The word retarded

[Guest guest]

I've been following this discussion with a bit of interest. In the

course of researching my book, I did a lot of reading on disability,

and was fascinated to see that the phrase " mentally retarded " has

fallen into disfavor, at least in some circles. In one book, I found

an essay in which the author quoted from another work that used the

phrase, and then he followed it with a " [sic], " as if to connote that

*everyone* knows you're not supposed to use that phrase anymore.

Well, I didn't know it. In " Life as We Know It, " a wonderful memoir

by Berube about raising a son with Down syndrome, Berube

criticizes the word " retarded " as a label that limits his son.

Yet many people with Down syndrome -- and many other mental

disabilities -- have intelligence that falls well below the average

and into a range that would be considered statistically significant.

Don't we need some sort of phrase for describing this disability?

What cuts it? " Slow " doesn't, since it implies that the person will

eventually catch up. Well, sorry, no he won't. That doesn't make him

a less valuable human being; it just describes his particular

reality. " Mentally disabled " doesn't cut it either, since someone

with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder is *also* mentally disabled.

In the bad old days, scientists referred to the retarded as

" imbeciles " and " morons. " These words actually had clinical meanings:

one word was meant to connote a more severe disability than another

(I don't recall which was which). " Retarded " was intended as an

improvement -- a euphemism, actually -- and thus it was adopted by

the community itself: the Association for Retarded Citizens. Yet now

" retarded " has fallen into disfavor, and, if I recall correctly, the

ARC no longer technically stands for anything. It's just the ARC.

Of course the problem is that the cultural stigma is attached to the

*condition*, not the label. People change the label in an attempt to

destigmatize the condition. But when that doesn't work, the new label

is cast aside and yet another euphemism is sought.

We can see this in the larger disability world, where " cripple "

became " handicapped, " and then " handicapped " became " disabled. " That

seems to have stuck, despite the efforts of some to promote really

wacky, hyper-PC labels such as " differently abled. "

There are obvious parallels to the dwarf community, except for the

fact that there is so little agreement as to which words are

acceptable and which aren't. What's interesting here is that the two

most widely accepted labels are the *most* euphemistic ( " short

statured " ) and the *least* euphemistic ( " dwarf " ), with the acceptance

of " little people " falling somewhere in the middle. I'm leaving out

the M-word since it's a made-up word that really can't be divorced

from its roots as a circus and freak-show term.

I don't know why I'm blabbling about this, but there you go.

Dan Kennedy

[Guest guest]

My mom used to talk to me about this all the time, when I was a kid in school.

She would always tell me that the AVERAGE IQ was 100. Which meant there were

lots of other scores on either side. She would tell me that " in the old days,

someone with the IQ of 70 was considered a moron. "

I don't know where she got her information, but I have no reason to doubt her.

Patty

The word " retarded "

I've been following this discussion with a bit of interest. In the

course of researching my book, I did a lot of reading on disability,

and was fascinated to see that the phrase " mentally retarded " has

fallen into disfavor, at least in some circles. In one book, I found

an essay in which the author quoted from another work that used the

phrase, and then he followed it with a " [sic], " as if to connote that

*everyone* knows you're not supposed to use that phrase anymore.

Well, I didn't know it. In " Life as We Know It, " a wonderful memoir

by Berube about raising a son with Down syndrome, Berube

criticizes the word " retarded " as a label that limits his son.

Yet many people with Down syndrome -- and many other mental

disabilities -- have intelligence that falls well below the average

and into a range that would be considered statistically significant.

Don't we need some sort of phrase for describing this disability?

What cuts it? " Slow " doesn't, since it implies that the person will

eventually catch up. Well, sorry, no he won't. That doesn't make him

a less valuable human being; it just describes his particular

reality. " Mentally disabled " doesn't cut it either, since someone

with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder is *also* mentally disabled.

In the bad old days, scientists referred to the retarded as

" imbeciles " and " morons. " These words actually had clinical meanings:

one word was meant to connote a more severe disability than another

(I don't recall which was which). " Retarded " was intended as an

improvement -- a euphemism, actually -- and thus it was adopted by

the community itself: the Association for Retarded Citizens. Yet now

" retarded " has fallen into disfavor, and, if I recall correctly, the

ARC no longer technically stands for anything. It's just the ARC.

Of course the problem is that the cultural stigma is attached to the

*condition*, not the label. People change the label in an attempt to

destigmatize the condition. But when that doesn't work, the new label

is cast aside and yet another euphemism is sought.

We can see this in the larger disability world, where " cripple "

became " handicapped, " and then " handicapped " became " disabled. " That

seems to have stuck, despite the efforts of some to promote really

wacky, hyper-PC labels such as " differently abled. "

There are obvious parallels to the dwarf community, except for the

fact that there is so little agreement as to which words are

acceptable and which aren't. What's interesting here is that the two

most widely accepted labels are the *most* euphemistic ( " short

statured " ) and the *least* euphemistic ( " dwarf " ), with the acceptance

of " little people " falling somewhere in the middle. I'm leaving out

the M-word since it's a made-up word that really can't be divorced

from its roots as a circus and freak-show term.

I don't know why I'm blabbling about this, but there you go.

Dan Kennedy

[Guest guest]

I believe the correct term is developmentally disabled.

[Guest guest]

Babble away, I found it interesting.

And also, I nominate Dan to write the letter to Fox that Matt will print on LPA

stationary.

-Bill Bradford

The word " retarded "

I've been following this discussion with a bit of interest. In the

course of researching my book, I did a lot of reading on disability,

and was fascinated to see that the phrase " mentally retarded " has

fallen into disfavor, at least in some circles. In one book, I found

an essay in which the author quoted from another work that used the

phrase, and then he followed it with a " [sic], " as if to connote that

*everyone* knows you're not supposed to use that phrase anymore.

Well, I didn't know it. In " Life as We Know It, " a wonderful memoir

by Berube about raising a son with Down syndrome, Berube

criticizes the word " retarded " as a label that limits his son.

Yet many people with Down syndrome -- and many other mental

disabilities -- have intelligence that falls well below the average

and into a range that would be considered statistically significant.

Don't we need some sort of phrase for describing this disability?

What cuts it? " Slow " doesn't, since it implies that the person will

eventually catch up. Well, sorry, no he won't. That doesn't make him

a less valuable human being; it just describes his particular

reality. " Mentally disabled " doesn't cut it either, since someone

with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder is *also* mentally disabled.

In the bad old days, scientists referred to the retarded as

" imbeciles " and " morons. " These words actually had clinical meanings:

one word was meant to connote a more severe disability than another

(I don't recall which was which). " Retarded " was intended as an

improvement -- a euphemism, actually -- and thus it was adopted by

the community itself: the Association for Retarded Citizens. Yet now

" retarded " has fallen into disfavor, and, if I recall correctly, the

ARC no longer technically stands for anything. It's just the ARC.

Of course the problem is that the cultural stigma is attached to the

*condition*, not the label. People change the label in an attempt to

destigmatize the condition. But when that doesn't work, the new label

is cast aside and yet another euphemism is sought.

We can see this in the larger disability world, where " cripple "

became " handicapped, " and then " handicapped " became " disabled. " That

seems to have stuck, despite the efforts of some to promote really

wacky, hyper-PC labels such as " differently abled. "

There are obvious parallels to the dwarf community, except for the

fact that there is so little agreement as to which words are

acceptable and which aren't. What's interesting here is that the two

most widely accepted labels are the *most* euphemistic ( " short

statured " ) and the *least* euphemistic ( " dwarf " ), with the acceptance

of " little people " falling somewhere in the middle. I'm leaving out

the M-word since it's a made-up word that really can't be divorced

from its roots as a circus and freak-show term.

I don't know why I'm blabbling about this, but there you go.

Dan Kennedy

[Guest guest]

I work in Special Education. The PC word used now for retarded, is

Mentally Impaired. As in Hearing Impaired. Hmmmm...Stature impairment?

Patty

[Guest guest]

I recall the show " Life Goes On " (which I liked that show) and remember

reading about the actor that portrayed Corky on that show and thought he was

a determined young man.

When some poke fun and say to someone you are a retard or comment about a

project being retarded is ignorant. Like with being a little person those

people who are developmentally disabled have challenges and bridges to cross

too and should be given the opportunity to do so.

Helen

[Guest guest]

" Retarded " has fallen into the same realm as " midget " and " handicapped " (as

a side note " disabled " is not acceptable either anymore...for those of you

who thought it was). A new movement is taking place called " People First

Language " . Kathie Snow's website (www.disabilityisnatural.com) is an

excellent source if you'd like to investigate People First Language even

further.

Retarded doesn't cut it no matter how much you seem to talk yourself into

it...and neither does developmentally disabled. Instead we have begun to

use - " he is a person with a cognitive disability " , " he has a developmental

disability " . I personally like this form of language because it stresses

the person rather than the disability. Now some of you might think this is

a hyper-sensitive way to talk...and I didn't buy it at first either. I

didn't get it until I began to talk with my co-worker who has a

developmental disability. Last year she was the co-chair of the national

organization of Self Advocates Becoming Empowered(SABE)(www.sabe.org) - she

has spent a great deal of her life being held down because people labeled

her has " retarded " . She's extremely bright, but needs some supports to

insure that she fully understands. " Retarded " has become a word that

dismisses the person - dismisses their right to choice, to opinions and to a

lot of freedoms that even we, as little people, take for granted.

Because " retarded " has become a popular term as slang...it becomes easier to

use it as a term that can be extremely hurtful. SABE has just published a

book called Sticks and Stones and it includes personal stories from people

with disabilities of how language has affected them. I think it's easy for

us to dismiss a word as being hurtful when we don't have it being said to

us...in the same way people who don't know any people of short stature find

it easy to say " midget " .

-Tricia Mason

Wyoming Governor's Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 1/21/2003 10:36:31 AM Central Standard Time,

tricia@... writes:

>

> Because " retarded " has become a popular term as slang...it becomes easier

> to

> use it as a term that can be extremely hurtful. SABE has just published a

> book called Sticks and Stones and it includes personal stories from people

> with disabilities of how language has affected them. I think it's easy for

> us to dismiss a word as being hurtful when we don't have it being said to

> us...in the same way people who don't know any people of short stature find

> it easy to say " midget " .

>

I totatally agree. I think that most people dont even think about the choice

of words that they use because they dont see it as being a " big deal. "

(Because it doesnt affect them directly.) At my school, there are a large

portion of minority students (including me). If I were to use a racial slur

in the way that most of them use the word " retarded " , everyone would have a

cow and want to call authority on me. So I tell them, okay...you dont want me

to use words like that because it offends you but you're offending me and

people with mental disabilities by using " retarded " but you dont have a

problem with it. Hmm....

-Ti.H.

<A HREF= " AIM:actcoolgal " >AIM:actcoolgal</A>

[Guest guest]

How about the word " cripple? " I still run into that one every once in awhile.

Karin

[Guest guest]

" retarded " is a word...jsut liek " Midget " , " moron " , " Idiot " (which also

used to be used to describe thsoe with lower functionign mental capacities)

.. " Mongoloid " used to be synonimous with Down syndrome. Point is that

these are only words and man has only words to describe his environment.

Words can be used to humiliate, build up, express all our emotions and they

are all we have to do so. Its nto the word per se that is bad, its how the

word is used that makes it bad. My high school algebra teacher todlme I was

lazy in front of the class...I wasnt but I could not for the best of me get

algebra the way he taught it...So I gave up. Same with my latin teacher who

flat out told me I was stupid in front of the class...Which teachers do I

remember the most? The ones who used words in a hurtful way. Same with

anyone else. There is the key I thik...how the words are used. We are

limited as humans with what is at hand but we also have the capacity to use

good judgement in hwo e use what we have.

Ok Dan...Im done philosophizing here but I understood what you were tryign to

get at...

Apryl

[Guest guest]

For what it's worth ... here's the definition of " mental retardation "

from the American Heritage Dictionary, fourth edition, published less

than three years ago:

" Subnormal intellectual development as a result of congenital causes,

brain injury, or disease and characterized by any of various

cognitive deficiencies, including impaired learning, social, and

vocational ability. "

Simple, straightforward, not in the least offensive.

Also, this is from the website of the Arc <http://www.thearc.org>,

the leading organization for issues related to the, uh, mentally

retarded:

" The Arc is the national organization of and for people with mental

retardation and related developmental disabilities and their

families. It is devoted to promoting and improving supports and

services for people with mental retardation and their families. The

association also fosters research and education regarding the

prevention of mental retardation in infants and young children. "

I don't mean to beat this into the ground, but it does seem that the

notion that the phrase " mental retardation " is no longer acceptable

is a distinctly minority position. Granted, the Arc does seem to

prefer " people with mental retardation " as opposed to " the mentally

retarded. " But I don't see any reference here to " people with

cognitive disabilities. " And the other euphemism that's been

mentioned, " developmental disabilities, " seems to be considered by

the Arc as something *different* from mental retardation, and not a

synonym.

Dan