Those words up there, the ones in the title that caught your attention, are used in many college students' daily vernacular. But when did that phrase become okay to shout across the room to your friend while the term freshman has been deemed inappropriate because of it's ending in man? It's time to educate ourselves and take notice of how our words affect the world around us.
The best place to start is with the definition of retarded. As found in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, retarded means slow or limited in intellectual or emotional development or academic process. This definition reflects the use of mental retardation as a term that is now known as intellectually disabled.
So how many people are you really addressing when you say retarded?
The Arc, an organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, cites on their website that there are approximately 4.6 million Americans with either an intellectual or developmental disability. This means that every time you blurt out how "retarded" you are for doing something stupid, you are insulting these 4.6 million individuals who's disabilities are a reality.
Addressing the transition from the use of "mental retardation" to "intellectually disabled" is one way to recognize the need to omit the word retard from our vocabulary. The medical world realized how the connotation of retarded was changing to regard something less than desirable, something stupid or something gross, and made the decision to regard those suffering as being intellectually disabled.
This decision made by the medical community sparked a movement. One you should join.
One of the driving forces behind this movement is www.r-word.org. Created by The Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation for the Benefit of Persons with Intellecutal Disabilities, the organization promotes the banning of the word retarded from individuals' vocabulary. On the website, you can pledge your support to help eliminate the derogatory use of the r-word. Videos like the one below demonstrate the impact of the word retarded and support the work www.r-word.org does.
Somewhat unfortunately, it is mostly high school students taking initiative to put an end to the r-word. Special Olympics supports Project UNIFY, which evolves into clubs at high schools across the country. It's time to wake up, college students! We can make an even bigger difference! It is our turn to put forth effort into this amazing cause and "Spread the word to end the word!"
We need to ban together to end the use of this hurtful word! The easiest first step is sharing this article with your friends and family. And just in case you or your loved ones remain confused, the Military Special Needs Network created this nifty chart to help you decide when using retarded is an okay idea.
For more information regarding intellectual and developmental disabilities or stopping the use of the word retarded see the following:
