Retarded

[Benjamin Lukoff]

"Individuals"? Talk about confusing--and, honestly, meaningless. When did
they come up with this one?

On Mon, 10 Mar 2008, David Donnell wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       David Donnell <David.Donnell at EARTHLINK.NET>
> Subject:      Re: Retarded
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Correction: a friend working in the field of mental retardation
> brought me up to date:
>
> >The current acceptable term in the field is "Individuals with
> >Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities" shortened to
> >"Individuals". This replaces "Persons with Intellectual and
> >Developmental Disabilities".
> >
> >It's retarded!
>
>
> >---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >-----------------------
> >Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >Poster:       David Donnell <David.Donnell at EARTHLINK.NET>
> >Subject:      Re: Retarded
> >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> >I worked with "the [mentally] retarded" for some years, in a past life...
> >
> >A co-worker, a Kentucky native, once told me his brother referred to
> >them as "retreads".
> >
> >Myself, I use "retarded" as a pejorative term far too much. Ex: the
> >other day, in my impatience, I was trying to pass a guy on the
> >sidewalk and thought, "What are you, retarded?" I had a sudden twinge
> >of guilt imagining that the person might actually have been,
> >technically, retarded... I tend to see my own use of that word as a
> >character flaw in myself.
> >
> >Alas, I'm also partial to "fucktard".
> >
> >The most recent official terminology I knew for the mentally
> >retarded, from the mid-90s, was "M.R./D.D.", short for "mentally
> >retarded/developmentally disabled". And I think the trend was towards
> >just "D.D." or "developmentally disabled"... unfortunate since (a)
> >less specific and (b) more difficult for retarded folks themselves to
> >pronounce.
> >
> >DD
> >Missourian @ NYC
> >
> >>---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >>-----------------------
> >>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >>Poster:       "Mullins, Bill AMRDEC" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL>
> >>Subject:      Re: Retarded (UNCLASSIFIED)
> >>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >>Classification:  UNCLASSIFIED
> >>Caveats: NONE
> >>
> >>And now, 'tard is a suffix in many insulting names:  fucktard,
> >>Republitard, asstard, etc.
> >>
> >>>   -----Original Message-----
> >>>   From: American Dialect Society
> >>>   [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Wilson Gray
> >>>   Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 7:24 AM
> >>>   To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> >>>   Subject: Re: Retarded
> >>>
> >>>   ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >>>   -----------------------
> >>>   Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >>>   Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
> >>>   Subject:      Re: Retarded
> >>>   --------------------------------------------------------------
> >>>   -----------------
> >>>
> >>>   South Park clipped it to 'tard years ago and, as you would
> >>>   expect, if you're familiar with the show, it's applied to people.
> >>>
> >>>   -Wilson
> >>>
> >>>   On Fri, Mar 7, 2008 at 6:28 PM, Scot LaFaive
> >>>   <scotlafaive at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>>   > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >>>   -----------------------
> >>>   >  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >>>   >  Poster:       Scot LaFaive <scotlafaive at GMAIL.COM>
> >>>   >  Subject:      Retarded
> >>>   >
> >>>   >
> >>>   ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>>   > ---------
> >>>   >
> >>>   >  I'd like to get other people's impressions on this adjective.
> >>>   > Personally, I  use the word often but only when referring
> >>>   to inanimate
> >>>   > objects, not people  or animals. It basically means "inane" or
> >>>   > "idiotic" to me. I'm interested in  whether this adjective
> >>>   is becoming
> >>>   > more an impersonal descriptor and if  others also have
> >>>   moved away from using it on people and animals.
> >>>   >
> >>>   >  Scot
> >>>   >
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> >  >>
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> >>
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