(We may simply define “physical” differently, but I generally see it used to diagnose poor motor skills (gross and fine), physical difficulty in speech, and similar issues that affect kids in school that have nothing to do with mental development.)
I also work in the MR/DD field and in my experience, the term ‘mental retardation’ is normally used in documentation of history/diagnosis but not usually in conversations. I have heard the term ‘cognitive issues’ used but not often.
To quote Michael Scott (The Office):
This is a very ‘special’ thread, and I think it’s important that we alert the world to the menace of spic-kike-fags at once!
Are you being an Asshole again Tomndebb ?
Cut that shit out. You’ll get pitted again .
This is a common phenomenon. People feel that if something offends them it must be offensive. It’s not true. I might personally be highly offended by the color blue but that doesn’t mean the color blue is inherently offensive. If 99% of the people in the world were highly offended by the color blue, it still wouldn’t mean that the color blue is inherently offensive. Blue is just blue.
And words are just words. Sometimes a word will offend a person that hears it. Sometimes a person will use a word with the intent of offending people. A few times a word will be so universally regarded as offensive that its can generally be assumed that people will be offended by it and its use was intended to offend. But the words themselves are innocent.
So, RyJae, if you want to state you are offended by the words “retard” and “retarded” and your offense is equal to how you feel about the words “spic”, “fag”, or “kike” - fine that’s the way you feel about the subject. Some people will agree with you and some people won’t. But the word isn’t offensive just because you were offended.
I’ve worked in the DD field for years and “mentally retarded” (usually shortened to “MR”) is still commonplace terminology. It’s still the diagnosis given in their paperwork. Mental retardation is only one kind of developmental disability. “Developmentally Disabled” (or “delayed”) is a blanket term for more than one diagnosis. A person who is brain injured, for instance can be DD but not MR. MR is still used as a specific diagnosis and there’s nothing wrong with calling mentally retarded people mentally retarded.
With all due, I think that is precisely the case. The degree of offensiveness is largely defined by the number of persons offended, from minimal offense (only a few offended) to really offensive (oodles of people etc.). That only one person is offended gets down to micrometer tolerances, but still…it is so.
I think it might be better to say that the word is not derogatory when properly applied.
Or worse, “differently abled.” That sounds completely well, retarded. 
(Just KIDDINg, peeps).
Then, there was a group who came to the science center a few weeks ago, from a group home for the mentally retarded. The name of the home was something something for the Gifted. That’s right-gifted. As if being disabled is a good thing.
So if I believe that the use of italics is offensive (because Italy attacked Africa during WWII, so the use of italics is clearly hateful towards African-Americans) then that makes your post offensive? It makes no difference that nobody else shares my opinion on italics? Or that you had no intent to offend and weren’t even aware that I was offended by them? I can decide you’re being racist and you are because I perceive racism in your post?
Sorry, but I have to disagree. As I have shown, offense must have some degree of intent, otherwise claims of being offended are just arbitrary, petty, and ridiculous.
I can’t believe you used the term “education”. The more acceptable phrase is “young adult knowledge facilitation”. Education is frowned upon since it contains “ducat” (ticket) thus undermining the idea of free, public schools.
*My bolding
There was offensive intent he made the following comment
Erase the retarded it would make just as much sense, without the added offensive remark.
A place and a time to use the term, but most certainly not using it insinuate that only a “retarded” child left alone will cause a mess of things.
“It’s like having a small, gay child that needs constant supervision and care, lest it gets make up or puts a dress on himself”
“It’s like having a small, african american child that needs constant supervision and care, lest it get into the fried chicken and gats someone”
“It’s like having a small, jewish child that needs constant supervision and care, lest it swindles someone or drinks christians blood”
Notice how insulting those seemingly non-offensive terms can be?
It’s not the terms that are offensive in those cases, it’s the stereotypical/over the top actions you’ve linked to them.
But small, retarded children DO need care and supervision. That statement does not play on a stereotype or caricature.
Not for nothing, but small children need constant supervision too. And I swear I’ve never said having a toddler out in the wild is like trying to herd drunks.
Then again, I called her a pointy headed hairy little monkey when she was born. And she’s awfully dorky. She’s a goof. I completely understood what the poster was talking about. Small children are definitely in their own little, whacked out world.
Watch:
“I never liked beets.”
“I never liked gays.”
“I never liked blacks.”
“I never liked jews.”
Wow, look, I just proved that “beets” can be insultingly offensive if you use poorly conceived logic.
Fer sure. I thought it was a matter of fact that, depending on the level of retardation, a fair few retarded kids and for that matter adults *do * need constant supervision lest they harm themselves or others - not the same thing as the imaginary gay or racist slurs at all.
Oh well. On the radio news a while back I heard about some contretemps at a zoo involving some people with “learning difficulties” and I momentarily thought: what’s it matter whether it’s the class for remedial math or not? Then the penny dropped.
But, y’know, Hitler wanted to sterilise all the retards, so point proved, right?
Melba Lucille Brockmyer??? Miss Chestnut’s fourth grade reading class? How the hell are you?!
Yeah, that is true, but those of us who parent such children get tired of hearing people use the word “retarded” like it’s a joke. That statement could have been made a number of ways without bringing retarded children into it. Just “children” would have been sufficient, IMO.
In my school system, and in medical diagnosis, the term “mental handicap” is used. IMO it has a better sound to it than “mental retardation,” it’s less harsh to my ears. And yes, I am overly sensitive about the subject and I won’t apologize for that. I also know that society at large isn’t going to stop using the terms “retarded” and “retard” as a joke. My skin is thick, but I cringe every time I hear it.