# Retard not Ok, but idiot,moron, and stupid are OK on the dope

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retard-not-ok-but-idiot-moron-and-stupid-are-ok-on-the-dope/932296>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [February 6, 2021, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retard-not-ok-but-idiot-moron-and-stupid-are-ok-on-the-dope/932296 "2021-02-06T00:47:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 14

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2021, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retard-not-ok-but-idiot-moron-and-stupid-are-ok-on-the-dope/932296/14 "2021-02-06T01:43:45Z")

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> [@FigNorton](#):
>
> There seems to me (I think I saw it mentioned so not original) something of a treadmill for insulting terms like this where a medical description gets coopted by the general public thus eventually falling out of favor in the medical community because of the negative connotations.

It’s called the [euphemism treadmill](https://englishcowpath.blogspot.com/2011/06/euphemism-treadmill-replacing-r-word.html) and was coined by Stephen Pinker. The article gives good description of how retarded replaced moron, idiot, and imbecile and now is being replaced by developmentally disabled etc.

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