r/Teenager_Polls • u/Unable_Passenger_394 • 11d ago
Poll Is “retarded” a slur?
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u/HystericalGD 10d ago
autistic person here, the way i hear it used 99% of the time is in calling something stupid, not actually attacking a group of people.
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u/Chill_Man321 10d ago
Absolutely, I (ALMOST) never see it being used to specifically insult anyone with a disability
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u/PermissionTime2545 10d ago
Calling people the noun version of it feels more slur-like than anything. I dislike hearing it either way, don’t get me wrong. And the level of bullying the mentally (and physically) handicapped experience hasn’t slowed down much in recent years. Just sucks to see that these things are making a comeback in the public eye
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u/nochancesman 10d ago
You should look at it this way; we circled back on the euphemism treadmill. Instead of neurodivergent becoming a slur, it stuck to a medical term. That's somewhat good news.
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u/InsecureDinosaur 16NB 9d ago
I don’t think we (I’m including myself here, as an autistic/ADHD person) get to decide whether or not it’s a bad word. It’s not a word for autistic/ADHD people, it’s a word for intellectually disabled people. Just because we get called it sometimes doesn’t mean it’s ours to decide.
I have heard/seen it used both as a “mild insult”, and (quite frequently) as a genuinely hateful slur. Once you’ve heard the latter, it’s much easier to recognise the unspoken bigotry that often exists in the former. I’m not saying this as a way of proving anything in particular, but rather because I hope that by sharing an experience that’s different to yours, you’ll keep in mind that not having experienced something yourself doesn’t necessarily mean it’s rare or doesn’t happen.
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u/OrdinaryTreeFrog 10d ago
I just think people (neurotypicals at least) should just say stupid instead of making people with mental disabilities the butt of the joke, especially with the connotations that word specifically carries
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u/Satanic_Prussia 10d ago
Frankly most of us would probably prefer it if it just became as synonym for stupidity especially since it's not even the official medical term anymore on top of it rarely being used to describe the original group of people in casual and every day use.
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u/Lego-105 11d ago
Depends on the context.
I think the matter of fact is that insulting by comparing them to an intellectual disability is always going to happen. Idiot, stupid, deranged, these are all words based on intellectual disability, and the fact that people use that to insult someone, I'm sorry but that's never going to go away. And this word on a categorical level isn't actually any different to any of them.
If you're using it specifically to put someone down based on an intellectual disability, then yes, that is worse and reasonably a slur. But so is calling them an idiot or stupid to insult someone with a disability.
I think the fact that it's come back in spades tells you that realistically the word being used is not something that you can police in the way it's been attempted.
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u/Similar_Dirt9758 11d ago
100% depends on context. You can use it in a way that signals genuine hate, and I personally believe you can use it in a way that doesn't signal hate or even disrespect to any group of people.
People can feel free to disagree with this stance; it is just based on my anecdotal experience and I've never discussed it with a person that has a disability
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u/Mike990403 10d ago
Just to add on to your point, you can almost say any word with enough hate to make it sound like a slur. It isn't exclusive to this one.
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u/Similar_Dirt9758 10d ago
Funny but true. Daniel Tosh does a bit where he makes up random words that sound like racial slurs to see how people react to it and it is very funny. Worth watching
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u/Inside-Reading1915 11d ago
Yeah but I am weirded out by how people make it like one of the worst words to ever exist("omg he said the r word"). In my country its a pretty weak and basic slur which everyone uses.
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u/Any--Name 11d ago
Im pretty sure English is the only language that has a concept like slurs. Apart from English I also speak Russian and Spanish and while "bad words" still exist, and its offensive to someone if you call them that, but there arent any specific words that you just cant say no matter what
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u/Confused-Armpit 11d ago
I think this is due to America's long history with racism and slavery, where a large portion of the population is still affected, and so it became more important to separate "bad words" from things like the n word. And then, other minorities also came to have their own respective derogatory terms, that also had to be separated from regular curses.
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u/Any--Name 11d ago
I do think thats the reason, but I hate when people try to claim that their culture is more moral and so I should alter the way I interact within my own culture because of it
Lile ok, Ill have the decency to respect you interact with your language and I wont use those bad words that nobody should ever use, but dont go around policing my own language
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u/JaneyJaneDoe2 11d ago
No , slurs do exist in other languages as well . Especially deragetory terms targeted at certain groups of people.
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u/Any--Name 11d ago edited 11d ago
Im arguing that the concept of slurs does not exist in those langueges in the same way it exists in English. There arent derogatory terms that you can never ever use in Spanish for black people, or gay people, or people with intellectual disabilities, or roma people. Sure, the latter 2 do have equivalents, "retrasado/a" y "gitano/a", but its not as inherently offensive in all contexts as it is in English to say "rtarded" or "gpsy"
I mean for fucks sake, I actually have to censor them when quoting because if I dont that makes me ableist/racist
Honestly fuck the US and its soft power, first the Koreans cant eat dogs despite it being a part of their culture for centuries, now I cant call someone retrasado because "its actually a slur even if its in Spanish", what next? All Hail Trump???
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u/curiouscollecting 11d ago
The n word has a Dutch translation and can’t be used in any case here. So yes, they do exist in the same way.
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u/IdiotChile 10d ago
you're very strange because where did the Korean people eating dogs come in 😭 that's a thing that is not even related to the conversation and not a thing that has really happened for decades now because Koreans do not do that as a practice and it's racist to assume so 😭
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u/AcceptableCrab4545 11d ago
i think those are different. we have those in english too (bitch, motherfucker, asshole, etc etc). slurs have to do with how the words were used and they're always rooted in violence against a minority group.
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u/Major_Excitement163 11d ago
Ok that's definitely wrong though, if a language has a specific derogatory word that is targetting only a specific group of people then yeah, that's a slur
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u/Bostino3 11d ago
I think hes talking about slur as in the concept of "you cant say that word. Only i can say that word", not necessarily the definition
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u/MasterpieceThis3668 11d ago
It's performative crybullying, some might call it retarded. Downvooootes!
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u/urpmpkin 11d ago
it is in my country too! the words “idiot”, “imbecile”, and “moron”, have the exact same history and meaning, but they’ve been normalized and lost their slur connotations. just like many other words.
one example being “queer” losing its slur connotations and became normalized as well. the same thing was happening to “the r-word”, but some retards decided that it needs to keep its slur connotation because it’s important to them that specific vulnerable groups of people can be hurt by this word and they want to keep it that way for some reason!
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u/Scared_Bluejay5708 18F 10d ago edited 10d ago
Wow I was not expecting almost 50/50
if you were to have put this poll up 5 years ago everyone would’ve easily said yes, it is a slur
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u/makinax300 M 11d ago edited 11d ago
when used as a stronger version of idiot, no
when used in its original meaning (adjective used for a process that has been slowed down), no
when used as a slur for autistic people, yes
also, no, the first meaning did not come from the third meaning.
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u/Remarkable-Gap9881 11d ago
I'm seeing a lot of people call this a "medical term" in the comments. Since this is a teenager subreddit, I'm gonna give you all the benefit of the doubt and assume that you don't know any better.
I have actually worked with intellectually disabled people before. Not once have me or my coworkers used this term on our clients. The modern use the this word is a slur, whether you guys like it or not, and it's not meant to be used in today's world.
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u/Hyperbolicalpaca 19F 11d ago
Literally nobody who is young enough to be on a teenager subreddit will have been alive when it was a medical term lmfao
Theyre just lying and excusing the use of a slur
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u/Human557ttv 10d ago
It can be and is sometimes used as such, but its generally pretty unproblematic as far as being a slur goes. People use it basically only ever against things or non-autistic people to just call things stupid.
Im voting yes because I think it falls under the definition, but its one thats so unproblematic even if I dont say it myself out of respect for my autistic friends and GF im not going to condemn someone for saying it tbh.
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u/Outside-Reaction8373 10d ago
Now let’s see how many of the people who voted “no” are actually disabled. Because I reckon it would be very few.
I’m autistic, and this word has been used on me MANY times in a slur context. And I know many others with the same experience. I don’t understand why this slur is deemed to be “okay”, but a racial slur or a sexuality slur isn’t deemed okay, for example?
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u/Fabulous-Review-4264 11d ago
I feel like many people making the argument that nowadays it's used as a stand-in for "idiot" or something adjacent don't realize why that mentality is so harmful...
Bit of history from what I know (and to clarify, I am not saying this implies that this is how you use this word):
the word originates from the latin word retardare which is to like slow down/hinder. Throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s, it started being accepted as a clinical term, but it was more of a catch all for many disabilities, and people labeled as such would be denied education, employment, and overall just shut off from communities. It even got to the point where it was seriously considered for eugenics in that whole terrible era.
Basically, all this to say, the label has a very harmful history. Again, I'm not saying that the word is colloquially used to imply all of this anytime it is uttered. The issue comes with the very fact that it is a stand in for "idiot" when inherently talking about people with disabilities, the implication in the very word and usage being that the person you are calling this slur, who you view as an idiot, is akin to those with a disability. In doesn't need to be aimed at someone with a disability since the word inherently is derogatory to a specific group of people, similar to the N/F slurs.
While you may not mean it in that way, it is still a slur. It is not something we should perpetuate or normalize because the very use is harmful. The harm isn't in who you call an R slur, it's in the inherent implication of the word.
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u/PaperInteresting4163 11d ago
Its pejoration. A word gradually acquiring a negative connotation.
Like the words terrible, silly, awful, or egregious weren't originally negative, but became so. Nobody argues that they're actually neutral terms, which makes the idea that somehow the R-word is not a slur because of how it was originally intended to be used odd.
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u/ChodeShooter69 11d ago
This should be split between people with mental disabilities and/or neurodivergences and people without them. It’s not up to the majority that isn’t targeted by the slur to declare if it is one or not.
As someone with both ADHD and autism, I can say that this word is definitely a slur.
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u/MidwestTgirl 11d ago
Right? Theres not a single person in the replies here with autism saying it’s not a slur.
It’s like if you asked white people in 1800 if the n-word is a slur, of course they would say no because it doesn’t apply to them and doesn’t affect them.
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u/alldagoodnamesaregon 11d ago
I'm not real convinced that it's a slur to be honest, especially given that its main use is as a synonym of stupid. Also because people bullying autistic people in my experience don't do so by directly calling them retarded, it'll be either more subtle (e.g passive aggressive attacks, manipulation of poor facial recognition and memory to try gaslight you into pretending to be someone you know just so they can take the piss at you), or direct but more generic in order to avoid any potential discrimination accusation (stealing from you, throwing stuff at you as soon as you turn your back). The use of the word 'autistic' as a common insult being synonymous with being 'stupid' or a 'fuckwit' is more problematic in my opinion.
Context: 19 yr old male with diagnosed ADHD and diagnosed high functioning lvl 2 autism (always been fully verbal, currently living semi-independently at uni with little to no support needs, so may have been over diagnosed given how young I was when I got reclassified (I was initially diagnosed with Aspergers, but they changed it when Aspergers was merged with Autism).
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u/Snoo-53209 11d ago
I have autism and it's definitely not a slur. Atleast in every single social context I have ever been in, and that word has been said a lot.
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u/Grand_Big_Mac 10d ago
As someone with ADHD, aspergers and OCD it is DEFINITELY NOT a slur, stop being sensitive
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u/Bla_Z Old 11d ago
I also have autism and I honestly couldn't care less. I don't see why I should be more bothered by it than being called stupid, which is basically an everyday occurrence on the Internet. Intent matters more than the word itself, so I don't see a point in trying to have a consensus on it like it's the N-word, just respect people's personal preferences and call it a day.
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u/IAmNotAlex_ 10d ago
It was technically a slur, but now it's just a more insense version of idiot or moron. It's going down the same route as both of those words.
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u/IAmNotAlex_ 10d ago
Btw I have autism and adhd, so don't come at me with the "you aren't affected by this slur" card.
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u/Kitiseva_lokki 10d ago
And historically, idiot and moron also meant persons with intellectual disabilities. The language evolves.
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u/HarleeQuinn__ 11d ago
It very much is a slur, we had to have an entire class about education around the term before we were allowed to perform flowers for Algernon at my high school. People throw it around but it is not a kind word and shouldn’t be used because someone cut you off on the interstate
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u/JillyFeshing 11d ago
It is, by definition, a slur. You can think it isn't one but that doesn't take away from the fact that it is.
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u/Remarkable-Gap9881 11d ago
That is a concerning number of people who said no. This is why nobody seems to respect disabled people.
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u/EvidentTiger324 11d ago edited 11d ago
I’m a disabled person voting no, and many disabled people would as well
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u/klight101 autistic loner 10d ago
I’m a disabled person voting yes, and many disabled people would as well.
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u/banban1233 11d ago
Depends on context. If I say my timing on my engine is retarded, is it still a slur?
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u/Master_Unit4924 11d ago
Why are we asking non affected people if a word is a slur or not?
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u/Old_Location_7036 10d ago
As a part of the community myself, whether it’s a slur or not, feel free to use it with me personally lol
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u/Away-Caterpillar-477 10d ago
Exactly this. I’d have been diagnosed as r***rded years ago because I have a condition that makes me slow at processing things and I’m honestly more offended by how taboo people treat the word rather than the word itself. Like my condition doesn’t affect me much outside of listening.
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u/MidwestTgirl 11d ago
As an autistic person, YES it absolutely is. So many people are just saying “it’s a stronger version of idiot”… which is saying that autistic people (who the slur is about) are idiots.
It’s probably one of the worst non-racial slurs, especially because it’s so commonly used in a negative context.
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u/klight101 autistic loner 10d ago
Exactly, and I’ve seen several comments from other autistics claiming they do not see this word as a slur, so they assume we all don’t. Some people are so used to being mistreated that they accept it and assume it’s normal, it’s quite sad. It’s better the word is considered a slur, even if only some people get offended. It is better that no one gets offended over some people getting offended.
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u/wherenicotine 11d ago
it is, it's just that the rise of casual usage has made it lose its weight. i personally flinch whenever i hear it but maybe im just overreacting.
happy disability awareness month by the way, to anybody that cares <3
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u/the_snatcher251 15M 11d ago
Why the hell did this guy get downvoted
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u/JupiterboyLuffy 16M 11d ago
People want an excuse to use slurs and downvote anyone who says it is one
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u/Twitch_FireWTV Ban Roulette I 11d ago
The people who use slurs usually use them BECAUSE they're slurs
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u/ChodeShooter69 11d ago
You’re not overreacting, it’s absolutely a slur! People shouldn’t be using it at all!
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u/Mr_man_bird 11d ago
It is a slur, a slur is still a slur even if not used in such a way in a given circumstance
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u/yoelamigo 17M 11d ago
It can be used very offensively, but it's really dependent on context. Mostly offensive, tho.
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u/PomLovestheWorld 11d ago
I believe in the fluidity of words. Most people don’t use it as a slur now and just as a stand-in for idiot. Midget was once a slur too, but it’s not used that way anymore.
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u/Plane-Ad-9767 11d ago
The people “reclaiming” the slur are not part of the minority that it is being used against.
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u/PermissionTime2545 10d ago
People with dwarfism are pretty vocal about not liking being called midgets though…
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u/Silent_Incendiary 10d ago
It is absolutely a slur. Good grief, this generation is actually doomed.
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u/HopeSubstantial 11d ago
Retarded without context is not bad word alone.
But if you are using disability as word to mock someone, so yes its offensive.
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u/Undefined6308 18M 11d ago
when it's used casually or as an insult, it's disrespectful to people who actually are targeted by said slur. It's the same reason we dont throw the f or n words around.
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u/JebediahChristofff 11d ago
Are autisitic people allowed to say it?
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u/Undefined6308 18M 10d ago
yeah because we're a minority that the slur is used against
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u/Shurikenblast_YT 11d ago
Yes if referring to people, no if it's an alt for deceleration
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u/ChodeShooter69 11d ago
Could just use deceleration, but I also wouldn’t get on your ass if you used it in that context. Most of the time, anyway
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u/Shurikenblast_YT 11d ago
Yeah true, I've only ever heard old people use it for decel so like idek atp
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u/Glittering_Tart_9053 11d ago
It is a medical term that is used as an insult.
Like dumb was.
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u/DogEfficient4539 11d ago
the shear amount pf people that said no os concerning. the r word is literally the n word for people woth severe neurological conditions like severe autism, down syndrome, ect
it is very much a slur
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u/HystericalGD 10d ago
autistic person here, 99% of the time i see it being used is not in attacking that group of people. i do not feel offended or attacked by it in any way
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u/klight101 autistic loner 10d ago
My experience has been different growing up. People always called each other that word and even regularly called me that after they found out i was autistic. The word should be considered a slur even if it affects very few people. No one getting offended is far better than few people getting offended.
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u/New_Solution_6523 10d ago
If you’re tryna appease the minority you’re stupid. Something will always offend someone. There’s never not someone not offended. If you lived by that sort of framework nothing would ever get done cause you couldn’t do nothing, all because someone might get offended.
Straight stupid pearl clutching, you’ll be fine I’m sure.
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u/Snoo-53209 11d ago
Does that mean the term "stupid" is also a slur? Just because some people have mental disabilities?
It's concerning to me how many people are overly hurt and offended by words that don't even apply to them
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u/avro-105 10d ago
idk i think it’s bad and shouldn’t be used but it’s no where near as bad as the n word
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u/Reddit_Am_I_Right 11d ago
Using it to describe someone disabled: Yes
Using it to describe someone being a dumbass: No
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u/slatebat_ 11d ago
depends on use. if it’s used towards a person, particularly one with a condition, yes. if it’s used towards something being slowed down, no.
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u/Important_Isopod9947 16 11d ago
Yes it is. Its always used as an insult in a worse way that words like idiot would be
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u/yukio-o 11d ago
The meaning in my language is like so light as an insult it's not even considered that much of a bad word when u say it but I genuinely don't know why it's so bad in America I mean considered a slur I've been thinking about it a lot maybe the translation is somehow wrong I'd appreciate it if someone could explain to me why
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u/Choice_Pitch6822 11d ago
A slur is biased language that is offensive toward a person or group based on a characteristic. So yes, it's a slur. However like, who cares?
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u/Senpai_Weeb_Theorist 11d ago
I mean in most scenarios, Yes. It carries an unfortunate connotation and history.
But, I've seen people use it in a non-offensive manner among close friends or relatives
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u/Agitated_Cry_8793 16F 11d ago
If you use it as one.
Retarded is also a legitimate word, if you were to say that, say, a process has been retarded, I would not say that could be a usage where the word is a slur, because youre using its actual definition. But if you call someone retarded, yeah, thats a slur. Personally, as someone who is neurodivergent, i dont really care if you say it or not as long as its not directed at a person, but yes, many consider it to be a slur.
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u/jan-Sika mtf (13) 11d ago
depends on context and intention (coming from the very same minority that the slur meaning of this is meant to anatagonize)
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u/NotAesse 11d ago
No, per nulla. Almeno qui in Italia la parola "ritardato" viene comunemente usata come insulto. "Negro", la n-world, viene praticamente solo usata dai razzisti, ma MOLTO MOLTO MOOOOLTO raramente viene usata come insulto. In Italia non esistono la r-world e la n-world culturalmente, intendendo nel fatto d'essere viste come parole bandite e da non utilizzare mai.
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u/adrianminigaming 11d ago
It depends. If it is aimed towards someone, yes. However for an example, a car's ignition can be retarded as well. So it depends on the way people use it.
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u/Immediate-Sky-3044 18M 11d ago
I don't think so. Its not used as a medical term anymore, and mostly I just say it towards my friends or to something that I think is stupid.
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u/Routine-Credit-1614 10d ago
it used to be an actual medical term, then it turned into a slur, and now its kinda just turning into a synonym for stupid.
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u/jfklingon 10d ago
It is, so just because you hear me and my brethren saying it, doesn't mean you get to as well.
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u/on-some-sunny-day 10d ago
It a slur. It is not directed at one group of people with a specific disability. It is meant to not only diminish someone's intelligence ans cognition, but to be wildly disrespectful as to separate people from just lower intelligence and extreme lack of intelligence due to a disability.
Anyone woth autism, an intellectual/learning disability, do not have the inherent decision making powers to state it is not slur (which is erasing history and how that word has been used to hurt minorities) when the historical context is used to discriminate.
It used to be used an actual medical term. Now that the word has no true basis, and instead separate distinguishable disorders have been recognized withh extensive research, studies, and diagnostic materials - the word is no longer used to mean anything medical. Since people used to use it as an insult, that started the path to the word becoming more discriminatory over time.
Oh... but wait. This doesn't conform to people's ideas that if it doesn't bother them, it doesn't matter. Therefore, this isn't an issue at all and if you say otherwise you're just a sensitive snowflake, right? And since I'm telling people the language they use is ableist and a slur, they'll want to defend their own usage of it because their feelings matter more than progression in society.
Edit to add: Since it's not a racial slur neither, people care less as the population in general still holds strong ableist groups even despite there existing extremely progressive regions.
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u/Afraid_Contest4395 10d ago
it is I just think it's pretty much fine to say especially for people who are actually autistic
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u/OutcomeMemoriesGoobe 10d ago
its like a weak slur, just like how something like "ass" is a weak swear
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u/Jarinator88 10d ago
Depends on the context. If you use it do describe a literally mentally challenged person, it most definitely is.
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u/Jetrac00n mtf(17) 10d ago
Fucking yea it is. How are there almost 4k people who don't think its a slur?
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u/doodoo_onDemand 10d ago
shocking that this has shifted to 'no'.
it's a slur. end of. you should think poorly of anyone using it.
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u/yuiopera21 10d ago
yes it’s a slur
no i don’t care about you comparing levels of swearing and different types of slur
what is wrong with these comments
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u/Head-Listen-3057 10d ago
i mean im autistic and i dont rlly get offended by it unless in rare occasions if its said with geniune spite and meant to hurt me yes. but i honestly used the word way before i was diagnosed
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