To better understand how the word evolved over the years, it is helpful to look at its origin. The word “retarded” has its etymological roots in the Latin word “retardātus,” which meant to be held back or impeded. According to the Oxford English Dictionary it eventually found its way into the English language with a nearly identical meaning, however it wasn’t until the late 19th century that it was used to describe someone with a learning or intellectual disability. In fact it was used for hundreds of years to describe non-human things exclusively. Despite this it eventually went as far too classify people by their abnormally low IQ scores.
To possess the traits of what would have classified you as “retarded” are obviously undesirable. Some of the more distinguishable traits of someone who would be consider “retarded” might not being able to rationalize things on the same level as most people, or possibly lacking the ability to effectively communicate. This is why I think it began to morph into a derogatory slur, seeing as the being given a likeness to somebody with a sub par level of functioning is a common insult among pretty much every demographic. One thing I have observed of the derogatory usage of the word “retarded” is that the majority of people who use it are not using it to insult people actually afflicted with mental disability. It is usually directed at friends, themselves, situations—not that it makes it okay, but it does seem much less menacing in that respect. In my personal experience with the word, it was almost never used to insult a person with an intellectual disability, but it still felt somewhat wrong to use it for our own enjoyment. I chalk this up to feeling empathy towards the folks that actually have these challenges, as well as (although I may be stretching) the feeling that people with intellectual disabilities seem almost defenseless. For example, my brother couldn’t speak out against the usage of the word “retarded”, even if he could perceive that it was bad (he’s not unresponsive, just blissfully ignorant), whereas someone who has a physical disability could speak out against someone calling him or her or someone else a “cripple”.
Eventually people did start to speak up for those labeled “retarded” and in 2010, Rosa’s Law was passed after being brought to congress’ attention by a 9 year old girl with down syndrome and her family. I was actually not aware of this until recently, but it removed the term “mentally retarded” from any and all legal and medical settings, including education, health and labor codes1. It is very hard to remove a word from society, because condemning its use can make its usage all the more damning, but removing the clinical aspect of the word ‘retarded’ is definitely an important step in encouraging people not to use it. It does however raise a new set of problems. A Harvard Law professor, Randall Kennedy, wrote regarding the stigmatization of words, saying that it can result in, “an overeagerness to detect insult where none is intended and the use of excessively harsh punishment against those who use the word wrongly.” There even have been campaigns such as the R-Word campaign that seek to end the usage of the word “retarded” in any and all contexts3. This campaign in particular uses the popular show “Glee” as it’s primary source of dissemination, which has some significance especially when one considers the usual usage of the word “retarded” in popular culture. For example the 2008 blockbuster film “Tropic Thunder” is infamous for a certain monologue in which the characters describe another (not mentally challenged) character as having gone “full retard”, meaning that the recipient of the comment had transcended all levels of ineptitude achievable by someone without an intellectually disability, and did something so dumb that the other characters determined that the act was something that could only be perpetrated by someone who was “retarded”. In movies, music, and television, it was generally acceptable to use the word “retarded” for humor. It actually probably still is, but shows such as Glee opposing the usage of the word “retarded” show the changing attitude towards any use of the word.
Like I stated before, the most peculiar thing I found about the negative connotation of the word and how I personally feel about using it is that looking in the dictionary, the word should not be that offensive. Perhaps years and years of use in a derogatory manner has just ingrained into our minds that it is a bad and impolite word to use. Which is interesting. The way we use a word affects how we perceive its meaning and its effect on other people.
The word “retarded” has a long history of usage, but as a word that describes disability, it is coming to the end of its rope. I’m unsure how much it will fall out of favor in the future, but since it is no longer used in a professional setting it is doomed to the realm of derogatory slurs, where it shall stay.
To possess the traits of what would have classified you as “retarded” are obviously undesirable. Some of the more distinguishable traits of someone who would be consider “retarded” might not being able to rationalize things on the same level as most people, or possibly lacking the ability to effectively communicate. This is why I think it began to morph into a derogatory slur, seeing as the being given a likeness to somebody with a sub par level of functioning is a common insult among pretty much every demographic. One thing I have observed of the derogatory usage of the word “retarded” is that the majority of people who use it are not using it to insult people actually afflicted with mental disability. It is usually directed at friends, themselves, situations—not that it makes it okay, but it does seem much less menacing in that respect. In my personal experience with the word, it was almost never used to insult a person with an intellectual disability, but it still felt somewhat wrong to use it for our own enjoyment. I chalk this up to feeling empathy towards the folks that actually have these challenges, as well as (although I may be stretching) the feeling that people with intellectual disabilities seem almost defenseless. For example, my brother couldn’t speak out against the usage of the word “retarded”, even if he could perceive that it was bad (he’s not unresponsive, just blissfully ignorant), whereas someone who has a physical disability could speak out against someone calling him or her or someone else a “cripple”.
Eventually people did start to speak up for those labeled “retarded” and in 2010, Rosa’s Law was passed after being brought to congress’ attention by a 9 year old girl with down syndrome and her family. I was actually not aware of this until recently, but it removed the term “mentally retarded” from any and all legal and medical settings, including education, health and labor codes1. It is very hard to remove a word from society, because condemning its use can make its usage all the more damning, but removing the clinical aspect of the word ‘retarded’ is definitely an important step in encouraging people not to use it. It does however raise a new set of problems. A Harvard Law professor, Randall Kennedy, wrote regarding the stigmatization of words, saying that it can result in, “an overeagerness to detect insult where none is intended and the use of excessively harsh punishment against those who use the word wrongly.” There even have been campaigns such as the R-Word campaign that seek to end the usage of the word “retarded” in any and all contexts3. This campaign in particular uses the popular show “Glee” as it’s primary source of dissemination, which has some significance especially when one considers the usual usage of the word “retarded” in popular culture. For example the 2008 blockbuster film “Tropic Thunder” is infamous for a certain monologue in which the characters describe another (not mentally challenged) character as having gone “full retard”, meaning that the recipient of the comment had transcended all levels of ineptitude achievable by someone without an intellectually disability, and did something so dumb that the other characters determined that the act was something that could only be perpetrated by someone who was “retarded”. In movies, music, and television, it was generally acceptable to use the word “retarded” for humor. It actually probably still is, but shows such as Glee opposing the usage of the word “retarded” show the changing attitude towards any use of the word.
Like I stated before, the most peculiar thing I found about the negative connotation of the word and how I personally feel about using it is that looking in the dictionary, the word should not be that offensive. Perhaps years and years of use in a derogatory manner has just ingrained into our minds that it is a bad and impolite word to use. Which is interesting. The way we use a word affects how we perceive its meaning and its effect on other people.
The word “retarded” has a long history of usage, but as a word that describes disability, it is coming to the end of its rope. I’m unsure how much it will fall out of favor in the future, but since it is no longer used in a professional setting it is doomed to the realm of derogatory slurs, where it shall stay.
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