"Retard" is an ordinary English word. It has become hurtful because the mentally challenged are being used as symbols of embarrassment and humiliation. As long as this attitude persists, it won't matter if we stop using the word because any word used to describe them will simply become a new insult.
I like the guy's point about showing people how they're being hurtful. I think that works. Trying to get rid of a word like the word itself is a problem is, I think, pointless.
ok- when reporting on matters like this- the reporter should be allowed to say the word-- saying the ( _)-word is just stupid. If one is reporting on said situation and using the word - it is obviously not being used by the reporter in a negative way- it is reporting on it. you can't BAN words in the US. the word Retard is a medical condition and is not offensive by itself- gay is a sexual pref. and a state of being happy- so to try and ban those words is just not an option- but some try.
.....These people are also the ones who can really get hurt by saying the r-word, as everyone knows. Therefor, it is my opinion that when a person does this to a physical or mentally challenged person, it is sadistic amongst other things. This is coming from a person who was bullied a lot as a child for my physical appearance, which in my opinion, was 'OK' when I look back on it, because of the society I live in.
When you live in a society that provocates freedom and liberty, you should develop a metaphoric shield that defends you from opinions and hurtful words. It's called growing up. Only, this counts to people who don't have physical limitations (including those that create mental limitations as well such as down syndrom). Those people, by defenition, can't help the way they are because they are born with it or caused by some type of an illness as they grow up.
Freedom of speech has nothing to do with absolving you of taking responsibility for your own actions. You wont be silenced by an authority but you'll still be held accountable.
All western countries have some sort of libel/slander laws to protect adults. Furthermore is someone were to spend their days following me about my business and harassing me, I could very easily use that as grounds for a restraining order. This is the grownup way of dealing with this. Kids cannot, that is the problem.
Freedom of Speech is a double edge sword. Yes it is a basic right to say what you want and feel with out the fear for being ridiculed for it, but then it could be used to voice your opinion on someone's race or sexual orientation in a harsh manner in an area you can't leave like school or work. So yes it is harassment when it is targeted, with a captive audience, and in an area you can't leave. Also I like this channel.
Its about fucking intention. I use the word both in its scientific sense and joking around with friends and it should be fine in both cases because my intent is not to insult the mentally disabled and someone who is mentally disabled will probably at least understand that if they hear me out.
Showing pity is simply disrespectful and ignorant.
Because when I use the word retard, I am totally referring to an actual retarded person. Oh and guess what? Down Syndrome is no longer politically correct, they want us to use Trisomy 21. Enough is enough!
the word retard is not used in the same offensive way as it used to be. one of my favorite youtubers ponceman a.k.a retarded police man, (who has down syndrome) made a video about this when the movie tropic thunder came out.
nowadays, nobody thinks less of a mentaly challenged person, and the word retard is like laughing at the fact that everyone thinks less of bigots.
Why not just get rid of any word that could possibly offend anyone, ever. Fascist cocksuckers make me wanna puke. It's called thick skin, look into it...
@sternfanmisha for all your thick skin you must have a pretty weak stomach if this makes you want to puke. c'mon man, if you really believe that you're probably a proponent of eugenics, too.... wait... i think i just heard the nurse call your name
no i disagree i was bullied in school no i was not gay but i was fat the point i am making is i did'nt run to my parents or my school i took matters in my own hands and made sure that my bully did'nt say nothing to me or put his hands on me or no one else.we have become "SOFT" when are we going to stand up for ourselves and stop taking all this crap.
Check it out. Dustin Hoffman, Rainman, look retarded, act retarded, not retarded. Count toothpicks to your cards. Autistic. Sho. Not retarded.
You know Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump. Slow, yes. Retarded, maybe. Braces on his legs. But he charmed the pants off Nixon and he won a ping-pong competition? That ain’t retarded.
a lot of people who use retarded and gay as word to mean something bad have nothing against gays or people with special needs. I just think it's so insensitive to use those words because by using them you're highlighting how society views these people as bad (the reason why they have developed into general purpose pejoratives)
@P0248 it's not how society views these groups, except from some nut cases, there are plenty of other words we throw at each other that got nothing to do with special groups and still considered bad.
@P0248 "I just think it's so insensitive to use those words because by using them you're highlighting how society views these people as bad"
Maybe that's the point. Most of the people I know use those words with a vaguely ironic intent. After all, a lot of my friends are gay, and some of them (me included) rode the short bus. We get a kick out of using these words. And why not? They're our words. A lot of words are created to be offensive, but end up being owned by the people they're aimed at.
i think shrivers point makes sense. unfortunately language shapes thought and viceversa. any time a harrassed group tries to reclaim a word with a positive meaning to describe themselves, like "gay" or "special", if their position in society remains roughly the same, a negative meaning will be added to the word. i think it takes putting yourself in someone elses shoes, and being grown up and critical of the way YOU, yourself think, to convince people to stop using these words in a negative way.
I believe I heard somewhere that the word "idiot" was once the medical term for someone with mental disabilaties. this word has sins taken on a demeaning role. I think any word used to describe a mental condition will eventually take on this role.
This is not a free speech issue. No one is saying that people should not be allowed to use the word "retard". We are saying that it is not a good word to use in the sense in which it is commonly used, and we are asking people to reconsider.
You can't just shut down a discussion by saying "free speech, free speech!!"
The word "retarded" isn't foul at all. It means "slowed down". It's something that an individual does to himself, on purpose, that results in a stupid action. It means they've slowed down their mental processes, and to correct them, you call them retarded. Yes, it's an insult. So what?
Anyone who refers to people born mentally challenged as "retarded" is ignorant and is misusing the word. It's being used as a catch-all when the correct term for the birth defect is unknown.
What do you expect? Television broadcasting stations don't care one bit if some vulgar slur has been used by some television presenter because he/she in perspective is insignificant to what revolves around them. It's generally a case of opportunist desires in which it takes part more than any other concepts on prime time TV.
Hell, legal cases could condoned as well all thanks to some controversial matter for audiences to watch worldwide.
I don't think any word is a 'bad' word, just like the author of this clip. It's the context the word is used in. On it's own, a word is just a collection of letters.
I also believe that if people were asked whether retard is used in a mostly positive or negative sense the majority would align with the latter. So although this may be considered a free speech argument, it is ultimately upto the individual to make a educated decision on how they conduct themselves.
Shriver has the right to "petition [me] to recognize what [I] say" if I have the right to teach him the English language and point out that he has the option to not be a whinny dumb-ass.
Oh, and free speech never "becomes" harassment. Stalking and abuse are criminal activity. Just because the person is trapped so you have to travel to stalk doesn't change what is being done. I don't know about the "Seth Law" though, so can't comment.
I don't believe that curtailing free speech is justified, regardless of whose sensibilities and feelings are being protected. The focus of your legislation should not be preventing students from calling somebody a "fag" or any other epithet for that matter. Rather, the focus should be on providing that student social support and recourse against discrimination and willful indifference from faculty and staff. Harassment is is clearly identifiable; speech related to it is ancillary to the issue.
I don't think WHAT you say should be the real issue. It should be the way you use it. If you want to call black people niggers behind their backs, fine. Just don't use it to piss off black people. Same for any other hateful thing. I think acceptance should be taught, but laws shouldn't be put into place. It hurts the first amendment.
@Liberal viewer: I think out education system should teach kids to be indifferent and not approval seekers. If that is achieved then no one will be offended or verbally harashed at all.
How about the retards do something on their own behalf. Gays got people to stop saying things being "gay" are stupid or bad. Black people got the N-word to finally be of thier own use. So if Down-Syndrome Donny or Fucktarded Freddy got a problem with the word retard being used as it is, then they should speak on it on their own behalf.
And no, I will not use the word "Special" because that degrades the word, unless the person is an austistic savant, they are not "special", they're retarded.
@crazyinsane500 The word "gay" is still used with a negative connotation, even if it's not meant in either modern definition. Furthermore, mentally handicapped people are just that, handicapped. They can't really start their own movement on this topic.
@BoySamusMetroid While it's true that gay is still used in a negative connotation, at least the LGBT groups have moved to try and get the word being less used.
And that's the funny thing isn't it? They have a mental disorder that inhibits their ability to think, so they cant find any negative connotation to the word retarded. Meanwhile it's the super liberals (That even Michael Moore would say are pussies) that want this word to stop being used.
I belive in gay rights but with all words there are many definitions Gay in example Damn thats gay I just spilled my soda. Using gay as in that sucks which i use only because of pyhcology and i hear it and say it without thinking about it. But i do think it is offensive using. eww those clothes are gay, or you look gay dude. What is wrong with looking gay? its the intent and having a brother with special needs i dont take offensive to retarard unless it is used to make fun of special needs kids.
Offensive speech is all about intent, sometimes I'll call one of my buddies a retard when he does something stupid, etc. If you INTEND to be hurtful it's different, if I thought or knew that someone was offended by a word (like a handicapped person with the word retard) I wouldn't say it to or around them. But if it is clear that someone is joking, then it is clear that someone is joking! The way that I speak in private or with an audience that is aware of my intent is my own business.
Free speech is important, everyone has the right to their opinions, but it definitely can become harassment. Free speech is something deeper than being allowed to scream "faggot" into some poor kids face and receive zero consequences. Much like yelling "Fire" in a theater.
I went to a school that had classes with retards, and integration classes for those with add, dyslexia, and other minor learning problems. None of them are getting offended by the word, because they can shit their pants, run their face through a plate glass window, mow down underclassmen with their tard-strength, and cuss out everyone they've ever met; and they get a free pass with absolutely no consequences for their actions. If i want to call them retards, then i sure as hell will.
i wouldnt defend westburo baptists "free speech" because their "free speech" goes to the expense of another persons rights like the right of privacy. Ever seen those vids where the felps family (westburo baptist members) protested military funerals saying "thank god for dead soldiers"?
@NatalieSpa Ah yes, there is no defamation right. There is also no freedom from offense. If you cost someone money or damage their reputation with lies, you are liable. But offense is a relative thing, just because one person thinks it is inappropriate, they cannot restrict anothers freedom of expression.
@NatalieSpa The other person was right, free speech aboslutely give us the right to offend people, free speech is part of this countries protection against suppression of the minority view of thought, and dont say "sorry! :-/" as if you have some more keen understand of the US constitution and the rights of others, youre from australia, not the US.
whether using or not using r word is not the essence but just a part of it. not using r word is an activity which is understandable to everyone. they looked as if they're playing a game in which both of two took the words out of context.
Of course it can! Here, take it to the extreme, am I protected by the 1st Amendment if I call my African-American coworkers the n-word throughout the day? Of course it's not protected. The 1st Amendment doesn't give you the right to use speech as a weapon to cause REAL HARM. ...excellent video, btw.
@hugheyhudson So you're saying that if you were to call your co workers the "n-word" throughout the day, you could have criminal charges brought against you? You're wrong. You could be fired from your job, but the police won't come to arrest you for some made up crime of using offensive language. What "real harm" would you be doing by insulting people? How would you decide which words are bad enough to bring charges? This is the U.S. where we have freedom from authoritarian laws like that.
England doesn't actually have free speech in law, it just seems to be (recent) tradition, but we do have lots of "incitement" laws prohibiting people from saying things that can incite violence, racial hatred, and religious descrimination. Although they definately infringe free speech, which you guys have due to the constitution, it could be easily argued that speech is a form of abuse, or can incite someone to do something, therefore assisting in other criminal acts.
The problem isn't that we use the term "retard", it is that we use this offensive term to refer to the mentally handicapped when origianlly it just meant someone who is slow. It isn't offensive that I use this term to refer to the morons I meet, it is offensive that the medical community used to use the term to give blanket generalizations about kids with a bunch of different mental handicaps. Labeling them slow. Offensive is equating an autistic with the retards in the Republican party!
But it seems that political corectness doesn't go anywhere. People could literally stop calling others faggets,retards,niggers etc. But the stigma and fear will still be there and because words are fluid (as shown in the previous comment), another word will take their place to represent hate. This argument seems to go into the debate of WHETHER OR NOT CENSORSHIP CREATES POSITIVE CHANGE. I think it would be best to look at the effects on kids .
I'm really curious on this subject of political corectness. And how it's wrong to say nigger, fagget and retard. All of which has their own seperate meaning, I'm not too sure about nigger but faggets are piles of sticks that were used to burn homosexuals and to be retarded is basically a person who thinks slowly but now all these words change and a word like nigger now means a lifestyle of poverty, interest in cars upgrades and theft.
The far left wants to protect us from ourselves via legislation and restrictions on freedom of speech.
The far right wants to push conservative social agenda, blur the line between separation of church and state, and turn all Americans into church-going Tea-party members who have 2.3 kids and carry a .357 Magnum for protection.
With every right comes responsibility. The responsibilities in regards to free speech are unclear and would be hard to define but such action needs to be taken.Is the idea that anyone can say whatever they want any worse than the idea that people can do whatever they want? In my opinion freedom is good only when it does not interfere with the freedoms of others. Freedom of speech and freedom of action have limitations otherwise they would take away those freedoms of others.
UGH if COLBERT ACTUALLY DOES THIS "STOP THE R WORD" TRASH IM SO DISGUSTED IN HIM!!! look up how free speech is DOWN THE DRAIN in europe and australia. bullying isnt allowed in school and work anyway. its just teachers dont take it seriously. the only time i ever worried about it was when i feared for my life/bodily harm. and they were just like, well sorry but we're not doing anything about it. so ...i survived. HOW are u going to be weaker than ME when people arent even TOUCHING YOU???? wusses
@pokerguy94 i kinda agree.people are rude i thought growing up was about learning to deal.to add more and of course you didnt say this but if a person wanna die because he cant deal why is that the worlds probelm better he shoot himself then half the school or no one at all.
Let's call mentally handicapped and developmentally retarded people special with a nudge and a wink instead, then the word special will come to hold all the negative implications of retard.
As to Tim Shriver's comment - while it can initially seem too lax, and the temptation to simply forbid emotional harm seems like the easy option, the matter of emotional attack is so complicated and difficult to lawyer that it would be impossible to make it work - I strongly believe that this upper road of the teacher, and more widespread application of this education - of awareness of the implications of speech, and ways to use it kindly, is likely the only way we will ever see lasting change.
The correct vernacular is "intellectual disability". By saying someone or something is "retarded" or "gay" you are stating that you feel that person or thing is sub-standard and that people who actually fall into those categories are equally sub-standard to the rest of the human population. Just because you can still use those words doesn't mean there won't be repercussions from those who are offended by it.
Nothing against white ppl. But most of them don't find anything wrong til it hits them. This world is so crooked and unfair...that words should be the LAST thing to worry about. And for the record....its A LOT more words to get rid of first if they are a problem. Personally I don't find callin people retarded or gay offensive if they REALLy are gay and wat not. If the shoe fits then u can wear it
@MrDopeonarope again..another nimwit tryna make an invalid point. Since u asking me is it fine. I DONT CARE!! White people but not only white people have been using it forever. Words are gonna be around as long as people are. And then u call me a moron...u aint nothin but a hypocrtie haha. Lets Ban the M word next hahaha. People are so smart that theyt become stupid. U can call blacks niggers..chinks..or crackers as far as im concerned. (which btw) aint that far. Good Day
@BlakeDaSnakeRoberts You are about as dumb as they come aren't you? Some people shouldn't be allowed to access the internet. The world would be a better place if people like you weren't here. Go back to school and get a little education. Good Day
I'll use the words Retard, Chink, Nigger, Spic, Fag, and any others, whenever I please. These words exist for a reason and have a purpose be it hurtful or not. Ridiculous campaigns designed to control peoples minds are more destructive to the common good than any word will ever be.
No matter what you do there will always being people saying words like gay, retard and so on. You can NOT control people, free county. Hate crimes are going to happen no matter what. Like he said anything thing can be taken wrong. Like your mom!!!
The campaign against 'The R Word' is identical to the 'ThinkB4YouSpeak' campaign against using the word "gay" or the phrase "that's so gay" - both campaigns negate the eternal forces of Semantic Drift in languages, which dictate that word meanings can and do change over time.
No group can claim a static ownership of a word meaning at any given point in time nor expect to maintain that single meaning forever. Perjoration of word meanings is a constant in linguistics.
freedom of speech. I think those words are terrible and should not be used, but I believe our freedom of speech is extremely important. Raising awareness is a better way to deal with it
But I digress: to answer your question, I say yes to both.
I absolutely agree that you should be allowed to petition people to stop some behavior (language or otherwise). And actually, the people who are dogmatic and angry about these sorts of things end up hurting their cause more than helping it.
As for harassment: the old saying is that your rights end where another person's begin. And if you're really harming another person on a basic tangible level, then that's not freedom of speech.
Secondly, I don't think that getting offended is the end of the world. Offending people is a good thing. Every time you offend someone, you've just made them think and form an argument and a enter a discussion. Those are really good things. Offensive things enhance your mind and make you a smarter person just by virtue of the fact that they force you to think differently.
Firstly, think that people have such hair triggers right now that anything will send them into a frenzy. I could be kicked out of school, fired from work, and written about in the newspaper for saying "The word nigger is very offensive". Almost everyone would agree with that statement, but you're not even supposed to address the issue. You're supposed to say "n-word". Well, I think it's really detrimental to tip-toe around issues.
heck yeah.. so the majority of his surrounding can jump him for being a giant dyke and when the police come around and ask.. EVERYONE lie.. lol and jump the guy again.
Dangerous to homosexuals because the religious right like to use science when it is convenient. Better to argue that we have choices and those choices are valid so long as they aren't harmful. Attacking my lack of a DSc when my core argument about biological determinism is valid is foolish. You should instead point out the flaw and recognize that other advances in science support what I am arguing. Not about genetics, but about rights, which is what this whole conversation is about.
I thought that free speech toward a captive audience was already illegal. There was a preacher in california that got arrested for preaching to people on line at the DMV and the reason that the police officer gave for the arrest is "preaching to a captive audience."
Harassment or verbal abuse is a side effect of free speech. A price I will gladly pay. Otherwise the Muslims and Christians are going to complain about being harassed when they hear criticism addressed to them, which may then in the best case lead to a giant clusterfuck in court determining the limits of free speech thus effectively ending free speech once again.
@AllenQuatermain2de thats not what im getting at my point is that if u want to be hateful and be an ass then go ahead just be expecting to get ur ass beat alot which garners the point that while u have the right to say things doesnt mean u should
@TheJyaeg what!? so anytime somebody says something you don't like you can just beat them up? dude, people have the right to say what they want, that does NOT give you the right to hurt them if they use that right. and your wrong, sometimes its good to say what you want JUST because you can, you have the right to do so.
The only reason people find the word retard offensive is because people started using it as a filler word for something that's stupid. But guess what no matter how you word it "special needs" "mentally handicapped" or whatever RETARDED PEOPLE ARE BY DEFINITION STUPID. So fuck his petition.
@animeindoorsir Actually retard means slow not stupid. Retard is a term to describe people who were born mentally handicapped and doesnt have the normal mental capability,stupid to me means people who can think normally but choose not to imo. Therefore it is two different deal. To people who are mentally handicapped, the word that describe their mental disorder by birth was used as an insult to degrade someone or use in replace of many other negative and insulting word is offensive and hurtful.
wouldnt the repeated, prolonged, individual, captive communication you are talking about, isnt that the description of tough 'police' interrogation techniques used in abu grhaib, gitmo, hollywood movies, etc...so this would also be considered harrasment?
when a human has sex with an animal, it's called "beastiality". When a dog starts humping somebody's leg, is it "humanality"? Conservatives should pass a bunch of laws ending the domestication of all animals, in order to cut down on potential humanality, because it's just a slippery slope...
I find this quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr to best sum up how I feel and yes I do feel it applies to speech. "The right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins."
I can honestly say I never looked at the R word like that. I have used it with people that act exceptionally dumb but in light of this i can understand where that is a poor choice of words.
I am all for freedom of speech but I can also see where this can be hurtful just as some other words can be hurtful.
I would agree that some words shouldn't be used since the only purpose of them is to be hurtful to another.
Its kind of a weird situation because the word "retarded" to me no longer means "people with mental disabilities". Its come to mean (to me) people with stupid or insane ideas. The meaning of the word "gay" is also slightly different then it was a few years ago. When someone says something is "gay" they don't mean its "homosexual" they mean anything from silly to odd. The english language is constantly changing and evolving. Words are fluid and banning ANY word is short sighted and dangerous.
retard mean retard gay means gay at school if you call a strait kid gay nothing happens but if you call a gay kid gay you get kicked out that doesn't make sense when you are insulting the strait kid but not the gay kid
If you are retarded, then you get called a retard. It's English.
If you are gay, then you get called gay.
While psychologists have determined over the last 30 years of research that gays have a choice to be gay, retards don't. I think retard should be wisely used but could be completely taken out....then we would use moron or some such thing instead.
@PastorIblis Even if it was a choice, that still does not make it wrong. If I wanted to suck dick just because I chose to do so, what makes that wrong? The Bible? Morality? A person's motivation shuld not matter.
@PastorIblis No, but you are trying to say that since homosexuality is not a choice it is ok. Conversely, if it is ever proven that there is no gay gene, then many homosexuals would lose the main plank of their rational for homosexuality being natural. Me, I say who cares if it is a choice. biology does not determine me.
I never said you were anti-homosexual either. I just feel that your philosophical basis for justifying homosexuality is baseless and dangerous.
So what you are saying is you sat down at one point or another and asked yourself Hmm what gender am i going to be sexually attractred to. Which would mean you would've considered maybe even tried both to see which one you like best? Is this what you are claiming?
If so you are a bisexual.
The truth of the matter is it isn't something that we choose but what we are drawn to by biology. It is more Hormones then a Gene. There is a period of time where a fetus doesn't have a Sex
@PastorIblis All biology is determined by genetic make-up, including the amount of hormones you are capable of producing. I don't think you read anything I wrote, or maybe you can't read. Hinging your identity on biological determinism is dangerous considering we haven't even fully mapped the human genome. Arguing that humosexuality is a VALID choice serves gay rights better than the biological argument because it has permanence that cannot be contravened at a future date.
The only reason one could look at it as dangerous is they regard treating everyone as equal in rights limits the control they can have over another. There was a battle over black people getting equal rights. There was a battle ove women getting equal rights. There is a battle over homosexuals having equal rights. There are some that if they had their way Atheists wouldn't have equal rights!
This is a matter of knowning history and being aware of reality!
The "R-word"? Seriously?
There's being PC and then there's being fucking pedantic.
aaron9099 1 week ago
If everyone adopted the GOLDEN RULE we wouldn't be having this conversation.
dasherdo 3 weeks ago in playlist ACLU related videos
"Retard" is an ordinary English word. It has become hurtful because the mentally challenged are being used as symbols of embarrassment and humiliation. As long as this attitude persists, it won't matter if we stop using the word because any word used to describe them will simply become a new insult.
I like the guy's point about showing people how they're being hurtful. I think that works. Trying to get rid of a word like the word itself is a problem is, I think, pointless.
devourerofbabies 3 weeks ago
ok- when reporting on matters like this- the reporter should be allowed to say the word-- saying the ( _)-word is just stupid. If one is reporting on said situation and using the word - it is obviously not being used by the reporter in a negative way- it is reporting on it. you can't BAN words in the US. the word Retard is a medical condition and is not offensive by itself- gay is a sexual pref. and a state of being happy- so to try and ban those words is just not an option- but some try.
theremixphilly 1 month ago
That's because RETARD is not a word, RETARDED is.
TheDano1947 1 month ago
@TheDano1947 youre a retard
ILoveJewsNBlacks 1 month ago
Definition of RETARD
1
: a holding back or slowing down : retardation
2
often offensive : a retarded person; also : a person held to resemble a retarded person in behavior
Weirdo10o4 1 month ago in playlist ACLU related videos
@TheDano1947 "Retard" is a word. It's a verb meaning to slow down. Retard, retarded, and retarder are all ordinary English words.
devourerofbabies 3 weeks ago
@TheDano1947
Ohh the irony! Commenting on a video about the word retard, while saying something completely retarded. Thank you, you've made my day.
igotsachubby 2 weeks ago
@TheDano1947 RETARD is a word. Its a verb meaning to slow or hold back.
geeksqrd 2 weeks ago
When I saw the title of this YouTube video, for some reason I thought The R stood for republican, lol
lostworld2420 1 month ago 19
@lostworld2420 what's the difference?
CerebrumPedere 1 month ago in playlist ACLU related videos
.....These people are also the ones who can really get hurt by saying the r-word, as everyone knows. Therefor, it is my opinion that when a person does this to a physical or mentally challenged person, it is sadistic amongst other things. This is coming from a person who was bullied a lot as a child for my physical appearance, which in my opinion, was 'OK' when I look back on it, because of the society I live in.
member5738 1 month ago
When you live in a society that provocates freedom and liberty, you should develop a metaphoric shield that defends you from opinions and hurtful words. It's called growing up. Only, this counts to people who don't have physical limitations (including those that create mental limitations as well such as down syndrom). Those people, by defenition, can't help the way they are because they are born with it or caused by some type of an illness as they grow up.
member5738 1 month ago
I think ppl have the right to be dicks, I won't like them and call them out on the dicketry but they should aloud to
misteryman5 1 month ago
absolutely.
happymealmobster 2 months ago
Freedom of speech has nothing to do with absolving you of taking responsibility for your own actions. You wont be silenced by an authority but you'll still be held accountable.
All western countries have some sort of libel/slander laws to protect adults. Furthermore is someone were to spend their days following me about my business and harassing me, I could very easily use that as grounds for a restraining order. This is the grownup way of dealing with this. Kids cannot, that is the problem.
4skur 2 months ago in playlist ACLU related videos
Freedom of Speech is a double edge sword. Yes it is a basic right to say what you want and feel with out the fear for being ridiculed for it, but then it could be used to voice your opinion on someone's race or sexual orientation in a harsh manner in an area you can't leave like school or work. So yes it is harassment when it is targeted, with a captive audience, and in an area you can't leave. Also I like this channel.
darkvoodle77 2 months ago
This video is probably as liberal as the GOP.
wuatduhf 2 months ago
Its about fucking intention. I use the word both in its scientific sense and joking around with friends and it should be fine in both cases because my intent is not to insult the mentally disabled and someone who is mentally disabled will probably at least understand that if they hear me out.
Showing pity is simply disrespectful and ignorant.
Grnvolpe 2 months ago
Retarded gay nigger.
ccsmiley2 2 months ago
Because when I use the word retard, I am totally referring to an actual retarded person. Oh and guess what? Down Syndrome is no longer politically correct, they want us to use Trisomy 21. Enough is enough!
CaramelDancen 3 months ago
@CaramelDancen But isn't Down's Syndrome named after the guy who discovered it? What is offensive about that?
MsYellowhippy 2 months ago
@CaramelDancen My brother has Down's syndrome and, believe me, no one says it's an offensive term.
IKillBabyKittensLOL 2 months ago in playlist ACLU related videos
the word retard is not used in the same offensive way as it used to be. one of my favorite youtubers ponceman a.k.a retarded police man, (who has down syndrome) made a video about this when the movie tropic thunder came out.
nowadays, nobody thinks less of a mentaly challenged person, and the word retard is like laughing at the fact that everyone thinks less of bigots.
panda0100 3 months ago
the video is "Retard, Please"
ponce is takein it back.
panda0100 3 months ago
Why not just get rid of any word that could possibly offend anyone, ever. Fascist cocksuckers make me wanna puke. It's called thick skin, look into it...
sternfanmisha 3 months ago
@sternfanmisha for all your thick skin you must have a pretty weak stomach if this makes you want to puke. c'mon man, if you really believe that you're probably a proponent of eugenics, too.... wait... i think i just heard the nurse call your name
hopetheygotspaceweed 1 month ago
no i disagree i was bullied in school no i was not gay but i was fat the point i am making is i did'nt run to my parents or my school i took matters in my own hands and made sure that my bully did'nt say nothing to me or put his hands on me or no one else.we have become "SOFT" when are we going to stand up for ourselves and stop taking all this crap.
scummdogg1 3 months ago
"It's a beautiful thing, the destruction of words." ~Syme, Orwell's 1984
Crust218 3 months ago 33
what the fuck is the G word???
DieOrBlink 3 months ago
yes
F4RB3YONDM3T4L 3 months ago
anything to make money
ncboy65 3 months ago
hahahaha,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
ncboy65 3 months ago
pfffff so again with the words game. When people will learn, guess they ARE retards.
linkuei83 3 months ago
@linkuei83 correctamundo!
MunkiZee 3 months ago
Check it out. Dustin Hoffman, Rainman, look retarded, act retarded, not retarded. Count toothpicks to your cards. Autistic. Sho. Not retarded.
You know Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump. Slow, yes. Retarded, maybe. Braces on his legs. But he charmed the pants off Nixon and he won a ping-pong competition? That ain’t retarded.
You went full retard, man. Never go full retard.
Mystery207 3 months ago
I thought it was going to be R for Republican
Mystery207 3 months ago
a lot of people who use retarded and gay as word to mean something bad have nothing against gays or people with special needs. I just think it's so insensitive to use those words because by using them you're highlighting how society views these people as bad (the reason why they have developed into general purpose pejoratives)
P0248 3 months ago
@P0248 it's not how society views these groups, except from some nut cases, there are plenty of other words we throw at each other that got nothing to do with special groups and still considered bad.
linkuei83 3 months ago
@P0248 "I just think it's so insensitive to use those words because by using them you're highlighting how society views these people as bad"
Maybe that's the point. Most of the people I know use those words with a vaguely ironic intent. After all, a lot of my friends are gay, and some of them (me included) rode the short bus. We get a kick out of using these words. And why not? They're our words. A lot of words are created to be offensive, but end up being owned by the people they're aimed at.
GuacamoleKun 3 months ago
i think shrivers point makes sense. unfortunately language shapes thought and viceversa. any time a harrassed group tries to reclaim a word with a positive meaning to describe themselves, like "gay" or "special", if their position in society remains roughly the same, a negative meaning will be added to the word. i think it takes putting yourself in someone elses shoes, and being grown up and critical of the way YOU, yourself think, to convince people to stop using these words in a negative way.
hellzoneUK1991 3 months ago
Commendable, I'm sure we'd all go on TV pretentiously telling people what we think they should do in their own homes if we had the resources.
MunkiZee 4 months ago
@MunkiZee What are you talking about.
grendelee 3 months ago
I believe I heard somewhere that the word "idiot" was once the medical term for someone with mental disabilaties. this word has sins taken on a demeaning role. I think any word used to describe a mental condition will eventually take on this role.
haggardkuj 4 months ago
This is not a free speech issue. No one is saying that people should not be allowed to use the word "retard". We are saying that it is not a good word to use in the sense in which it is commonly used, and we are asking people to reconsider.
You can't just shut down a discussion by saying "free speech, free speech!!"
derangedyoshi 4 months ago
The word "retarded" isn't foul at all. It means "slowed down". It's something that an individual does to himself, on purpose, that results in a stupid action. It means they've slowed down their mental processes, and to correct them, you call them retarded. Yes, it's an insult. So what?
Anyone who refers to people born mentally challenged as "retarded" is ignorant and is misusing the word. It's being used as a catch-all when the correct term for the birth defect is unknown.
ChipArgyle 4 months ago
What do you expect? Television broadcasting stations don't care one bit if some vulgar slur has been used by some television presenter because he/she in perspective is insignificant to what revolves around them. It's generally a case of opportunist desires in which it takes part more than any other concepts on prime time TV.
Hell, legal cases could condoned as well all thanks to some controversial matter for audiences to watch worldwide.
Ringvireot 4 months ago
That guy sounded like Ray William Johnson!
PrincessMiyuki14 4 months ago
I don't think any word is a 'bad' word, just like the author of this clip. It's the context the word is used in. On it's own, a word is just a collection of letters.
I also believe that if people were asked whether retard is used in a mostly positive or negative sense the majority would align with the latter. So although this may be considered a free speech argument, it is ultimately upto the individual to make a educated decision on how they conduct themselves.
twelfthmanau 4 months ago
It's the fucking Colbert Report. Holy shit you are fucking retarded and gay for even making youtube video about this.
JustinAugusts 4 months ago
I think it should be limited in that case
however, i think that they should always be permitted to leave.
mandating that children stay in school between the hours of x and x is ridiculous.
darris321 4 months ago
totally retarded
TheEots 4 months ago
@TheEots Oh I see what you did there!
wolfdevon 4 months ago
Shriver has the right to "petition [me] to recognize what [I] say" if I have the right to teach him the English language and point out that he has the option to not be a whinny dumb-ass.
Oh, and free speech never "becomes" harassment. Stalking and abuse are criminal activity. Just because the person is trapped so you have to travel to stalk doesn't change what is being done. I don't know about the "Seth Law" though, so can't comment.
slocal75 4 months ago
I thougth i was Republican......
aon10003 4 months ago
I don't believe that curtailing free speech is justified, regardless of whose sensibilities and feelings are being protected. The focus of your legislation should not be preventing students from calling somebody a "fag" or any other epithet for that matter. Rather, the focus should be on providing that student social support and recourse against discrimination and willful indifference from faculty and staff. Harassment is is clearly identifiable; speech related to it is ancillary to the issue.
Archronis 4 months ago
I don't think WHAT you say should be the real issue. It should be the way you use it. If you want to call black people niggers behind their backs, fine. Just don't use it to piss off black people. Same for any other hateful thing. I think acceptance should be taught, but laws shouldn't be put into place. It hurts the first amendment.
lasoogneypubes 4 months ago
Comment removed
stevolim 4 months ago
@Liberal viewer: I think out education system should teach kids to be indifferent and not approval seekers. If that is achieved then no one will be offended or verbally harashed at all.
rk12si 4 months ago
How about the retards do something on their own behalf. Gays got people to stop saying things being "gay" are stupid or bad. Black people got the N-word to finally be of thier own use. So if Down-Syndrome Donny or Fucktarded Freddy got a problem with the word retard being used as it is, then they should speak on it on their own behalf.
And no, I will not use the word "Special" because that degrades the word, unless the person is an austistic savant, they are not "special", they're retarded.
crazyinsane500 5 months ago
@crazyinsane500 Since when did gays get people to stop that? I hear people use "gay" all the time as a negative connotation.
AsSomedayItMayHappen 5 months ago
@crazyinsane500 The word "gay" is still used with a negative connotation, even if it's not meant in either modern definition. Furthermore, mentally handicapped people are just that, handicapped. They can't really start their own movement on this topic.
BoySamusMetroid 5 months ago
@BoySamusMetroid While it's true that gay is still used in a negative connotation, at least the LGBT groups have moved to try and get the word being less used.
And that's the funny thing isn't it? They have a mental disorder that inhibits their ability to think, so they cant find any negative connotation to the word retarded. Meanwhile it's the super liberals (That even Michael Moore would say are pussies) that want this word to stop being used.
crazyinsane500 5 months ago
@crazyinsane500 you are quite the moron, aren't you?
hippychick40s 4 months ago
@hippychick40s Says the "hippy chick" who can't think of a response and has to resort to an ad-hominem.
xcoibyx 4 months ago
I belive in gay rights but with all words there are many definitions Gay in example Damn thats gay I just spilled my soda. Using gay as in that sucks which i use only because of pyhcology and i hear it and say it without thinking about it. But i do think it is offensive using. eww those clothes are gay, or you look gay dude. What is wrong with looking gay? its the intent and having a brother with special needs i dont take offensive to retarard unless it is used to make fun of special needs kids.
DwelveDragonway 5 months ago
Offensive speech is all about intent, sometimes I'll call one of my buddies a retard when he does something stupid, etc. If you INTEND to be hurtful it's different, if I thought or knew that someone was offended by a word (like a handicapped person with the word retard) I wouldn't say it to or around them. But if it is clear that someone is joking, then it is clear that someone is joking! The way that I speak in private or with an audience that is aware of my intent is my own business.
EddyEshkibabble 5 months ago
Free speech is important, everyone has the right to their opinions, but it definitely can become harassment. Free speech is something deeper than being allowed to scream "faggot" into some poor kids face and receive zero consequences. Much like yelling "Fire" in a theater.
OshiSeven 5 months ago
ugh anything about religion, stfu.. and also IT doesn't matter if it is gay or not. Pointless junk.
rysliv 5 months ago
I went to a school that had classes with retards, and integration classes for those with add, dyslexia, and other minor learning problems. None of them are getting offended by the word, because they can shit their pants, run their face through a plate glass window, mow down underclassmen with their tard-strength, and cuss out everyone they've ever met; and they get a free pass with absolutely no consequences for their actions. If i want to call them retards, then i sure as hell will.
yootubematt 6 months ago
you can say whatever whenever.
dabaron332 6 months ago
i wouldnt defend westburo baptists "free speech" because their "free speech" goes to the expense of another persons rights like the right of privacy. Ever seen those vids where the felps family (westburo baptist members) protested military funerals saying "thank god for dead soldiers"?
spyfreakm16 6 months ago
The thing is free speech does not give you a right to defamation, sorry! :-/
NatalieSpa 6 months ago
@NatalieSpa Ah yes, there is no defamation right. There is also no freedom from offense. If you cost someone money or damage their reputation with lies, you are liable. But offense is a relative thing, just because one person thinks it is inappropriate, they cannot restrict anothers freedom of expression.
Mycophilliac 6 months ago
@NatalieSpa The other person was right, free speech aboslutely give us the right to offend people, free speech is part of this countries protection against suppression of the minority view of thought, and dont say "sorry! :-/" as if you have some more keen understand of the US constitution and the rights of others, youre from australia, not the US.
websiteusername 5 months ago
@NatalieSpa and I don't support people to ridicule others for who they are, but people have the right to do so
websiteusername 5 months ago
whether using or not using r word is not the essence but just a part of it. not using r word is an activity which is understandable to everyone. they looked as if they're playing a game in which both of two took the words out of context.
roygbiv330 6 months ago
aaaaaaa retard thats what they ment
MrTimothytim 6 months ago
say whatever you want, but be aware of the consequences
mullacABC 6 months ago
Of course it can! Here, take it to the extreme, am I protected by the 1st Amendment if I call my African-American coworkers the n-word throughout the day? Of course it's not protected. The 1st Amendment doesn't give you the right to use speech as a weapon to cause REAL HARM. ...excellent video, btw.
hugheyhudson 6 months ago
@hugheyhudson So you're saying that if you were to call your co workers the "n-word" throughout the day, you could have criminal charges brought against you? You're wrong. You could be fired from your job, but the police won't come to arrest you for some made up crime of using offensive language. What "real harm" would you be doing by insulting people? How would you decide which words are bad enough to bring charges? This is the U.S. where we have freedom from authoritarian laws like that.
TransitionalSpecies 6 months ago
This is retarded and gay!
JacobsVlogging 6 months ago 41
Totally Yes 4 both
ssohood2011 6 months ago
let's stop debating and have loads of sex with each other! :D!
vanweiden93 6 months ago
@vanweiden93 well ok but i want to be on top ;D
JerkingForJesus 6 months ago
@JerkingForJesus we got our selves a party! :D
vanweiden93 6 months ago
England doesn't actually have free speech in law, it just seems to be (recent) tradition, but we do have lots of "incitement" laws prohibiting people from saying things that can incite violence, racial hatred, and religious descrimination. Although they definately infringe free speech, which you guys have due to the constitution, it could be easily argued that speech is a form of abuse, or can incite someone to do something, therefore assisting in other criminal acts.
MBAYMZTU 6 months ago
The problem isn't that we use the term "retard", it is that we use this offensive term to refer to the mentally handicapped when origianlly it just meant someone who is slow. It isn't offensive that I use this term to refer to the morons I meet, it is offensive that the medical community used to use the term to give blanket generalizations about kids with a bunch of different mental handicaps. Labeling them slow. Offensive is equating an autistic with the retards in the Republican party!
durhamdf 6 months ago
But it seems that political corectness doesn't go anywhere. People could literally stop calling others faggets,retards,niggers etc. But the stigma and fear will still be there and because words are fluid (as shown in the previous comment), another word will take their place to represent hate. This argument seems to go into the debate of WHETHER OR NOT CENSORSHIP CREATES POSITIVE CHANGE. I think it would be best to look at the effects on kids .
finnsia 6 months ago
I'm really curious on this subject of political corectness. And how it's wrong to say nigger, fagget and retard. All of which has their own seperate meaning, I'm not too sure about nigger but faggets are piles of sticks that were used to burn homosexuals and to be retarded is basically a person who thinks slowly but now all these words change and a word like nigger now means a lifestyle of poverty, interest in cars upgrades and theft.
finnsia 6 months ago
WOOT WOOT tim shriver <3 :D
i stopped using that word now because i dont want to offend anyone :)
DarkneszYTB 7 months ago
HELL NO!!
Yes, I agree with Tim Shriver
theothoughts 7 months ago
@theothoughts Get buried.
Zeanu 6 months ago
The far left wants to protect us from ourselves via legislation and restrictions on freedom of speech.
The far right wants to push conservative social agenda, blur the line between separation of church and state, and turn all Americans into church-going Tea-party members who have 2.3 kids and carry a .357 Magnum for protection.
It's a lose-lose situation...
nightfrog65 7 months ago
With every right comes responsibility. The responsibilities in regards to free speech are unclear and would be hard to define but such action needs to be taken.Is the idea that anyone can say whatever they want any worse than the idea that people can do whatever they want? In my opinion freedom is good only when it does not interfere with the freedoms of others. Freedom of speech and freedom of action have limitations otherwise they would take away those freedoms of others.
aaronfawcett9911 7 months ago
UGH if COLBERT ACTUALLY DOES THIS "STOP THE R WORD" TRASH IM SO DISGUSTED IN HIM!!! look up how free speech is DOWN THE DRAIN in europe and australia. bullying isnt allowed in school and work anyway. its just teachers dont take it seriously. the only time i ever worried about it was when i feared for my life/bodily harm. and they were just like, well sorry but we're not doing anything about it. so ...i survived. HOW are u going to be weaker than ME when people arent even TOUCHING YOU???? wusses
Rachulie 7 months ago
@Rachulie I'm sorry? No free speech in Europe and Australia? You mad bro.
noaccount4 7 months ago
@noaccount4 nope there really isnt. there u can get arrested for saying shit like "being gay is a sin"
i mean, im gay but still, going to jail for that shit is wack !!
look up free speech laws n shit.
Rachulie 7 months ago
Comment removed
Rachulie 7 months ago
i'll stop using offensive words, when people stop making fun of atheists
Myytmovies 7 months ago
@Myytmovies one doesn't equate to another
it's like saying, I'll stop murdering when people stop fighting killing each other.
finnsia 6 months ago
@finnsia Atheists are the only minority in america that it's still ok to make fun of. so they do equal each other
Myytmovies 6 months ago
We need to think about intent and stop paying so much attention to the words
Cocoaplata 8 months ago
I really like you narrator! I agree with everything you say! Thats very rare!
ThePoopoo098 8 months ago
Welcome to Wuss America everyone, where every other word in the dictionary is considered offensive.
pokerguy94 8 months ago
@pokerguy94 i kinda agree.people are rude i thought growing up was about learning to deal.to add more and of course you didnt say this but if a person wanna die because he cant deal why is that the worlds probelm better he shoot himself then half the school or no one at all.
bmoresawyer 8 months ago
Let's call mentally handicapped and developmentally retarded people special with a nudge and a wink instead, then the word special will come to hold all the negative implications of retard.
Laughingblades 8 months ago 24
look at it this way: calling someone a retard would be discrimination which is a protected class under the 14th amendment
calling someone gay would not be discriminatory due to their lack of a protected class
wackedout991 8 months ago
yes
dadinky 8 months ago
I find it funny when people use the word gay but don't even know what it means.
LLOYD19851012 8 months ago
@LLOYD19851012 Stop being such a faggot.
Laughingblades 8 months ago
Your voice is really monotonous. Lighten up.
jack40k 8 months ago
As to Tim Shriver's comment - while it can initially seem too lax, and the temptation to simply forbid emotional harm seems like the easy option, the matter of emotional attack is so complicated and difficult to lawyer that it would be impossible to make it work - I strongly believe that this upper road of the teacher, and more widespread application of this education - of awareness of the implications of speech, and ways to use it kindly, is likely the only way we will ever see lasting change.
SerpentStare 8 months ago
The correct vernacular is "intellectual disability". By saying someone or something is "retarded" or "gay" you are stating that you feel that person or thing is sub-standard and that people who actually fall into those categories are equally sub-standard to the rest of the human population. Just because you can still use those words doesn't mean there won't be repercussions from those who are offended by it.
zabc19 8 months ago
we all know when you say retarded - we're talking about liberals (not people with mental retardation)
itubeyoublah 8 months ago
Nothing against white ppl. But most of them don't find anything wrong til it hits them. This world is so crooked and unfair...that words should be the LAST thing to worry about. And for the record....its A LOT more words to get rid of first if they are a problem. Personally I don't find callin people retarded or gay offensive if they REALLy are gay and wat not. If the shoe fits then u can wear it
BlakeDaSnakeRoberts 9 months ago
@BlakeDaSnakeRoberts So it would be fine to refer to a black person as a nigger? moron..
MrDopeonarope 8 months ago
@MrDopeonarope again..another nimwit tryna make an invalid point. Since u asking me is it fine. I DONT CARE!! White people but not only white people have been using it forever. Words are gonna be around as long as people are. And then u call me a moron...u aint nothin but a hypocrtie haha. Lets Ban the M word next hahaha. People are so smart that theyt become stupid. U can call blacks niggers..chinks..or crackers as far as im concerned. (which btw) aint that far. Good Day
BlakeDaSnakeRoberts 8 months ago
@BlakeDaSnakeRoberts You are about as dumb as they come aren't you? Some people shouldn't be allowed to access the internet. The world would be a better place if people like you weren't here. Go back to school and get a little education. Good Day
MrDopeonarope 6 months ago
I'll use the words Retard, Chink, Nigger, Spic, Fag, and any others, whenever I please. These words exist for a reason and have a purpose be it hurtful or not. Ridiculous campaigns designed to control peoples minds are more destructive to the common good than any word will ever be.
SkillGrip 9 months ago
No matter what you do there will always being people saying words like gay, retard and so on. You can NOT control people, free county. Hate crimes are going to happen no matter what. Like he said anything thing can be taken wrong. Like your mom!!!
RichardTeh3rd 9 months ago
@RichardTeh3rd That is true, but you can at least put it to end in public situations.
MrDopeonarope 8 months ago
@MrDopeonarope the internet is public...
What about all the kids that go on the internet??
The words are there come to make us fable soft is?
RichardTeh3rd 8 months ago
The campaign against 'The R Word' is identical to the 'ThinkB4YouSpeak' campaign against using the word "gay" or the phrase "that's so gay" - both campaigns negate the eternal forces of Semantic Drift in languages, which dictate that word meanings can and do change over time.
No group can claim a static ownership of a word meaning at any given point in time nor expect to maintain that single meaning forever. Perjoration of word meanings is a constant in linguistics.
Yoshunoba 9 months ago
Great but I'm afraid I will have to continue use retard against people like palin as it is the most apt word for her intelligence
0hfuzzyu 9 months ago 2
Yes.
Scardy 9 months ago
freedom of speech. I think those words are terrible and should not be used, but I believe our freedom of speech is extremely important. Raising awareness is a better way to deal with it
midgety1 9 months ago
Great video!
I personally haven't found a way to articulate a fair general limitation. Therefore, for now, the only fair method is to keep it absolutely free.
woominlee2 9 months ago
But I digress: to answer your question, I say yes to both.
I absolutely agree that you should be allowed to petition people to stop some behavior (language or otherwise). And actually, the people who are dogmatic and angry about these sorts of things end up hurting their cause more than helping it.
As for harassment: the old saying is that your rights end where another person's begin. And if you're really harming another person on a basic tangible level, then that's not freedom of speech.
lagore144 9 months ago
Secondly, I don't think that getting offended is the end of the world. Offending people is a good thing. Every time you offend someone, you've just made them think and form an argument and a enter a discussion. Those are really good things. Offensive things enhance your mind and make you a smarter person just by virtue of the fact that they force you to think differently.
lagore144 9 months ago
This makes me think of a couple things.
Firstly, think that people have such hair triggers right now that anything will send them into a frenzy. I could be kicked out of school, fired from work, and written about in the newspaper for saying "The word nigger is very offensive". Almost everyone would agree with that statement, but you're not even supposed to address the issue. You're supposed to say "n-word". Well, I think it's really detrimental to tip-toe around issues.
lagore144 9 months ago
That was an incredible response. The fact that he came up with that on the fly really shows off his credibility.
xMeshuggahx 9 months ago
heck yeah.. so the majority of his surrounding can jump him for being a giant dyke and when the police come around and ask.. EVERYONE lie.. lol and jump the guy again.
TimeManInJail 9 months ago
Dangerous to homosexuals because the religious right like to use science when it is convenient. Better to argue that we have choices and those choices are valid so long as they aren't harmful. Attacking my lack of a DSc when my core argument about biological determinism is valid is foolish. You should instead point out the flaw and recognize that other advances in science support what I am arguing. Not about genetics, but about rights, which is what this whole conversation is about.
terrenord 9 months ago
I thought that free speech toward a captive audience was already illegal. There was a preacher in california that got arrested for preaching to people on line at the DMV and the reason that the police officer gave for the arrest is "preaching to a captive audience."
gambleor 9 months ago
Harassment or verbal abuse is a side effect of free speech. A price I will gladly pay. Otherwise the Muslims and Christians are going to complain about being harassed when they hear criticism addressed to them, which may then in the best case lead to a giant clusterfuck in court determining the limits of free speech thus effectively ending free speech once again.
SSTTEEAALLTTHH 9 months ago
@AllenQuatermain2de thats not what im getting at my point is that if u want to be hateful and be an ass then go ahead just be expecting to get ur ass beat alot which garners the point that while u have the right to say things doesnt mean u should
TheJyaeg 9 months ago
@TheJyaeg what!? so anytime somebody says something you don't like you can just beat them up? dude, people have the right to say what they want, that does NOT give you the right to hurt them if they use that right. and your wrong, sometimes its good to say what you want JUST because you can, you have the right to do so.
AllenQuatermain2de 9 months ago
... Nazi gingerbread men?
villanonickXgmail 9 months ago
Here is the problem. Whatever we call retards it is going to eventually become an insult. Remember when "special" was a legitimate compliment?
soulinite 10 months ago
So...people know that Colbert does political satire right?
areon5674 10 months ago
@areon5674 Some people.
soulinite 10 months ago
I think Tim Shriver is exactly right. You can be an asshole, and I can tell you to shut the fuck up. What I can't do is force you to shut up.
xXRoBeRtXHaYdNXx 10 months ago
Haha, Colbert cracks me up.
Orpheusftw 10 months ago
The only reason people find the word retard offensive is because people started using it as a filler word for something that's stupid. But guess what no matter how you word it "special needs" "mentally handicapped" or whatever RETARDED PEOPLE ARE BY DEFINITION STUPID. So fuck his petition.
animeindoorsir 10 months ago
@animeindoorsir Actually retard means slow not stupid. Retard is a term to describe people who were born mentally handicapped and doesnt have the normal mental capability,stupid to me means people who can think normally but choose not to imo. Therefore it is two different deal. To people who are mentally handicapped, the word that describe their mental disorder by birth was used as an insult to degrade someone or use in replace of many other negative and insulting word is offensive and hurtful.
PeaceOfTruth 10 months ago
Yes to both questions.
NotADood 10 months ago
wouldnt the repeated, prolonged, individual, captive communication you are talking about, isnt that the description of tough 'police' interrogation techniques used in abu grhaib, gitmo, hollywood movies, etc...so this would also be considered harrasment?
robertoandrade113 10 months ago
when a human has sex with an animal, it's called "beastiality". When a dog starts humping somebody's leg, is it "humanality"? Conservatives should pass a bunch of laws ending the domestication of all animals, in order to cut down on potential humanality, because it's just a slippery slope...
MendrolRPG 10 months ago
Either we have free speech or we don't. There is no middle ground on something like this no matter how you try to look at it.
Gazgule 10 months ago
I find this quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr to best sum up how I feel and yes I do feel it applies to speech. "The right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins."
HighVoltage963 10 months ago 21
I can honestly say I never looked at the R word like that. I have used it with people that act exceptionally dumb but in light of this i can understand where that is a poor choice of words.
I am all for freedom of speech but I can also see where this can be hurtful just as some other words can be hurtful.
I would agree that some words shouldn't be used since the only purpose of them is to be hurtful to another.
Definate food for thought on this one!
PastorIblis 10 months ago
Its kind of a weird situation because the word "retarded" to me no longer means "people with mental disabilities". Its come to mean (to me) people with stupid or insane ideas. The meaning of the word "gay" is also slightly different then it was a few years ago. When someone says something is "gay" they don't mean its "homosexual" they mean anything from silly to odd. The english language is constantly changing and evolving. Words are fluid and banning ANY word is short sighted and dangerous.
autolicious 10 months ago
Haha, I came in here thinking you didn't understand irony, Allen.
Happy I was wrong.
DMitri221 10 months ago
retard mean retard gay means gay at school if you call a strait kid gay nothing happens but if you call a gay kid gay you get kicked out that doesn't make sense when you are insulting the strait kid but not the gay kid
q41n 10 months ago
If you are retarded, then you get called a retard. It's English.
If you are gay, then you get called gay.
While psychologists have determined over the last 30 years of research that gays have a choice to be gay, retards don't. I think retard should be wisely used but could be completely taken out....then we would use moron or some such thing instead.
joe4951 10 months ago
@joe4951
Science determined Sexual orientation is a choice? I would love to see that Scientific study.
Given homosexual behavior has been observed in over 1,500 Species excluding humans!
To say that you can Choose to be Gay this makes sexual orientation no different then Hmm Shall I eat Chicken or Sausage?
I would ask you how many times have you made the Choice to suck a dick?
If you think it is a choice then you must have made that choice at least once.
Otherwise that is a presumption!
PastorIblis 10 months ago
@PastorIblis Even if it was a choice, that still does not make it wrong. If I wanted to suck dick just because I chose to do so, what makes that wrong? The Bible? Morality? A person's motivation shuld not matter.
terrenord 10 months ago
@terrenord
At no point did i say there was a damn thing wrong with homosexuality.
Don't be so stupid as to think Pastor means Peacher!
Iblis means SATAN!
Put it together and THINK!
I could give a Fuck what your sexual orientation is so long as you Leave Animals and Children ALONE!
And those get left alone because neither have a fucking CLUE what you are doing and they can't say yes or no since they are WTF IS THIS SHIT!
Fuck the bible USE YOUR BRAIN!
Is that fucking hard?
PastorIblis 10 months ago
@PastorIblis No, but you are trying to say that since homosexuality is not a choice it is ok. Conversely, if it is ever proven that there is no gay gene, then many homosexuals would lose the main plank of their rational for homosexuality being natural. Me, I say who cares if it is a choice. biology does not determine me.
I never said you were anti-homosexual either. I just feel that your philosophical basis for justifying homosexuality is baseless and dangerous.
terrenord 10 months ago
@terrenord
So what you are saying is you sat down at one point or another and asked yourself Hmm what gender am i going to be sexually attractred to. Which would mean you would've considered maybe even tried both to see which one you like best? Is this what you are claiming?
If so you are a bisexual.
The truth of the matter is it isn't something that we choose but what we are drawn to by biology. It is more Hormones then a Gene. There is a period of time where a fetus doesn't have a Sex
PastorIblis 10 months ago
@terrenord
What deturmines the gender of the fetus is the Hormones Estrogen & Testosterone. It isn't a Gene!
What it really boils down to is you have a prejudice against those different from you.
I would also suspect you are religious as well.
Bigotry and religion go hand in hand in a lost of cases!
PastorIblis 10 months ago
@PastorIblis All biology is determined by genetic make-up, including the amount of hormones you are capable of producing. I don't think you read anything I wrote, or maybe you can't read. Hinging your identity on biological determinism is dangerous considering we haven't even fully mapped the human genome. Arguing that humosexuality is a VALID choice serves gay rights better than the biological argument because it has permanence that cannot be contravened at a future date.
I am an atheist
terrenord 9 months ago
@terrenord
The only reason one could look at it as dangerous is they regard treating everyone as equal in rights limits the control they can have over another. There was a battle over black people getting equal rights. There was a battle ove women getting equal rights. There is a battle over homosexuals having equal rights. There are some that if they had their way Atheists wouldn't have equal rights!
This is a matter of knowning history and being aware of reality!
PastorIblis 9 months ago
@PastorIblis You sound angry and confused, attacking anyone that stands in the way of your world view.
terrenord 9 months ago
@terrenord
Why don't you just say You Oppose Equal rights for Everyone?
The only anger i have is at those who would want to deny Equal rights to someone else simply because they are Different!
I am not confused about a thing!
Trying to deny a homosexuals equal rights is no different then trying to deny rights to black people, women or Atheists.
You may be in favor of Tyrany however I personally take a stand against Fascism!
PastorIblis 9 months ago