Let’s Make Respect the New R Word
This video is from my Twitter friend, Ellen from Love That Max. I think that people who routinely throw around the ”R” word have very low vocabulary skills. I find the abuse of this word to be disrespectful. When I hear children use it, I admonish them to choose another word. Let’s all choose a better word, OK?
We were just talking about this at work and basically I said the same thing…low vocab skills, ignorance, not creative…but that’s what I say about all “swear” words…be original, be unique, and don’t be crass.
Exactly!
Our language is so rich, and yet we choose to cheapen it…and ourselves!
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Agreed. It’s too easy to just say mean words that actually have no meaning. We should teach our kids and those around us to speak with meaning. Why are you upset? Why are you angry? Tks!
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The ultimate cheapening of language occurs when words must fade out from our vocabulary because, although they DO have a definite meaning, people don’t like it. Twenty years ago, “mentally retarded” was the prefered term. People, of course, abused it and made it slang and crass. This is most unfortunate. But now those of us who would like to use the word in its literal sense (“retarded” means “slow”) cannot, because we’re bound to offend the ignorant. In another twenty years it will be politically incorrect to say “cognitively impaired” or “intellectually challenged,” and we’ll inevitably come up with something else.
A related tangent: I know someone who is from South Africa. He grew up there, spoke the language, ate the fare, dressed in traditional garb, etc. He is truly an African American. But he can’t be called that, because he’s white. And he has to tolerate thousands of blacks demanding to be called African American simply because of their skin color, when they have zero traceable African heritage.
Sorry to be the odd ball out, Pam. Guess I’m getting old!
No, you have a point. But most people who are tossing the word around are not referring to developmentally disabled people. And they would cringe at calling someone who actually fits the description “mentally retarded”. Yet, they use it as a derogatory term.
I’m actually really ticked that the word “gay” has been stolen also. And now they also stole my favorite phrase…”it gets better”. Ugh.
And I don’t think it would ever be appropriate to err to a mentally retarded person as a retard. That would be odd. I am mentally gifted, however, not even my husband refers to me as a gift…though he should.
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