Today, The New York City Council will introduce a bill to banish the use of the words "mentally retarded" from official documents and sites and instead use "developmentally disabled," the local news reported. As Councilman David Greenfield noted, "People use it in an insulting way."
The move is in line with New York state and federal law governments, which changed the term in 2010 (for info on where your state stands, check this page on Spread the Word To End The Word). Comments I saw last night on CBS New York ran the usual gamut:
Inevitable comment from someone who thinks he's being brilliantly funny by using the word: "That's retarded."
Inevitable comment from someone who believes people are being too p.c.: "How sad...while we are dedicating our time to being politically correct and not offend anyone, places like Japan are testing out Maglev trains and running bullet trains going over 200 mph.... Thanks for making political correctness a big priority here in the states, RETARDS."
Inevitable comment from person who gets it: "Some of you people are just plain IGNORANT and RUDE."
Inevitable comment from person who thinks they are Merriam-Webster: "The word 'retard' is not derogatory in all context."
Inevitable comment from person with special needs who's been hurt by the word: "You people can joke about this all you want, but it's not funny. I had a speech impediment and I was relentlessly teased in middle school."
The truth is that, like Max, many kids and adults who suffer the consequences can't speak up for themselves. As his mom, it pains me—and many parents of kids with disabilities—to hear the word retard freely tossed around. So I'll say it again (and again), for Max's sake and others': Even if you aren't using the word to directly insult a person with intellectual disability, you're spreading the idea that people with ID are stupid, pathetic, losers and just plain uncool. As if kids like my son don't already have enough social challenges to overcome.
People can cry freedom of speech, people can take the stance that other insulting words will come along to take the place of "retard" and "retarded." I say, please use another word that doesn't demean people with disabilities—and use these initiatives as jumping-off points for conversations about respect and equality for people with special needs.
Image: Poster by graphic designer Alison Rowan
That's excellent news! In the UK when I was at uni, 6 years ago, we couldn't believe that the USA still used terms like that. This change is well overdue. Here we use intellectual or learning disability (learning difficulty is dyslexia etc).
ReplyDeletePeople are so defensive about their use of the R word when none of them really understand the deep hurt that they create by carelessly throwing it around. Thanks for this post. Well put- as always.
ReplyDeleteLove that poster!! Also, here in my corner of NY (western, upstate), they changed the name of OMRDD to OPWDD (Office for Persons with Developmental Disabilities) a few years back. I thought this was a state-wide change and am surprised to hear that NYC hadn't made the change already.
ReplyDeleteI've already sent a link to this story to my contact at The New York Times in my ongoing efforts to get them to write a new style note on the word "retarded." Thanks Ellen!
ReplyDeletegood news! a bit surprised that it's taken them this long, but glad it's happening nonetheless. i just can't read comments on those news articles anymore...too many ignorant people to bother with.
ReplyDeleteI find political correctness rather irritating at times, but I feel strongly about the use of the R word (so much so that I wrote a blog post about it last year -- http://iamstaceynicole.blogspot.com/2012/06/disabilities-and-r-word.html). I despise the word retarded in any form or fashion, even to the point that I would get mad at classmates in high school who would laugh about the "short bus". The flippant use by teenagers (in particular) who think they are being cute shows how immature they really are. This plan is a good change, a needed change.
ReplyDeleteLOVE LOVE LOVE this poster!
ReplyDeleteI actually sent the End The Word website to someone in Human Resources hoping we can have a company wide End the Word pledge initiative in March.
Fingers crossed...
Ellen I love that poster and I absolutely LOVE your video! Beautifully done.
ReplyDeleteWe should have "like" buttons on blogs .. or maybe "love" buttons. I don't have anything to add but ... I love it! ~ Jamie
ReplyDeleteJust today my biology teacher used the r-word ed while reffering to the way NY states lab questions they must think we are r worded.
ReplyDeleteGREAT post. Everybody thinks they're a genius on the Internet.
ReplyDeleteAlthough you actually qualify! xo
DeleteEllen, your video was beautiful! I am in awe of your persistence on this issue, encouraging respect and understanding, and educating people in the most unassuming way. Hope you're well.
ReplyDeleteMonica ('deis '89)
Ellen isn't the artist who made the poster selling t-shirts ? I so want one I think she is I would love to wear that shirt the R word is so hurtful on so many levels
ReplyDeleteYes, she has t-shirts, they're on this page: http://alisonrowan.bigcartel.com/
DeleteThis is awesome! And Ellen, I never get tired of watching your video. :)
ReplyDeleteAs for those commenters with their rude words? It's funny how "brave" people are, hiding behind their keyboards. Not impressed.
Thanks, Lana. And, EXACTLY.
DeleteI love your post and the poster!!! Great job New York!!!
ReplyDeleteWonderful wonderful poster. Love it!
ReplyDeletePart of this is the media's fault for HOW they tell the story. Just using the word "ban" or "banish" is inflammatory, because people don't want to be told what they can and can't do. If they had merely said "adopted", "changed" or "revised," this would have been a non-story.
ReplyDeletePeggy, I get what and agree in part, but the truth is no matter what language would have been used in a headline, there would have been a knee-jerk NO WAY reaction and outrage expressed. Based on my experiences speaking out against the word these last couple of years, people just don't GET why it is demeaning toward people with disability when it is not used against them, and think parents like me are just being oversensitive.
DeleteHello I am a teacher at a high school and would like to know where you found the "poster" picture at the top of your blog today. I would like to post those in the school. thanks
ReplyDeleteHi! That poster is the handiwork/genius of graphic designer Alison Rowan, and you can purchase posters here: http://alisonrowan.bigcartel.com/product/11x17-buy-a-dictionary-poster-that-s-so-retarded
DeleteI think it's a brilliant idea question is will the word being banned stop people from using it? I certainly hope so.
ReplyDeleteNope. It's not going to stop certain people from using it. But it will certainly open SOME people's eyes, and give other people pause. And like I hope, it gets people talking about respect for people with disability.
DeleteI agree wholeheartedly that the word just needs to disappear. It is a very hurtful and ugly word. My only concern with doing so is people who are insistent on not being "politically correct" will turn to another word, such as " mental" to try to be funny or cute. They don't realize or care that words hurt so bad. Even though I know it's impossible, instead of banishing use of words, I wish we could educate people on feeling and how to really be "cool" by caring about others and their feelings. I know it won't happen, but I can dream, right? Thanks for being a voice for those that can't always be their own voice.Some of us really do cate!
ReplyDeleteThank you for continuing to voice your dissapointment with society, so many people are so afraid to speak up. I try to also be vocal about it and we have banned that word from our home. I'm very happy that NY is working towards having the term changed as it should be.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter brought over a new friend a few weeks ago (she's in high school) and not even ten minutes into being in my home she referred to herself as being "R" in a situation. I simply turned to her and asked her never to use that word in my home again and explained to her why. We must speak up if we want change. My teenagers tell me they have never seen the "R" word being used the way it is in their high school, even by teachers. It makes me sick to my stomach that there is so much ignorance in the world today.
Excellent! And while we're at it, why not ban the word PR as well. That word is also offensive and offends people who have physical disabilities.
ReplyDelete