The Right Definition

Retard (verb): to slow up especially by preventing or hindering advance or accomplishment; to delay academic progress by failure to promote

Retard (noun): a holding back or slowing down.

Now I have a question for you: when have you used the word 'retard' in that context? When have you used it to say that something has slowed down or that you are delaying something?

I bet the answer to that question is never or, at best, very few times. More often than not, when you say 'retard' you are using it in a derogatory way without even thinking twice about it. Maybe your friend did something stupid or said something weird and between laughing at your friend’s mistake and making fun of them you call them a retard. For many people, using this word in that context is considered normal because it has become such a common usage of the word.

That is one of the biggest problems around that word: it is used far too often It is so common that I hear it at least ten times every day. A boy in my class basically says it every other sentence, which is saying something because he hardly ever keeps his mouth shut. A teacher threatened to give that boy detention if he ever heard that word out of the boy’s mouth again in his class. So the boy just never says it in that teacher’s class anymore. The boy still does not seem to realize that my teacher told him never to say that word again because of how offensive it is.

Many people do not seem to understand how the word is offensive. Considering the fact that the trend started by people calling kids in special education classes or people with learning disabilities 'retards', it is easy to see how it is offensive. Making fun of someone just because they may not learn or pick up on things as quickly as others is immoral and cruel. How do you think someone who is in a special education class or someone that has a learning disability feels when they hear someone calling someone else a retard? And how do you think they feel when it is directed at them? They might just shrug it off, but it cuts deeper than you think. If you are an athlete and someone repeatedly criticizes you cruelly because you do not instantly catch on to a new play, do you really just shrug it off and never think about it again?

I guess I just do not get how someone can be so rude and mean as to call someone a retard just because they may be in a special education class or have a learning disability of any sort. They have just as much of a chance to be great and amazing as someone who might be at the top of their class. Being great takes someone with a good heart and soul. So next time your friend makes a funny mistake and you go to call them a retard, just remember to think twice about what you are going to say before you actually say it.