How do you feel about the word ret*d?

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I have always been slow but hated ret*d & sayings my wife is my big helper explains things to me and if I say something off color she will pull me a side and explain that is [not appropriate].

For me, context is much more important than certain words. It's the meaning that's being communicated that hurts. It doesn't matter if it's nonverbal, described in a polite way or told blatantly with a bad word.

It's just another word for idiot to me, us northern brits aren't really seemingly bothered by stuff like that. It's the same thing as spastic and that's heavily used here.

Yes I suspect the r-word has already entered the vernacular of millions of NTs around the world as much as formerly scientific words to describe people with intellectual deficits such as "idiot", "moron": and "imbecile" (infact the latter is used frequently in refined posh speech)

It's better than being called autistic, right?

It’s WORSE to be called ret*d.

To be fair NTs equate one with the other

The last time I played the PC First Person Shooter games, no one used "ret*d".
One of the worst insults was to be called "autistic".

A lot of sociopaths in those games.

Let's face reality, every schoolboy has "You are autistic" in their repertoire of slurs

In my day, the expression was: "You're a Spastic".
How could you have forgotten that?

Idk I got called it a bunch when I was growing up so I really did hate it. But admittedly I catch myself using it and so IDK....like even earlier today I was fed up with the 5 minutes I spent looking at fox news's version of what is going on with the california and oregon fires especially the comment section(dont know what I was thinking looking at that) and just all the nonsense of 'well they just need to clean up...cut down all the forests then there wont be fires...dur' and so I was telling my boyfriend like wtf are these people ret*d or what.

But for sure its not a great way to word things I suppose, but it certainly came out of my mouth and I do kind of wish to come up with better vocabulary to describe such things. Can't really criticize anyone using the word when I myself in frustration had to say 'are these people f**ing ret*d' but yeah maybe it is not the best way to word things.

You are "both" wrong.

As in me saying ret*d and people who used to call me ret*d in school...or me using the term ret*d and those who think chopping down all the forests is a solution to forest fires. I suppose I would say all three are wrong.

Being autistic does not imply a lack of intelligence. It more implies a lack of social awareness or “hipness.”

You are "both" "wrong" as in other people who use the word and yourself.
But this "wrongness" is conditional, dependant on your value system.

Perhaps you need to be able to express your anger in a different way *if* you have a *moral conflict* with how you express yourself. Alternatively, you simply accept your behaviour.

The reason we latch onto a word like "ret*d", F*ck" or (and here is the big one) "C*nt", is because they are emotionally powerful. We often/usually feel a need to use a powerful word which matches our feelings. Anything less leaves us feeling chagrined/unsatiated.
Taboo words, that society *arbitrarily* creates, are particularly powerful.

In one sense, swear words are a form of "emotion management", which to me seems to be a valid usage. The problem occurs when swear words are used to intimidate or humiliate, as is done in the First Person Shooter games I was talking about.
Swearing in the privacy of your home is one thing. Swearing in someone's face, with the intent to intimidate, is another.

Personally, I have no trouble with swear words.
I have a problem with the *attitude* behind them.

Yes repertoire means spastic or "spaz" was also in their arsenal.