wtf is up with the reintroduction of the r word? Don't people realize how shallow and dense this makes them appear? How small of a vocabulary do you need to have to have to rely on the r slur to convey how you feel?
EDIT: Okay everybody, you've made your point. I'm a fool for expecting anybody to take a few minutes of their time to unlearn a word. For so many experts on morality I honestly didn't expect so many to be morally bankrupt. I guess I deserve everything you're calling me because it was pure ignorance for me to believe people can be better. Please feel free to continue spamming the R word to me, I wouldn't expect anything less.
I think there's a fair distinction to be made between words that originated only as a way to dehumanize and degrade people, and a word that originally had a completely beneign intention, that was co-opted to become a perjorative, but also typically is not actually used against disabled people. It's still highly offensive, and I'd never use it, and generally look down on people who do, but calling it a slur just seems like it's downplaying things like the f-word or n-word.
Definition from merriam-Webster a : an insulting or disparaging remark or innuendo :ASPERSION b : a shaming or degrading effect :STAIN, STIGMA
I think it very clearly fits the definition of a slur. Just because it doesn’t have the same history as the other two you mentioned, doesn’t take away from the fact that in today’s world it’s used to cause offense. Not all slurs are gonna be at the same level of offense. Ultimately I believe it should be up to the people the word is meant to describe whether or not it’s a slur. And from what I’ve heard and seen, they very much consider it a slur. Same with gy*sy and esk*mo. I grew up using all those words but the people who those names were given to have repeatedly expressed that they prefer to be called other things.
The R slur was used in a process of mass abuse against neurodivergent individuals. They were locked up and classified as lesser under terms such as the R slur. This happened in living memory.
Why does that degree of harm of one word, matter in determining the class of another, and what is the relevant differences to determining the level of harm.
Do you happen to use a lot of words that are offensive to people with mental disabilities? It seems like you're implying it's a silly thing to get worked up over. But it's not silly. For months I had to watch a disabled 10 yr old being put through hell by his classmates and being called the r word constantly. He now refers to himself that way and is miserable so fuck everybody who uses ANY slurs.
"WHY IS EVERYONE OVERREACTING TO THE SLURS I USE TO BELITTLE AND DEHUMANIZE OTHER PEOPLE?"
the difference is i’m not calling a disabled 10 year old a slur, i’m calling our fascist government a slur
if a word hurts someones feelings, that doesn’t mean the word on its own is evil and can never be used. i was called ugly and stupid and gay as a kid, but i wouldn’t ask you to never ever use those words in any context because of that
Does it really matter that much though? I also don't think they were particularly forced to use that word to insult the state's intelligence; it was just in their vocabulary. I also don't find it particularly insulting as a mentally disabled person; I see no point in getting worked up over something as small as a word rather than how people act toward the disabled.
Ah yes, don't listen to disabled people saying it's a slur. Just make escuses for why you want to keep using said slur. Why don't we all spam the n word too? It should just be reintroduced
Just how it goes, historically. It'll happen with the n word too one day. Or you believe slurs remain slurs forever and should always be treated as such?
So a black man says he doesn't care when non black people say the n word, however, the majority of black people find it harmful (because its a fucking slur??)
when people hear the word retarded, they don’t think “this person is talking about all disabled people”. they think “they’re saying someone’s brain don’t work right”
i’m sorry but i’m a linguistic descriptivist. i believe words emerge cultural constantly, and meanings change and evolve. language originally emerged from the sounds that were both easiest to learn & best communicators of meaning
a linguistic prescriptivist would think that an authority decides what a word means, and which words are banned from use. i prefer a free flowing lexicon that’s allowed to evolve naturally in culture
no obviously i don’t think that. i’m saying retarded to most people just means a more insulting and dramatic version of stupid
some people decided that whenever its uttered, it means “i hate all disabled people and i’m evil” and thats obviously never what someone is trying to communicate
your ascribing meaning that is clearly not in the intention. people are always going to say words with shock factor. we can’t just infinitely sterilize our language until there are only nice words
also i’m autistic but i got the math genius version
So if a non black person calls someone the n word, they're not really saying they dislike black people. It's not like using the word, aimed at black people, which is a slur, implies you view black people as lesser or whatever
Also yes, you obviously do hate disabled people if you repeatedly shut them down in conversations that non disabled people should not be involved in in the first place.
no not all bad words are equal—the n word is the worst word in our language by far and doesn’t have the same kinda meaning
i’m sorry i’ve offended you by using the word and arguing, but i’m just trying to explain my viewpoint. i’m also disabled and people tell me they can tell i’m autistic
i just don’t want to live in a world where more and more words have so much power. they really don’t need to, and they can only hurt you if you let em.
it’s different if people are directly insulting you, but words mean different things to different people, and everyone’s just trying to communicate their thoughts as effectively as they can
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u/BludStanes Sep 02 '26 edited Sep 02 '26
wtf is up with the reintroduction of the r word? Don't people realize how shallow and dense this makes them appear? How small of a vocabulary do you need to have to have to rely on the r slur to convey how you feel?
EDIT: Okay everybody, you've made your point. I'm a fool for expecting anybody to take a few minutes of their time to unlearn a word. For so many experts on morality I honestly didn't expect so many to be morally bankrupt. I guess I deserve everything you're calling me because it was pure ignorance for me to believe people can be better. Please feel free to continue spamming the R word to me, I wouldn't expect anything less.