Wednesday, September 12, 2012 at 10:47AM | 4 Comments Would You Call My Child A Retard?
This video hit me hard. As a parent of a special needs child the "R" word shakes you to the core every time you hear it. It hurts. And usually the offending party is a friend. Sometimes a good friend. Somebody who would never use the word to describe my child. They just think it's a funny word. A way to describe anything that's wrong or stupid in the world. And the troubling thing is the word seems to have become MORE acceptable in popular culture instead of LESS acceptable. It's taken me a long time to recover from the word in conversation fast enough to actually stop people and ask them not to use that word. So I'm impressed and humbled by the Stop The "R" Word campaign. In the grand scheme of things it may not be our most pressing issue. But then again maybe it is. Because before we can tackle humanities biggest issues we will have to become aware of ALL of our hidden biases and prejudices and cruelties. We can come up with a new word folks. Or even better we can move past sentences that require the "R" word or a synonym at all.
As always, share the thoughts you like. After all, together we have the power to make the world we all want.
Thanks to mommyniricares.com, lovethatmax.com and r-word.org.
-Alex
Wednesday, September 12, 2012 at 10:47AM | 4 Comments References (12)
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Reader Comments (4)
Alex- In general I think we have become too politically correct that it borders on people looking to be offended... but this is a small thing that might make a big difference to those who have a tender spot and so I am happy to refrain from using it.
Hope your child is doing well :)
My brother has down syndrome. My 4-year old daughter is autistic. I have always been struck by the ugliness of this word and the idea that somehow there's humor in it. I cringe whenever I hear it because at the end of the day, it's a hurtful term. While I get that society may tend to stray towards unnecessary political correctness, I don't think this one falls in vein of political correctness. I actually think there's a human dignity component at play here. The N word isn't a nuance of political correctness. It's unacceptable no matter what political or ideological background one has. When people choose to use the R word, it's the same thing. It's derogatory and the sad thing is, most people (even worldly, intelligent people) don't understand that or choose to overlook it. Make no mistake, it's not a descriptive term in the way that a word like "autistic" is. And whenever it's used, it's most often done so as a cheap but damaging shortcut to humor.
The word was very common in Spain when I was growing up. As I became an adult-ish (20's) I remember feeling more and more troubled the few times that I used it. Now I never use it.Maybe you gain a greater sense of empathy as you grow old.
Hurt people hurt people.
Continue championing the wisdom and extreme Light your child brings to the world.
Blessings~