Essays and Updates
I've had the greatest time over the last month or so revamping a few of my blog posts based on the essay assignments I've had for class. I have to say I have absolutely loved this past term simply because I've had the opportunity to write so much! Sadly, I must say, this left me with NO time for social media. Sad, so sad.
I address this essay to Rahm Emanuel, Rush Limbaugh, and to the countless writers and entertainers who choose to use that world in that way. I address this essay to all those who choose to use the word retard in all its various forms in any way other than its original intention: to define a people who are beautiful and human and also defenseless. Your apologies are not enough.
I ask that you erase this word from the vernacular. I challenge the world to eradicate the abuse of this term in expressing frustration, irritation, or feelings of shame. The use of the word retarded in anything but a clinical way is hurtful, demeaning, and should no longer be tolerated. I challenge you to learn, to get to know these people and their families, to spend time caring for them, helping them. And when you come to love them, you will no longer use that word in that way.
Contrary to what many believe, mental retardation, like diabetes or cancer, is a diagnosis, not a slur. According to the website for the Department of Health and Human Services and the Center for Disease Control, it is estimated that in America alone as much as 17 percent of children under the age of 18 suffer from mental retardation or developmental disabilities including autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, fetal alcohol syndrome, and brain injuries. These statistics are slightly higher than those of diabetes in the general public. And just like diabetes, the numbers are rising. The use of the word retard or retarded insults and offends millions of Americans with disabilities and the people who love and care for them.
The word retard does not mean stupid, ugly, or annoying. It does not describe a group of people who choose to live lifestyles deserving of derision. We are not talking about comedians and jokers who offend. We are talking about people, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, who, through no fault of their own, were born with or acquired certain physical and mental challenges.
In a country where we claim to practice tolerance and respect for religions, races, and lifestyles, why are we still allowing this group of people, this voiceless minority, to be disparaged in this way? The use of this kind of language would not be tolerated if it referred to any other minority group. But unlike most minority groups, a person with a developmental disability cannot stand up in his or her own defense. We must do it for them, and I have decided to take a stand. Apologies will not suffice anymore.
I will admit that I have used that word before. Who of us has not, in a moment of frustration, resorted to the use of coarse language? Many people believe that because the word retard is sometimes a synonym for slow, that it should not be considered offensive. That is true if using the verb form of the word. However, in Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary the noun retard is defined as such: “a holding back or slowing down . . . a retarded person; also: a person held to resemble a retarded person in behavior—often taken to be offensive.”
Many also believe that this type of language should not be considered offensive if it is not directed at a person with a disability, explaining that they would never use that word to intentionally offend a disabled person. I was once one of those people, before I experienced personally how it feels when the word is used as a slur. My personal experiences have softened me and I will no longer tolerate the use of the word retard or retarded even as a joke. With so many American families caring for loved ones with developmental disabilities, no one is laughing. I ask you to step into their shoes, hear that word through their ears for just one day, and then I will accept your apology.
I will accept your apology when you have found yourself seated across the desk of a neurologist, therapist, pediatrician or educator and been told that your child is developmentally delayed, cognitively impaired, or mentally retarded.
I will accept your apology when you have changed an adult diaper, spoon fed a fifteen-year-old, or spent $40,000 of your own money on this therapy or that teaching technique just to hear your child say his or her own name.
I will accept your apology when you have seen the looks on the faces of your children, the sudden wetness in their eyes, the blush on their cheeks, when they hear someone using that word, knowing that it refers—even if unintentionally—to their sister who they adore.
I will accept your apology when you have looked into the eyes of the purest of souls and caught a glimpse of yourself, however small or fleeting, and realized that they are not here to learn but instead are here to teach. And I guarantee that you will never use that word in that way again.
Our last assignment in my English class was to write a persuasive essay. (Those of you who remember college probably remember these assignments well.) Well, I seized the chance to re-write my "Apologies Are Not Enough" blog post. You know, the one about that world. Though I know I have regaled you all enough about the use of that word, I am now posting my revamped, reworked, and totally revised essay "Apologies Are Not Enough" done persuasive essay style.
Apologies Are Not Enough
I ask that you erase this word from the vernacular. I challenge the world to eradicate the abuse of this term in expressing frustration, irritation, or feelings of shame. The use of the word retarded in anything but a clinical way is hurtful, demeaning, and should no longer be tolerated. I challenge you to learn, to get to know these people and their families, to spend time caring for them, helping them. And when you come to love them, you will no longer use that word in that way.
Contrary to what many believe, mental retardation, like diabetes or cancer, is a diagnosis, not a slur. According to the website for the Department of Health and Human Services and the Center for Disease Control, it is estimated that in America alone as much as 17 percent of children under the age of 18 suffer from mental retardation or developmental disabilities including autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, fetal alcohol syndrome, and brain injuries. These statistics are slightly higher than those of diabetes in the general public. And just like diabetes, the numbers are rising. The use of the word retard or retarded insults and offends millions of Americans with disabilities and the people who love and care for them.
The word retard does not mean stupid, ugly, or annoying. It does not describe a group of people who choose to live lifestyles deserving of derision. We are not talking about comedians and jokers who offend. We are talking about people, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, who, through no fault of their own, were born with or acquired certain physical and mental challenges.
In a country where we claim to practice tolerance and respect for religions, races, and lifestyles, why are we still allowing this group of people, this voiceless minority, to be disparaged in this way? The use of this kind of language would not be tolerated if it referred to any other minority group. But unlike most minority groups, a person with a developmental disability cannot stand up in his or her own defense. We must do it for them, and I have decided to take a stand. Apologies will not suffice anymore.
I will admit that I have used that word before. Who of us has not, in a moment of frustration, resorted to the use of coarse language? Many people believe that because the word retard is sometimes a synonym for slow, that it should not be considered offensive. That is true if using the verb form of the word. However, in Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary the noun retard is defined as such: “a holding back or slowing down . . . a retarded person; also: a person held to resemble a retarded person in behavior—often taken to be offensive.”
Many also believe that this type of language should not be considered offensive if it is not directed at a person with a disability, explaining that they would never use that word to intentionally offend a disabled person. I was once one of those people, before I experienced personally how it feels when the word is used as a slur. My personal experiences have softened me and I will no longer tolerate the use of the word retard or retarded even as a joke. With so many American families caring for loved ones with developmental disabilities, no one is laughing. I ask you to step into their shoes, hear that word through their ears for just one day, and then I will accept your apology.
I will accept your apology when you have found yourself seated across the desk of a neurologist, therapist, pediatrician or educator and been told that your child is developmentally delayed, cognitively impaired, or mentally retarded.
I will accept your apology when you have changed an adult diaper, spoon fed a fifteen-year-old, or spent $40,000 of your own money on this therapy or that teaching technique just to hear your child say his or her own name.
I will accept your apology when you have seen the looks on the faces of your children, the sudden wetness in their eyes, the blush on their cheeks, when they hear someone using that word, knowing that it refers—even if unintentionally—to their sister who they adore.
I will accept your apology when you have looked into the eyes of the purest of souls and caught a glimpse of yourself, however small or fleeting, and realized that they are not here to learn but instead are here to teach. And I guarantee that you will never use that word in that way again.
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PS. It is pretty cool that you have so much material to pull from for assignments.