I am not saying this simply because my high school’s biggest club was Best Buddies or because one of my best friends is homosexual. I am saying this because derogatory language needs to be called out. On college campuses especially, you find yourself surrounded by those who, for some odd reason, think it is okay to use words that are meant to simply define people as a means of offense toward others.
Being mentally or physically handicapped or being gay or lesbian is not something to be ashamed of. It is not meant to be embarrassing, or something to be frowned upon. While it is something that defines you, it is not the only thing that defines you. Not to mention, it is not something you can do anything about. Therefore it should not be used as an insult.
Although I was not an active member of Best Buddies, I know plenty of people who were, and they would be so eager to tell you how fulfilling the experience is. The buddies that they get paired up with are just like you and me, they are normal people, with a wide variety of different handicaps, but nevertheless, they do not let those handicaps hold them back. Best Buddies is known for their “Spread the word to end the word” campaign, which urges people to refrain from using the R-word; This campaign is nationally recognized with over 576,000 supporters.
You see, the problem is not just that “retarded” is a horribly offensive word, but that people still choose to say it, even though there are many other, less-offensive words they could use to substitute. Not to mention, “retarded” is one of the ugliest words there is — you sound dumb and you look dumb saying it. Just to prove its irrelevance to you, here are a few words you could say instead: dumb, lame, idiotic, stupid.. I digress.
As far as saying the word “gay” as a pejorative is concerned, it's 2015, people! For some reason, this one has been a problem for a while now. You may remember the "That's So Gay'" advertisements that aired a few years back. By definition, the word “gay” means homosexual. I may be taking this a bit literally, but it makes no sense for you to say that “last night's party was so gay,” because I’m pretty sure the party last night was not homosexual in the least.
As a society, we need to acknowledge the power of words, we need to think before we speak, and we need to correct each other. So if someone’s vocabulary is making you uncomfortable, don’t be afraid to intervene or call them out. Nothing is going to change if we continue to be bystanders.
