The deaf and the blind feel no shame for their deafness or blindness,and the stupid do not know of their stupidity, but the retarded may well feel shame at their limited cognitive abilities if “retarded” is used as an insult.One could argue that this usage of the term has made it offensive.
Also, can you picture one child calling another “deaf” or “blind” in an attempt to hurt the other’s feelings? Now, how about “retarded”? I think it’s the element of false “accusation” that may be significant here.
(Dr. Twerski’s scar-on-your-face demonstration, anyone?)
People feel a greater sense of identity with their mental capacities than their physical ones, and they are more likely to be insecure about them as well.
There is an element of truth to the other side’s claims as well – “Mongoloid” is no longer considered an acceptable term for those with Down’s Syndrome, though I doubt it saw much use as an insult. Apparently, more clinical = more politically correct, lack of negative implications or usage notwithstanding.
And then…
I had written that last paragraph without Internet access – but
Wiktionary does have it used as an insult. (I doubt any of the posters on the CR have heard it used as an insult, at any rate.)
So maybe there is very little on that side of the debate.
It seems that once a term becomes used as an insult, it must be
discarded, the preferred term eventually becoming clinical enough that it can’t be used in that fashion (“the euphemism treadmill” thread-starter Veltz Meshugener mentioned earlier).
[Also, if anyone’s interested, Down syndrome is usually referred to as Down‘s]syndrome in England.]
NotaSheep:
I would think it was offensive because if you call someone or something retarded you are equating them or it with those who are mentally handicapped.
No. In that sense, any insult is offensive. For example, if I call someone/thing “stupid,” I’m comparing them to people with little intelligence. However, using “retard” as an insult implies that there is something negative about the developmentally delayed/disabled(/whatever), a cause for people to find it offensive to use it as such.
Next BE”H: The N-word!