Retarded

[David Donnell]

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
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>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
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>>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
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>>>   >  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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>>>   >
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>   --
>>>   All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange
>>>   complaint to come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
>>>   -----
>>>                                                 -Sam'l Clemens
>  >>
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>>
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>
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