“Stupid” “loser” “dumb” — There has been a lot of name calling on the news recently, begging the question, unlike sticks and stones, is it true that words really never hurt? It is unlikely that the all too familiar name-calling (and associated bullying) in our national politics has “hurt” the intended target audience personally. Rather, this sort of name-calling is a good example of how people all too often use words to put someone else down in a shallow and misguided attempt to build up one’s character or to bully, reflecting more on the name-caller than on those called out.
There’s another type of name calling that is different, as when someone uses the word “retarded” or “retard.” When the word “retard” is used as a substitute or short hand for “stupid”, “loser”, or “dumb”, it really does hurt, perhaps not the person targeted, but an entire segment of our population—namely, the 7 to 8 million Americans diagnosed with an intellectual disability. Use of the word “retard” perpetuates a negative association with having what used to be called, “mental retardation” and is now called, “intellectual disability.” This is not just a case of political correctness. There is very good reason for the name change, which Congress made law in 2010.
The use of the word “retard” in our society perpetuates a negative stigma associated with having the diagnosis of mental retardation. It perpetuates a belief that people with intellectual disabilities are damaged, not as good, inferior, and not capable. The Association of University Centers on Disabilities writes, “…‘Retard’ and ‘retarded’ are derogatory and dehumanizing terms — on par with the N-word used to describe African Americans, and various hateful terms used to describe members of the Jewish, gay and lesbian, and other minority communities.”
To my astonishment, recently a well-educated friend for whom I have tremendous respect used the “r” word. I was grateful that when I expressed concern, he expressed regret and apologized. The interaction however, made me realize that there is a need to talk about the use of the word, publicly.
The “r” word is loaded, is offensive, and does hurt us all as a society and as a community by perpetuating a stereotype that can limit understanding and create barriers to opportunities and access to experiences that most without intellectual disabilities take for granted. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “Words are also actions, and actions are a kind of words.” Based on this premise, let us all be more mindful of how our choice of words results in action (or inaction) of some kind.
Join the national campaign to end use of the “r” word. On the campaign’s website, in addition to providing interviews of people with intellectual disabilities and their families to help raise awareness of the negative impact of the word, people are asked “… to pledge to stop saying the R-word as a starting point toward creating more accepting attitudes and communities for all people. Language affects attitudes and attitudes affect actions.”
Kelley Malone is the former Ward 1 representative to the Easton Town Council. She currently serves as the Director of Communications
for the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council.
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