How do you feel about the word ret*d?

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I've seen a parent use it now as a slur on the news forum, the irony seems to be lost on him

If a scientist uses the word to describe a deficit (either social, emotional or physical) I think its quite valid.

If used as a slur, insult or in banter it can be inflammatory and mean (bullying behavior etc)

I think with time and age, you might see it as just another descriptive word. Years of learning and growing you might not see it as badly as commonly seen.

About how I feel about the word. It has its place for valid reasoning. But is too commonly used by the younger generation.

I have no problems with the word being used in a medical sense.

However, it shouldn't be used as a slur (then again, with slurs should?). I've never been called ret*d, but I have been called "freak" often, also by my siblings. My negative self-image and self-hatred stems largely from being bullied and being called a freak most of my childhood. Through that, I "learned" that I was a freak, so I started seeing myself that way. Unlearning that I find very difficult and a painful process.

Just because someone says it sounds or makes you more "cool" doesn't inherently mean it is.

Plus, I personally find to word 'ret*d' like a slur, just like how black people were called the 'N'-word. Apparently, I've been called that during my youth due to thinking differently than others (TBH, I STILL think differently.)

Its ok in a medical sense but not good when used as an insult.

The irony i suppose if someone was severely intellectually disabled would they really know or care? would they not have more important things to care about.

You cant really ban words anyway its like wack a mole, it just migrates to another word, ive heard the word "your acting" or "sounds autistic" as an insult.

I avoid the word, it is a nasty word. I see as calling someone gay a F** or using an ethnic slur against someone.

I don't like this word because it has an ugly history starting in the late 1800s. I don't even like it being used in a scientific sense since it's meaning is very vague and doesn't really hold any value. There are other words to use in its place that are more appropriate and more descript.


I have also been called this often by classmates when I was in elementary school. I was called this along with the offensive imitation hand gestures and everything. At the time I didn't know I was autistic and I was just different/weird and I ignored the comments. As time went on and I learned more about this use of this word and I realize now how inappropriate this really was. It bothers me people still use this word today and it bothers me more when someone uses it to describe someone else.

The impression I get is those aspies who live with "NT privilege" generally seem to not care about the word.

Those aspies who get called the word are less enamoured with it.

I was lucky to not be called ret*d when growing up seemed somewhat normal just like avoiding being called [bedwetter] when young.

It's not true when it comes to HFA people, we're different but not backwards, more like another path.

It's offensive to call learning disabled people that.

It's offensive to use it anyway cos it's implying that calling the rest of us learning disabled is the worst thing you can say about someone.

People need to get more accurate with their insults. And to stop insulting people who don't deserve it.

I totally agree just because being a little slow dose not warrant that label.

First, "mental retardation" is not really used as a medical term. The preferred term is "intellectual disability." The US Federal government changed the preference a while ago: Executive order signed to change the use of mental retardation

There is no time I would feel ret*d would be appropriate. Now, I can understand a marginalized group trying to reclaim a pejorative to blunt it ("punk" as in "punk rock" is a pejorative given to the music by its critics), but, ulimately, I think it is harmful.

"ret*d" has always been an insult. "ret*d" has been both an insult and was and still is a legitimate English word. The problem with stopping using words because bullies make it an insult as we do these days is that you are letting the bullies determine what language is correct. Doing this is a temporary solution because the bullies will inevitably make the replacement word an insult and the replacement word will need to be dumped for another word and on and on it will go. There is a term for this process that escapes me at the moment. What you end up is a term that is complicated, bland and has little relation to what you are trying to describe. The dumped "Manic-Depression" diagnosis has been replaced by the "bipolar disorder" diagnoses. The former term is more accurate, the latter sounds like a weather phenomenon. "Autistic" is becoming an insult would "neuro differently abled" really be better?

I don't think its the same as the n-word which has become a symbol in music/culture

The autism community (beyond online) is not united on acceptance or ownership of slurs which means the pejorative remains a painful weapon to most.

I find it odd how reconciling its formerly scientific use somehow justifies its common use in NT jargon. However, idiot, imbecile and moron have certainly entered NT jargon that way a long long time ago so we have forgotten it's original use in classifying residents of mental institutions.

HATE it!