Retarded

Is It Time For This Word To Go?

Lisa Belkin | Posted 05.07.2012

Lisa Belkin

Language is a living thing, regularly pruning words that once had benign meaning ("retarded", for instance, was a medical term for "slowed") after they take on connotations beyond their original point. This process is not just window dressing or political correctness but rather a chance and provides a regular re-evaluation of whether we are saying what we really mean.

Jane Lynch In Striking Hit Out Against The R Word

Posted 07.25.2011

Her "Glee" character Sue Sylvester may be caustic and a bit foul mouthed, but off the screen, Jane Lynch is working to stamp out hateful, discriminato...

Bullying Revisited: Retarded?

Tim Shriver Jr. | Posted 05.25.2011

Tim Shriver Jr.

To stop this pattern of abuse, tens of thousands of young people across the country and around the world are today uniting in the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign.

The Potency of the R-Word

Ami Fields-Meyer | Posted 11.17.2011

Ami Fields-Meyer

Retarded. It's ubiquitous. I can't escape it. But I have never gotten used to hearing it. Some words serve a variety of purposes; but some are meant to be attached to one exclusive definition.

Ann Coulter vs. Sarah Palin

Cenk Uygur | Posted 05.25.2011

Cenk Uygur

I am not the least bit bothered by Ann Coulter calling me a "retarded person." But I do know someone who should be steaming mad about this -- Sarah Palin.

Obama Is Treating Friends Like Enemies and Enemies Like Friends

Michael Fauntroy | Posted 05.25.2011

Michael Fauntroy

Bush never treated his base as contemptuously as Obama deals with liberals. He responded to tax cut criticism by dismissing his critics as sanctimonious and fixated on purist policymaking. This unproductive response is part of a trend.

Why Does Fox News Have More Power Than Any Progressive in the Country?

Cenk Uygur | Posted 05.25.2011

Cenk Uygur

Is there anyone Obama won't fire or throw under the bus if Fox asks him to? What if they ask Obama to fire himself? Would he do it? Or would he just fire Biden and say he met them halfway?

President Obama, Replace Rahm With Me: An Open Letter From Michael Moore

Michael Moore | Posted 05.25.2011

Michael Moore

President Obama, I don't know what your team has been up to, but they haven't served you well. And Rahm, poor Rahm, has turned into a fighter -- not of Republicans, but of the left.

Spread the Word to End the Word

John C. McGinley | Posted 05.25.2011

John C. McGinley

The R-word demeans a group that is not in a position to defend itself. This is a civil call to integrate a simple change into the way we treat, regard and address the special needs population.

Conservatives Rethink Political Correctness

Robin Lakoff | Posted 05.25.2011

Robin Lakoff

Why all this commotion on the right over words and their expression? One can only wonder if language is coming to the fore of the conservative critique because they have nothing else to attack.

N*ggers, K*kes, F*ggots, C*nts, W*ps and the R-word

John C. McGinley | Posted 05.25.2011

John C. McGinley

All these words perpetuate negative stigmas. They are painful. And that is not okay. It is wrong to pain people with our language. Especially when we have already been made aware of our oral transgressions' impact.

Sunday Roundup

Arianna Huffington | Posted 05.25.2011

Arianna Huffington

The difference between Sarah Palin's reaction to Rahm Emanuel's ill-advised use of the word "retarded" (directed at liberals), and Rush Limbaugh's use of the word (directed at advocates for the mentally handicapped) speaks volumes. When it was reported that Emanuel used the word in a private meeting -- one time -- Palin quickly took to Facebook and, mentioning Emanuel by name, called on President Obama to fire him. When Limbaugh repeatedly used the term on his radio show, Palin did nothing. Then, after being goaded by commentators, she had her spokesperson offer a generic criticism of "demeaning name calling," never mentioning Limbaugh by name -- and even had her spokesperson phone Rush to assure him she hadn't used his name. Then, in an interview with Fox that aired this morning, Palin defended Limbaugh's use of "retards" as "satire." Which it wasn't -- unless I'm missing the humor in calling a meeting of advocates for the mentally handicapped "a retard summit."

An Open Letter to Rush Limbaugh

Timothy P. Shriver | Posted 05.25.2011

Timothy P. Shriver

I incredulously listened to the segment on Rush Limbaugh's show in which he repeatedly and offensively used the term "retard" in reference to our meeting with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

Friday Talking Points [110] -- Left Still Waiting For Rahm Apology

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Chris Weigant

Democrats need to realize that they still have the biggest majority in both houses of Congress that they are likely to see in their lifetimes.

Rage Against Rahm Was, Well, "Retarded"

Martin Lewis | Posted 05.25.2011

Martin Lewis

Well we have come to a pretty pass. Now people are being forced to apologize for the use of a legitimate word -- even when correctly used in context ...

Sarah Palin Rebukes Rush Limbaugh For 'Retarded' Remarks

The Plum Line | Greg Sargent | Posted 05.25.2011

Sarah Palin versus Rush Limbaugh! Palin believes Limbaugh's repeated use of the word "retard" yesterday was "crude and demeaning," her spokesperson em...

O'Reilly and the R-Word Factor

Timothy P. Shriver | Posted 05.25.2011

Timothy P. Shriver

The mighty O'Reilly, unlike so many others, got it: stigmatizing people stinks. Words matter. People don't need to scoff at others to make a point.

Tropic Thunder -- Colossal Blunder

Timothy P. Shriver | Posted 05.25.2011

Timothy P. Shriver

I joined hundreds of protestors at the recent premiere of the film Tropic Thunder to denounce its unfortunate and humiliating portrayal of people with intellectual disabilities.

"Retards" And "Special People" -- A Peek Into Google's Inhuman Algorithm

Bigthawt | Posted 05.25.2011

Computers aren't politically correct. Computers aren't sensitive to someone's feelings. Computers don't feel social pressures or have a conscience. So...