RENT isnt't closing June 1st, so if you don't have a ticket...- Page 7

[george95]

Posted: 1/20/08 at 4:01pm

There is nothing wrong with referring to a retarded person as retarded. My cousin is mentally retarded, and there is nothing wrong with that UNLESS someone tries to use "retarded" as an insult.
Go to a Special Olympics event....everybody is tired of the PC police trying to get everyone to say these meaningless terms like differently abled or mentally challenged. Dont we all have different abilities? Dont we all face mental challenges? So my cousin who doesnt even know his own name, who cant count to 2, who cant read or write, gets the same reference point as anybody else? No....he is retarded, and there is NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT.

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 1/20/08 at 4:04pm

There is nothing wrong with referring to a retarded person as retarded. My cousin is mentally retarded, and there is nothing wrong with that UNLESS someone tries to use "retarded" as an insult.

You have got to be kidding me.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 1/20/08 at 4:08pm

Neddy, I guess retardation runs in his family.

I have a couple of challenged cousins, and have spent many years donating my time at the Special Olympics, and NO ONE uses the word retarded.

[george95]

Posted: 1/20/08 at 4:09pm

My cousin's retarded! So what! It doesnt offend him, anyone in the family, anyone at his Chicago Park District special ed programs, nobody at his house, nobody at Special olympics........just the PC police.

We always laugh when newbies to the world of Down Syndrome react in shock when we use the word "retarded" There is no reason not to use the word when referring to someone who is actually mentally retarded.

[george95]

Posted: 1/20/08 at 4:12pm

Wow retardation runs in my family? wowwwwwwww where is a mod when you need one? That's just meanspirited and nasty.

[Magical_Ms._Mistoffeles_72]

Posted: 1/20/08 at 4:15pm

I am clinically classified as "retarded" and I hate the word.
Call me anything but that and we'll get along swimmingly

[george95]

Posted: 1/20/08 at 4:19pm

well of course I'd never call you "retarded" but the point is that there truly isnt anything meanspirited about the word when referring to someone as severely retarded as my cousin.

Magical, here you are able to post on a message board. My cousin is 27 years old and all he can do with a keyboard is bang on it and maybe throw it.

And I never knew there was a clinical classification of "retarded"

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 1/20/08 at 4:23pm

There was also nothing wrong with the words f*g, k*ke, f*ck and n*gger until they were used as a "mean spirited word"...


Updated On: 1/20/08 at 04:23 PM

[Magical_Ms._Mistoffeles_72]

Posted: 1/20/08 at 4:26pm

yes george. I am one of the lucky ones, and Im very happy to be that way. Although sometimes it may make it harder, whatever. Its something I have to deal with.

One side of my brain doesnt work. Its taken me forever to get to the point where people think that both of my disabilities(yes, 2) are the result of some terrible accident or dance injury. When in truth, I was born with cerebal palsy and a mild case of spina bifida, and some long worded fandangled learning disability.

As for being able to use a keyboard, Im very glad I can because my writing is near illegible. But when I started, I was much like your cousin, and out of frustration I would often throw the moniter or the keyboard, or both.


Anyways, enough ranting...
Everything is RENT?
lol

[george95]

Posted: 1/20/08 at 4:29pm

I see your point neddy, but I dont think its fair to lump retarded in with those words. And in the world of Chicago Special Olympics/Chicago Park Districts special ed programs/etc, people dont go around saying retarded as often as they can, but it is by no means a banned word, and its not construed as negative in the context of a conversation.

For example: We dont introduce people at the Park district event as "hi this is my cousin and he's retarded" but in the course of a conversation, he may at some point be referred to as being mentally retarded.

People have hijacked this term to use in the pejorative, and then tell us that we can't use it to describe our family member.

I totally see where youre coming from with being careful about using the word, and I certainly dont go throwing the word around, but i also do not ban it from my vocabulary.

[Magical_Ms._Mistoffeles_72]

Posted: 1/20/08 at 4:32pm

There was also nothing wrong with the words f*g, k*ke, f*ck and n*gger until they were used as a "mean spirited word"..

oh neddy, youre my favorite :)

[george95]

Posted: 1/20/08 at 4:33pm

Ah yes lets talk about RENT again that would be great.

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 1/20/08 at 4:35pm

Updated On: 5/8/09 at 04:35 PM

[george95]

Posted: 1/20/08 at 4:37pm

Yeah lepetitfromage I can agree with that. Like when theaterdiva said that retardation runs in my family, implying that I am mentally retarded, was the dangerous way of using the word, and its that kind of usage that has led to this PC nonsense we have to deal with. Dont even get me started on Happy Holidays !! : )

[george95]

Posted: 1/20/08 at 4:37pm

Updated On: 1/20/08 at 04:37 PM

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 1/20/08 at 4:45pm

You still want to talk about Rent, considering you posted this?

"but hmmm that explains an awful lot about how skanky RENT has looked lately hmmmmmmmm"


George, you are wrong as could be.

Retarded IS rude, and just the same as all of those other words.

Just because you and your friends use it, doesn't make it right.

[george95]

Posted: 1/20/08 at 4:47pm

never said it was my friends I said it was the Chicago Special Olympics community/Chicago Park Districts special ed programs....both of which I grew up with because of my cousin.

So I called RENT skanky....its supposed to be SKANKY! : )

[Jane2]

Posted: 1/20/08 at 5:04pm

My aunt is on a child study team, as the counselor who tests the children. Retarded happens to be part of the terminology used to diagnose. When it is used in diagnostic discussions, it's necessary and not rude.

I know someone who was diagnosed by a psychiatrist as "socially retarded." It's a descriptive term and accurate when used in such a context.

Retarded can certainly be considered rude and an insult, but it depends upon how it's used and by whom.

George, on this topic I agree with you.

Updated On: 1/20/08 at 05:04 PM

[george95]

Posted: 1/20/08 at 5:11pm

Well thanks Jane. As a high school teacher I deal with lots of CSTs (child study teams) as well and I forgot they do use the word retarded as well. With my cousin being such a big part of my life that's usually the first thing that comes to mind.

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 1/20/08 at 6:14pm

You are a high school teacher?

Oh god.

[george95]

Posted: 1/20/08 at 6:18pm

come on I talk about how I take students to b-way shows all the time. I thought we'd get along neddy but wow now I guess you dont like me?

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 1/20/08 at 6:20pm

How would you know if the announcement is planned for May? Are you the Mayor of RENTtown?


Ok sorry neddyfrank didnt know you were the Mayor of Renttown....but hmmm that explains an awful lot about how skanky RENT has looked lately hmmmmmmmm : ) haha

Yes, sorry. You would make a GREAT high school teacher...

[george95]

Posted: 1/20/08 at 6:24pm

oh. my. gosh. I am sorry those Mayor comments got misconstrued. I was totally kidding when I wrote them, and I really thought the humor would come through (I mean come on, Mayor of Renttown??) But I guess you took it seriously, so I'm sorry it came off that way. The same goes for the next comment--I thought you would laugh when you read it.

I think you were being sarcastic when you said that I'd make a great high school teacher (I've been one for 7 years) but, I will take it as a compliment anyway.

Hope there are no hard feelings. Next time I'll try to be more clear when I'm joking.

[jordangirl]

Posted: 1/20/08 at 6:24pm

I teach elementary special ed here in NYC ~ and yeah we use the term "mentally retarded" unless the "Quality Review" team from England are in the school. Then we say "developmentally delayed" because they take off points for "mentally retarded". They don't like that term there apparently.

[george95]

Posted: 1/20/08 at 6:26pm

Yeah I really dont think its a word that can be compared to the those slurs that were mentioned earlier.