If it slips so easily and naturally from your lips as an exclamation that you don't even realize you're saying it ... I challenge you.
If you don't think there is anything wrong with using that word to describe something that was ridiculous, dumb, stupid, thoughtless, confusing ... I challenge you.
If you think this is about being politically correct ... I challenge you.
If you think this is about censorship ... I challenge you.
If you think this is about freedom of speech ... I challenge you.
If you didn't mean it in that way ... I challenge you.
I challenge you to expand your vocabulary.
I challenge you to think about how you're using this word.
I challenge you to change your language.
I challenge you to not hide behind the phrase 'freedom of speech' and instead make a choice to not use it.
I challenge you to think about respect.
I challenge you to really think about the message you're trying to convey and is retarded really, truly, the correct word for that meaning?
I challenge you to think outside the box of an easy catch-all phrase for everything that could be wrong.
I challenge you to stop using the words retard(ed).
I challenge you to take the pledge.
You spilled your drink and exclaimed, "I'm so retarded!"
- Did you really mean, "I'm so clumsy!" or "I'm such a butter fingers today!"
You watch someone on the dance floor and think, "They look so retarded."
- Did you really mean, "They have no rhythm." or "They look like they have 2 left feet."
You watched a movie and didn't end up liking the storyline and said, "Well that was retarded!"
- Did you really mean, "That storyline wasn't that great."
You see someone wearing some fashion that doesn't match your tastes and think, "They look like a retard!"
- Did you really mean, "I would never wear something like that." or "Those patterns really clash."
You're looking at a map and can't figure it out and think, "Whoever made this map is such a retard!"
- Did you really mean, "This map makes no sense!"
Your teacher assigns homework and you say to your friends, "Can you believe this assignment? It's so retarded!"
- Did you really mean, "Can you believe we have to do something that is so involved and time-consuming?"
Your city passed a new referendum on something and you say, "That's so retarded that we are doing this!"
- Did you really mean, "This doesn't make any sense!"
You forgot you were supposed to do something today and slap your head and say, "I'm a retard for forgetting that!"
- Did you really mean, "I'm so forgetful!" or "I can't believe I forgot that!"
You see a classmate make some faces; you laugh and think, "What a retard!"
- Did you really mean, "What a class clown!" or "He's so goofy!"
You overhear someone say something completely off-the-wall or unbelievable and say, "What are you, a retard or something?"
- Did you really mean "Are you serious?"
You see someone make an obvious lack of judgment decision and say, "They are so retarded!"
- Did you really mean "They are so clueless." or "They just don't have any common sense."
You don't agree with a decision someone is making and say, "Don't be such a retard!"
- Did you really mean, "Don't be so foolish, think about what you're doing."
You get in an argument with someone and say, "You're being so retarded!"
- Did you really mean, "You're being so irrational!"
You mess up a pronunciation of someone's name and say, "I have trouble with people's names, I sound like a retard."
- Did you really mean, "I get tongue-tied trying to pronounce hard last names."
You give someone back the incorrect change and say, "I'm so sorry! I'm such a retard!"
- Did you really mean, "I'm so sorry! I miscalculated your change."
See? The way it is being used does not reflect the real meaning of the word - to be slow, slow down, make slow.
And see how easy it is to replace the words retard(ed) with a more appropriate word describing what you really mean?
So, I challenge you. Are you up for the challenge?
Previous posts on this subject are here and here and here and here and here.
