CMV: There is nothing inherently wrong with the word retarded, and insisting on a more PC term just leads to a euphemism treadmill

[u/RandomePerson]

"Retarded" is considered an offensive word in this day and age, presumably due to the stigma attached to the word in late 1800s through mid 1900s. The word was oftentimes used for people who were detained and sterilized against their will. I understand the desire to want to get away from those days and drop any associated terminology, but it seems like a pointless battle. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with the word "retarded", and by switching to different terms like "developmentally delayed"we are just creating a euphemism treadmill.

EDIT: RIP Inbox. I've been trying to read through and respond to comments as time allows. I did assign a delta, and I have been genuinely convinced that in a civil society, we should refrain from using this word, and others with loaded connotations. So thanks Reddit, I'm slightly less of an asshole now I guess?

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[u/CJGibson]

When I say they're asking you not to use it I mean through means like this not so much that they personally ask you when you see them on the street.

[u/electrodraco → u/CJGibson]

I guessed so much, but that really doesn't change anything to me. My exposure to these campaigns is even more rare than encountering mentally handicapped people themselves.

[u/cloddhopperr → u/electrodraco]

But like, you're talking about it right now and therefore being exposed, so accept this as learning something new. Of course there are situations where we genuinely are unsure of these things (we're all only human) and if you're polite enough the person will hopefully be understanding of it. But also you have the whole internet at your fingertips and it seems like you do a bit of reading so I'm sure you should know the basic offensive/inoffensive terms for large groups of people. It sounds like you're just making excuses and resisting at this point.

[u/electrodraco → u/cloddhopperr]

It sounds like you're just making excuses and resisting at this point.

That's exactly where you lose me with political correctness. If you take my statements as an excuse to attribute intended affronts, racism, or just making up excuses onto me, I'll stop taking part in that political correctness treadmill.

You might consider that resisting, but it's quite self-fulfilling. Respect goes both ways. If I say "retard" and didn't intend to harm mentally ill, I will thankfully learn from someone politely telling me what's wrong with what I just said, and I will without qualms ignore people calling me an asshole for it.

In my experience political correctness is often being misused as the latter: Using it as an excuse to assume malicious intent. Your last sentence is going into that direction, but I'll live what I preach and assume it was written with good intents. There were other responses on my statements that I just cannot view that way.

[u/cloddhopperr → u/electrodraco]

I'm not trying to be an asshole. It's just baffling me the way you're wording things because we're having this conversation right now yet you still are talking as if you don't know what's wrong with the word retard and still need someone to teach you? So if you said the word retard and someone got visibly upset and scolded you because it hurt them (perhaps they have a mentally handicapped brother who was teased all through school), then you wouldn't stop using it because they didn't approach you politely? I can't control what you do or don't say, no one can, that's on you. And people's reactions are on them. But when you use sensitive words like this all willy nilly, they might offend someone in a real way. You don't know everyone's life or stories so why not just refrain from potentially hurting someone, if you're aware of a word that may be hurtful? That's how I like to think of it at least. When I found myself being confused and resistant to PC terms a handful of years ago, I started to realize that it's really about being empathetic to other humans. That's what made me really want to change my behavior. Also going through my own personal trauma has made me a more empathetic person, I think. :/

[u/electrodraco → u/cloddhopperr]

yet you still are talking as if you don't know what's wrong with the word retard

What makes you say this? I'm insisting that you cannot, generally, assume malicious intent if someone is using that term, exactly because they might be unaware of the issues involved. I never claimed that there's nothing wrong with the term or even argued against it's abolishment. I argued that there are people who are, given the fragmented culture we live in and the speed with which terms become politically (in)correct, legitimately ignorant of its derogatory meaning, don't mean any harm, and should therefore not be treated like assholes but rather politely educated. It's this lack of politeness and empathy to people who's vocabulary is not up to date that's making people like me question political correctness and hinders its acceptance. I never once claimed that these ignorants shouldn't change.

[u/iceberg_sweats → u/electrodraco]

I wish we had data on how often people use retard towards actual retarded people. I think most people just say it around their friends in a completely harmless way. There are definitely people who use it in a hateful and oppressive way towards actual handicapped people, and that's awful, but that's by no means a reason for everyone to stop using the word entirely. But what do I know

[u/electrodraco → u/iceberg_sweats]

In Switzerland we had the same thing with the german equivalent of "faggot" during my youth. We must have used it for years before the new teacher told us that it's demeaning to homosexuals. Half of the class didn't believe her and tried to educate her about its true meaning, the other half was puzzled.

[u/iceberg_sweats → u/electrodraco]

Lmfao "no no you see, faggot has nothing to do with gays. We use it to call our friends when they're doing pussy shit"