@](#): > > Intellectual disability is also increasingly being used as a synonym for the term mental retardation as used in standard medical references.[note 1] “Note 1” leads to a cite to the DSM IV. None of the other assertions in that article are cited to the DSM IV. So, in other words, the DSM IV agrees with me, and the CDC, and IDEA 2004. And now I must go to work. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-use-the-word-retarded/566091/94 "2011-01-03T19:55:14Z")
“Increasingly being used as a synonymn” does not mean “exclusively with no other meaning.” I know how those words are used in the field. I’m not speculating. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-use-the-word-retarded/566091/95 "2011-01-03T19:55:37Z")
> [@Canadjun](#): > > I think Lobot is my hero. I’m paraplegic, so yes I am crippled, I am a cripple, I am disabled, I have a disability, I am handicapped, I have a handicap. Take your pick. A rose by any other name… Canadjun-I’m in wheelchair as well. I was a student at a school for kids with disabilities (physical). Kids with my disability called each other “'bif” (short for Spina Bifida) regularly. We usually thought it was funny. But if anyone else did? HELL to pay. “Cripple” was in the name of the school early in its history, but was eventually dropped, for much the same reason Negro isn’t used much anymore (the UNCF being the obvious exception). In addition to the fact I needed to sleep, the reason I’m only just now coming back to defend myself: I’m not going to change your mind, you won’t change mine, so we’ll agree to disagree. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-use-the-word-retarded/566091/96 "2011-01-03T20:24:02Z")
A few things I’ve posted on this previously: My wife used to work for The ARC. If you ask anyone there what “ARC” stands for, it doesn’t stand for anything anymore…it’s just “The ARC”. It used to stand for the “Association of Retarded Citizens”, but not anymore. Direct quote from the director of my wife’s office: “How can you tell if someone has no personal interaction with the developmentally disabled? They think the word ‘retarded’ is offensive”. As with many PC things, the only ones offended are those who have to be told to be offended. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-use-the-word-retarded/566091/97 "2011-01-03T21:32:02Z")
> [@CGIW (Cute Guy in Wheelchair)\[/quote](#): > > Well, I’ve always thought of cerebral as the sexiest of all the palsies… That reminds me. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard the word “palsy” used to refer to someone lacking in intelligence or coordination. Bring that one back, I say. > [@ecco477](#): > > **Name Calling = High School** So it’s moved up into more mature circles? Wait, what am I thinking? **Name Calling = Talk Radio** ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-use-the-word-retarded/566091/98 "2011-01-03T21:35:15Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > My wife used to work for The ARC. If you ask anyone there what “ARC” stands for, it doesn’t stand for anything anymore…it’s just “The ARC”. It used to stand for the “Association of Retarded Citizens”, but not anymore. I thought it used to stand for Alabama Raw Chicken. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![iamnotbatman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/858c86/32.png) [@iamnotbatman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamnotbatman)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-use-the-word-retarded/566091/99 "2011-01-03T21:38:54Z")
> [@ecco477](#): > > I know you may not have respect for what you consider “stupid” people’s opinions, but the rules on this board pretty much require that you do. Welcome to the BBQ Pitt, noobers. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-use-the-word-retarded/566091/100 "2011-01-03T21:57:18Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > Speaking of Palin, is it acceptable to call her vagina a _tard-cannon_? > > I’m thinking no, but I’d like the OP’s assessment. do you have any idea how hard it’s gonna be to work this into casual conversation? I just tried to tell my husband, and I was cracking up as soon as I got to the word “Palin”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-use-the-word-retarded/566091.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-use-the-word-retarded/566091.md?page=6)