It’s not too difficult to be offended by all of the horrible things that Ann Coulter says, but what is remarkable is when someone is able to respond to her hateful bile with patience, elegance and poise. Scorpion Woman Coulter‘s recent casual and cruel use of the word “retard” during the final Presidential Debate had a lot of people rightfully pissed. Of course, the fired-up responses came pouring in, but honestly, it’s just feeding the troll, right? Luckily, someone was smart enough to give Coulter a thoughtful response that she definitely didn’t deserve.
After Colter tweeted this, athlete and global messenger John Franklin Stevens posted this compelling open letter on the Special Olympics website:
Dear Ann Coulter,
Come on Ms. Coulter, you aren’t dumb and you aren’t shallow. So why are you continually using a word like the R-word as an insult?
I’m a 30 year old man with Down syndrome who has struggled with the public’s perception that an intellectual disability means that I am dumb and shallow. I am not either of those things, but I do process information more slowly than the rest of you. In fact it has taken me all day to figure out how to respond to your use of the R-word last night.
I thought first of asking whether you meant to describe the President as someone who was bullied as a child by people like you, but rose above it to find a way to succeed in life as many of my fellow Special Olympians have.
Then I wondered if you meant to describe him as someone who has to struggle to be thoughtful about everything he says, as everyone else races from one snarkey sound bite to the next.
Finally, I wondered if you meant to degrade him as someone who is likely to receive bad health care, live in low grade housing with very little income and still manages to see life as a wonderful gift.
Because, Ms. Coulter, that is who we are – and much, much more.
After I saw your tweet, I realized you just wanted to belittle the President by linking him to people like me. You assumed that people would understand and accept that being linked to someone like me is an insult and you assumed you could get away with it and still appear on TV.
I have to wonder if you considered other hateful words but recoiled from the backlash.
Well, Ms. Coulter, you, and society, need to learn that being compared to people like me should be considered a badge of honor.
No one overcomes more than we do and still loves life so much.
Come join us someday at Special Olympics. See if you can walk away with your heart unchanged.
A friend you haven’t made yet,
John Franklin Stephens
Global Messenger
Special Olympics Virginia
While in a perfect world, Coulter would read this and publicly apologize for her careless remark, I’m not holding my breath. Ann Coulter (I consider her the female version of Rush) is really only famous and well-known for her hateful offensive speech, and while this is a heart-touching letter, I doubt it will reach the black shriveled up raisin in her chest cavity. Too harsh?
However, with that being said, I think a lot of people throw around this word so carelessly because they’re not aware of how hurtful it is. Even President Obama made a comment on a late-night talk show back in 2009, but he apologized profusely for it, as he should have. If you throw around that word in replacement of “stupid” or “idiot,” and someone jumps on you for using it, most people would be super aware and probably try to diminish it from their vernacular. I mean, there are a ton of other words you can use, right?
Lovelies, what do you think about Coulter’s comment and Mr. Stephens’ response? What do you think when people call someone a ‘retard’ or say that something is ‘retarded’?
rose / 802 posts
I love John’s letter. I catch myself saying this word on occasion, & I always feel awful afterward. I hope John’s word stay with me & others any time they begin to use it as an insult. he may not reach Ann Coulter, but he’s reached a lot of others.
orchid / 105 posts
@SuburbanSweetheart - i TOTALLY agree. i mean, i’m sure my friends and i said it all the time in high school… you just don’t think about how your every day words stick with others and the impact that you can have even on a stranger that overhears you. it’s a lot to think about! i’m the same way when others refer to something as “gay”… like, “oh man, it’s so gay that you’re stuck in traffic right now.” yikes.
guest
I think he gives her too much credit by responding.
guest
This letter just gave me goosebumps and almost made me cry. I know what down syndrome people are like and other disabled people and they are amazing. I just think that letter is so well written and not even in regard to Mrs Coulter….whoever she is (I don’t follow American politics) but just in general. To still love life but to have a life like many disabled people do is truly amazing.
guest
I found this answer to be appropriate- a blog for a blog you might say.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first record of the usage of the
word “retard” is from circa 1489. At that point in time, that word meant to keep
back, hinder, or impede. Now, in 2008, the word “retard” is used in common
vernacular as a replacement for the word “idiot” or “dummy”. This was not a
direct or instantaneous change, but a change that took centuries and centuries
to occur. Not only has the definition of the word changed but the nature of word
has been altered over time as well. It has become more popular to use “retard”
as a noun rather than a verb, when 200 years ago it was the exact opposite.
Also, the pronunciation of the word has been modified over time because of its
added meaning. Why and how has the word changed so greatly?
Well, the
word “retard” was first found printed in American newspapers in 1704. It was
used to describe the slowing down or the diminishing of something. The 1704
article from the Boston News Letter reads “…but the Precarious Title of the
present King of Spain is likely to retard the fame.” After reading that sentence
in context, I found the word “retard” to mean slow down or diminish. That word
was used numerous times in newspapers in the 1700s. In 1720, in the American
Weekly Mercury, the word “retard” was defined as creating some sort of
hindrance. The article reads “In order to remove all obstacles, which may in the
least retard what is so conducive…” Again, after reading that line in context,
it seems that “retard” is supposed to be defined as “to hinder”. One major
change that occurred in the 1700s was the addition of the word “retard” as a
noun as well as a verb. The definition of the word was now “delay”. Though the
definition did not change radically, the usage of the word could be broadened
and more abundantly used in other grammatical situations. Throughout the
articles from the 1700s containing the word “retard”, the definition in context
remained relatively constant. There was no great alteration to the significance
of the word until many years later.
In The Courier in 1800, an
article was produced using the word “retard” as a replacement to describe the
process of slowing down. This usage was very similar to many of the usages in
the 1700s. Obviously over these years, the language did not evolve so greatly.
In 1849, in The Georgia Telegraph, the word “retard” is used like the word
“prevent”. It says, “Nothing can prevent or ever retard these results”. In that
sentence itself, it describes “retard” as to prevent. In 1895, the first major
change to the definition in context of the word occurred. Though the definition
is not wildly different, the definition in context took quite a turn. In G. E.
Shuttleworth’s Mentally-Deficient Children, he uses the word “retarded” to
describe a mentally handicapped person. The sentence reads, “Such children are
also described as ‘backward’, or of ‘retarded mental development’.” This is the
first time the word “retard” or “retarded” had been used related to a mental
deficiency.
In 1922, the word “retard” is used in the Charlotte
Sunday Observer to be defined as to prevent or hold back. The article reads,
“Even live steam…failed to retard the flames.” Though the word was beginning to
evolve, the definition of “to prevent” or “to delay” was still utilized. In the
1900s, the word “retarded” became very popular and prevalent when referring to
the mentally disabled. Not only was it a medical term but it became slang for
someone who is mentally disabled. In 1970 in Time Magazine a sentence reads,
“There are…heroin addicts, Air Force and CIA mental retards and Broadway Indians
doing a Broadway Snake Dance.” This use of the word “retard” is very much
informal and almost slang. In 1971 an article in The New
Yorker reads, “The younger son, self-described as ‘a hard-core retard’, dreams
of escaping to the wilds of Oregon to gambol with the bears and squirrels.”
Again, though referring to someone who is mentally handicapped, the word
“retarded” is simply shortened to “retard” to become quicker and somewhat slang.
In 1979 in the Observer is the first record of the word
“retard” being used as “dummy” or “idiot”. The sentence reads, “These are men
who have been out of England for years on end… Social retards, they can still
hold onto their given obsolete ideas and prejudices about women because of their
geographical isolation, and their marooned intellects.” The men referred to are
not actually mentally retarded, they are just dumb, socially speaking. This
definition became very popular in the later 1900s and early
2000s.
Now, one could hear the word “retard” used as an insult to
someone by using it to call them “dumb” or “ignorant”. While insulting the one
being named, is that not also insulting actual retards? Is that not so very rude
to those who actually are mentally handicapped? If I were mentally handicapped,
I would not appreciate the word “retard” being paralleled with the word “dumb”.
Just like I do not like the word “blonde” associated with the word “dumb”.
Although some mentally handicapped people do not understand this association,
many do. So basically, in stead of calling that person mentally handicapped, it
would be okay to call them mentally idiotic? I think not. I do not think anyone
likes a word that describes themselves also describing something derogatory and
negative. Many people have close relatives that are mentally handicapped that
also take serious offense to this connotation. “You’ll never hear me callin’
anyone a retard,” said my high school Economics teacher. His daughter is
mentally handicapped. “I just can’t stand it when people replace the word “dumb”
with something like “retarded”. My daughter is actually very intelligent though
she may be a little different than you or me.”
I believe the best
definition for the word “retard” is to delay or slow down. I also think using
“retarded” to describe a mentally handicapped person is legitimate also.
However, when used as an insult in a derogatory manner, I believe the word
“retard” is very inappropriate and should be more carefully looked upon. So next
time you are thinking about calling someone a “retard”, think about all the
people you could be hurting or insulting.
Source:
http://ahudenglish102.blogspot.com/2008/03/transformation-of-word-retard_12.html
If you actually read all that congratulations! I think the last paragraph is correct in that the word holds different meanings. So if I say angrily,”Traffic is retarded!” it does not mean that I have waged war against my neighbor’s son who was diagnosed with down syndrome. I think people are too fast if not wrong to assume that connection.
Are there people who use the word retard to diminish a person? Yes! However people who DONT use the word retard often use the words bitch or asshole. Yet there is no campaign or organization to stop or censor people from using the words bitch or asshole. I think its hypocritical to preach against a singular hateful word and yet utilize many others.
So before any person preaches about not using the word “gay” or “retard” they better ask themselves what other mean spirited or hateful words they use when describing someone.
Putting that aside, I do think people can use the word retard in a demeaning way to a person… and it not have anything to do with hating mentally disabled persons. Can it? Yes! But does it ALWAYS? Absolutely not.
guest
They should refer to her as CUNTLER. For real.
guest
Ann Coulter was speaking tongue-in-cheek about Obama. She was not degrading those diagnosed with developmental disabilities. I use the word “gay” to say something is lame, and most gay people realize it’s not an affront against them. Or, as a Jewish American, when a person says “I ‘jew’ed’ them” I know it’s a joke. Everyone needs to chill the fuck out, stop chastising your selected opponent’s un-PC words (while ignoring those of your candidate’s) and grow a damn backbone.
guest
@DrummingMediocrity@xanga - The person above you thinks that it is not okay for Ann Coulter to use the word “retard”, but it is okay to use an obscene term for female genitalia as an insult. Lol, right?
Anyway, aren’t people supposed to be called mentally disabled now anyway? I mean, technically? So really, she wasn’t referring to those folks at all.
guest
I don’t think the word itself is offensive. I just means slow down, inhibit, or delay. I’ve read that word many times on sheet music when I was in orchestra. When that word is linked with a person to describe their ability to process things (mental retardation), I still don’t think it’s offensive, it just describing a factual state of being. I know people are very concerned with being politically correct and polite but that, too, can seems even more rude and insensitive at times.
I think instead of trying to find the “right word” to use as an insult, people should just refrain from insulting others at all. I know it’s a very difficult thing to do, but we’ll end up offending less people and having to apologize for being insensitive to those we have yet to meet and be friends with.
orchid / 177 posts
@NinjaJodi@xanga - I’ve always seen it this way, too.
The only reason I try to make the effort to not use the word is because of other people who get offended by it. When someone calls me a retard, I don’t think “oh my gosh, they’re calling me a handicapped person and they’re insulting disabled people as well as me!’ Nobody I know refers disabled people as “retards’, therefor, in my world, it doesn’t mean that the relates to them. But I know some people who think that way, which kinda bugs me.
TL;DR: A retard doesn’t equate a disabled person in my world, so the word isn’t taboo to me.