So some kid in middle school called you a “retard” once.
Maybe they were joking, maybe they weren’t. Either way, you probably didn’t deserve it. They probably didn’t even understand the concept of what being mentally handicapped really is. They just knew that “retard” is a synonym for “stupid”.
But we’re in college now. We attend classes at a world-renowned research institution. And we certainly know better than a middle school bully.
Using “the R word” doesn’t solely hurt the person it’s directed at, it insults an undervalued group in our society that have done nothing to deserve the disrespect and ridicule that is connoted when the word is used against someone ill-intentionally.
As students who are supposed to pride themselves on being culturally aware and inclusive, why are we still belittling people who were born with disabilities – a group for which we have a moral responsibility to advocate?
So here’s the nicely-put reason you shouldn’t use the R word:
It’s just not kind, and you’re smarter than that!
Here it is a little more bluntly:
It’s marginalizing and you sound like you’re completely ignorant of harmful social constructs.
People with mental or developmental disabilities have every capability of being just as kind and intelligent as you are. By calling someone a “retard” in order to accuse them of being stupid, we are devaluing people who have huge obstacles in their lives that they did not ask for. We’re equating this group of people with something that they are clearly not, which is simply unfair.
As humans, we tend to be averse to people different than us, and this manifests itself both consciously and subconsciously. Using the R word is like any other bad habit, it just takes a little conscious effort to break out of it.
Thankfully, the Special Olympics have put together a campaign called “Spread the Word to End the Word”, spreading awareness of how often we throw the R word around, and how it needs to stop. This campaign is not simply about eradicating a word from our cultural lexicon – it’s about respect for all people, regardless of their abilities. One may argue that people’s intentions won’t change if they stop using a single word – but that’s not the point. The point is to make ourselves more sensitive to how even what we say or do without putting much thought into it might be harming an entire demographic, and if anything, this movement is starting a conversation on how we view and treat people with mental disabilities.
This Monday, the Special Olympics at Notre Dame set up a banner for students to sign saying that they pledged not to use the R word. This is an important step for students to take in order to raise awareness across campus. It’s a large and complex problem of human dignity in jeopardy, but there is a simple way that anyone can lend their hand in solving this: just don’t say it.
Images: 1, 2-author’s own, 3, 4-author’s own
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