Spread the word to end the word
Apr. 28th, 2010 09:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kayeitahttp://www.facebook.com/EndtheWord
http://r-word.org/
I believe that language is one of our most valuable tools. The thing about language is that what we say or write represents ourselves and our thoughts to everyone else around us.
I am not the most politically correct person, I freely admit that. I love sarcasm and I enjoy listening to people spin words in creative ways, and I positively LOVE a good stream of foul language if it's something that someone needs to use to just get something out.
Language can also be one of the most vicious things in the world, and so many times people don't even realize that what they are saying is hurtful and/or simply don't care.
The word "retarded" has become a huge sore thumb to me. Every time I see it, read it, hear it, fire burns within me now. It didn't used to be this way, but years ago a friend of mine called me out on the usage and I've always remembered that. Any time that word may have slipped through my lips/fingers/THOUGHTS, I'm always transported back to when this lady told me how hurtful this word is to people, and I will remember that forever.
I never realized back then that the word would become so personal for me and my family, but it has. The sting I feel every time I see it and hear people that I'VE EVEN ASKED to stop using it in my presence, it drives me mad.
In the last few weeks I've seen it used in blogs or blog comments -- one even decided to throw in the caveat "Don't even bother getting all politically correct on me for using the word retarded, because I just don't care." This, while she was leaving a comment that was upset over someone relaying a story about breast cancer to the blog's author, that the blog's author was upset by. As in, "How could someone be so retarded as to leave an insensitive comment like that for you? Oh but don't get pissed that I've used the word retarded, I don't care."
That is not a direct quote -- I could go back and copy and paste it here but I'm too livid about it. But it wasn't just that. It has popped up lately in so many unsuspecting places and it can truly take me from being in a GOOD mood into a FRENZIED mood in less than a second.
I write this here, in hopes that people who are my friends will read this, and realize that it's simply not acceptable to use this word. The links above, those are for making a pledge, to spread the word to end the word. You can type in your pledge to help by stopping saying the word yourself. That's it. Not asking for donations, just your pledge to help by no longer using that word.
It makes a difference. It really does. People like me, who are personally affected whenever they see or hear this word -- we really don't care how you are using it. I had a friend get upset with me because I asked her not to use the word, because she had referred to her computer as being retarded. "It's not the same thing," she protested. "It's just a word, and I called my computer retarded, because it's being retarded."
Yeah. That's not something I've ever forgotten, either. Some of my more recent encounters are where a person is calling themselves retarded, and truly, that's no better. Use a thesaurus if you need to, to help you find other ways of expressing yourself.
I'm just frustrated, and I know that politically correct terms change all the time. I found out recently that calling my wheelchair-bound son "wheelchair bound" is politically incorrect. I didn't know this, and there's no way I would know unless someone told me. Now that someone has, I consider the message as being sent to me.
So, this is my message to you. To anyone who can read this post, whether I know you, whether I am friends with you, whether we are enemies in some way, whether you just stumbled upon this note by some sort of accident.
I AM TELLING YOU IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO USE THE WORD 'RETARDED'. Use something else. Use another word. And I hope, I sincerely hope, that if you DO continue to use the word retarded as a normal part of your vocabulary, that each time you do, you feel guilty about it -- just like I go back to thinking about when my friend told me it was unacceptable to use it -- and you think back to this. You think back to this, and know that there are so many people you are hurting when you use this word, and you may not even realize it.
My respect level for people plummet when I see/hear/read them use "the r-word". But my respect level for you will skyrocket if you can take what I've said here and take it to heart, and help change society by changing yourself and your view on this word.
So, do it. Visit http://r-word.org/ and take the pledge for yourself. Help stop the use of this hurtful word.
Thank you.
http://r-word.org/
I believe that language is one of our most valuable tools. The thing about language is that what we say or write represents ourselves and our thoughts to everyone else around us.
I am not the most politically correct person, I freely admit that. I love sarcasm and I enjoy listening to people spin words in creative ways, and I positively LOVE a good stream of foul language if it's something that someone needs to use to just get something out.
Language can also be one of the most vicious things in the world, and so many times people don't even realize that what they are saying is hurtful and/or simply don't care.
The word "retarded" has become a huge sore thumb to me. Every time I see it, read it, hear it, fire burns within me now. It didn't used to be this way, but years ago a friend of mine called me out on the usage and I've always remembered that. Any time that word may have slipped through my lips/fingers/THOUGHTS, I'm always transported back to when this lady told me how hurtful this word is to people, and I will remember that forever.
I never realized back then that the word would become so personal for me and my family, but it has. The sting I feel every time I see it and hear people that I'VE EVEN ASKED to stop using it in my presence, it drives me mad.
In the last few weeks I've seen it used in blogs or blog comments -- one even decided to throw in the caveat "Don't even bother getting all politically correct on me for using the word retarded, because I just don't care." This, while she was leaving a comment that was upset over someone relaying a story about breast cancer to the blog's author, that the blog's author was upset by. As in, "How could someone be so retarded as to leave an insensitive comment like that for you? Oh but don't get pissed that I've used the word retarded, I don't care."
That is not a direct quote -- I could go back and copy and paste it here but I'm too livid about it. But it wasn't just that. It has popped up lately in so many unsuspecting places and it can truly take me from being in a GOOD mood into a FRENZIED mood in less than a second.
I write this here, in hopes that people who are my friends will read this, and realize that it's simply not acceptable to use this word. The links above, those are for making a pledge, to spread the word to end the word. You can type in your pledge to help by stopping saying the word yourself. That's it. Not asking for donations, just your pledge to help by no longer using that word.
It makes a difference. It really does. People like me, who are personally affected whenever they see or hear this word -- we really don't care how you are using it. I had a friend get upset with me because I asked her not to use the word, because she had referred to her computer as being retarded. "It's not the same thing," she protested. "It's just a word, and I called my computer retarded, because it's being retarded."
Yeah. That's not something I've ever forgotten, either. Some of my more recent encounters are where a person is calling themselves retarded, and truly, that's no better. Use a thesaurus if you need to, to help you find other ways of expressing yourself.
I'm just frustrated, and I know that politically correct terms change all the time. I found out recently that calling my wheelchair-bound son "wheelchair bound" is politically incorrect. I didn't know this, and there's no way I would know unless someone told me. Now that someone has, I consider the message as being sent to me.
So, this is my message to you. To anyone who can read this post, whether I know you, whether I am friends with you, whether we are enemies in some way, whether you just stumbled upon this note by some sort of accident.
I AM TELLING YOU IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO USE THE WORD 'RETARDED'. Use something else. Use another word. And I hope, I sincerely hope, that if you DO continue to use the word retarded as a normal part of your vocabulary, that each time you do, you feel guilty about it -- just like I go back to thinking about when my friend told me it was unacceptable to use it -- and you think back to this. You think back to this, and know that there are so many people you are hurting when you use this word, and you may not even realize it.
My respect level for people plummet when I see/hear/read them use "the r-word". But my respect level for you will skyrocket if you can take what I've said here and take it to heart, and help change society by changing yourself and your view on this word.
So, do it. Visit http://r-word.org/ and take the pledge for yourself. Help stop the use of this hurtful word.
Thank you.
