The other day I was in Target minding my own business, simply for the sake of not buying anything more than what I came for, and overheard what seemed to be an older sister and younger brother. The young boy, probably around 6 years old, was running around the women's clothing area screaming some song he apparently had blasting in his headphones. By now, you can imagine how annoyed the older girl was becoming and up until this next sentence I would have probably reacted the same way as her. Eventually, the sister grabs a hold of the, now crawling on the floor, younger brother and screams into his face, "Will you stop acting retarded?!"
As soon as I heard the R word, it took everything in me not to lose it right there in the Target aisle. I can promise you I probably would have had a couple of dirty words to say to her, as well as ending up on some form of social media as the crazy lady who yelled at a teenager in a shopping center. As much as I would enjoy my five minutes of fame, I'm not sure this would be the best way to go about it, so I kept my mouth shut.
Let's all realize that the year is 2016. By now the word "retarded" should absolutely not be used to describe someone with a disability and definitely not a child running around a store that clearly did not want to be there. This word was introduced during the 1980s as a scientific term but yet has gained a derogatory tone. It's so hard to believe that a word meant for identifying someone with Down Syndrome, Autism, etc. is used for offensive purposes when the people living with these disabilities are some of the most amazing people in the world.
It's crazy to think how wise and how much I have learned from people that are supposed to be intellectually disabled. I have learned how to be patient with someone that may take more than a couple minutes to learn a new task. I have learned how to be thankful for all the opportunities I have in life and to look for the light in even the darkest days. They have taught me to love without judgment. They have softened my heart, allowing me to accept people for who they are, regardless of their abilities. I have learned to celebrate the small victories. I have learned to always be myself and that some things in life just do not matter.
Now it's so hard to fathom using a word to describe such wonderfully made people could be used negatively. Once again, it is 2016. I think it's time to stop using the r word for good because being disabled is definitely not a setback in these people's lives.