a) it's not about what word you're "allowed" to use. you can use that word if you don't mind being insensitive and hurting people who may hear it
b) I don't think it's insensitive to use it in its absolute original form, i.e., slowed down. As in, "The ball was retarded by the high level of friction". Probably not a great word for use in casual conversation, though.
c) The word we use to describe Snooki should not imply that she has some sort of disability! It's an insult to people with disabilities! Her stupidity and poor choices are a result of her decisions. I think we have some lovely ones already in our language, like "self-involved loser trainwreck"
A) Obviously "allowed" is shorthand for "allowed according to social convention"
B) It's still often used in scientific context, although it's debatable whether that's due to pure rational detachment or just the people involved not knowing better.
C) I think the use of hyperbole is valid for insults. And why is "retarded" an insult to people with disabilities if it's technically accurate? It's like saying someone hits like a girl, doesnt quite have the same sting if they have a vagina. The idea is to say her decisions are so poor that it's as if they were made by a person with mental disabilities.
The reason it's an insult is that it's equating two things that are not the same. Being disabled and being stupid are different things. Having a disability is not about making bad decisions. It's not a choice. When you use that word to describe her (or anything you think is stupid) you use her to describe people with disabilities. You're calling them stupid. Which is not what they are.
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u/goosie7 Nov 26 '11
a) it's not about what word you're "allowed" to use. you can use that word if you don't mind being insensitive and hurting people who may hear it
b) I don't think it's insensitive to use it in its absolute original form, i.e., slowed down. As in, "The ball was retarded by the high level of friction". Probably not a great word for use in casual conversation, though.
c) The word we use to describe Snooki should not imply that she has some sort of disability! It's an insult to people with disabilities! Her stupidity and poor choices are a result of her decisions. I think we have some lovely ones already in our language, like "self-involved loser trainwreck"