We Need a New R-word

[tlennon123]

I find it so terrible that the dislikes for this video are almost neck and neck with the likes. People need to up the levels of respect for everyone. If you think it's okay to say this and other words like the f word and numerous other slurs to your friends as long as it's not to people it would offend, you'd better clean up your act because, you may as well be saying it to those people to. If you aren't part of the solution, you're a part of the problem. Step it up and stop using slurs. Not OK.

[JuuKun]

So, whats up with this all of a sudden? Is everyone just looking for stuff to be butthurt about? Quit whining. Am I saying it's right to just go up to someone who's mentally handicapped and call them retarded? No. But for the love of all that is sacred get over it. Words change meaning all the time. Deal with it!

Has everyone forgot what Gay used to mean? Happy. Not a person that liked the opposite sex. Maybe you cant see that now, but it's true. Words change. Always have, always will.

[ma2jh]

freedom of speech is being stepped on all the time. people just have to learn to brush it off their shoulder. people call each other retards, fags, or anything like that. i say it to my friends all the time, but i would never say it to or around someone that it would actually offend. if you cant handle it make it obvious and unless the person is a total douche nozzle sucker they will stop. but there are always and will always be slurs.

[svgrobski]

Not sure about this... Are we reserving the word for people who have some kind of mental disability because it needs to be used respectfully? Or are we stopping the use and association of the word with that group of people?

[coolcaro100]

thanks for posting this video i wish people at my school would stop saying retard or retarded but i try and tell them to stop. last year i showed this video and some of my class mates did stop but most of them keep saying it and when i tell them to stop because it hurts my sister cause she cant talk but she can do some things we can do thanks agin

[fuccstains3]

thats the same as calling one of your friends who is being an inconsiderate asshole a fag. you dont mean it literally its a joke

[Chaser1983]

Sorry but this is stupid. just stopping to use a word doesnt change the people who use it as an offense to those with down syndron or other disabillities. just like one of the greatest persons in history, george carlin, said words mean nothing without a context... using retarded to discribe the dumb behavior of a healthy person and using it as an offense agaist people with downs syndrom etc. are completely different things, yes the latter should be stopped but this is no reason to forbid a word

[skitzofranik999]

@Chaser1983 IF ANYONE IS GONNA QUOTE A WISE MAN ON THIS MATTER IT HAS TO BE FROM GEORGE CARLIN DAMN GENIUS

[serum80]

new r-word.. respect.. or better..

RECOVERY

eminem rules lol

[nachosNapples]

@serum80 wow lol

[TheAngryOtaku]

Ending the word 'retard' will do nothing, people will just find a new word to use. Also, Retarded is a medical term and mongol is a race of people. You people tried this years ago and it didn't work and it wont work now. This cause is Retarded (I am ADD).

BTW. If retarded people got offended by the word retarded then they arn't that retarded. It's he handlers that are upset.

[LutherSetzer]

People with disabilities need people with abilities -- not the other way. So retarded people need to "respect" those who supply them with the food, clothing, shelter, education, and love they need. They should also learn to "buck up" and learn to live in a free society with free speech without going into fits of apoplexy every time someone calls a spade a spade. Sadly, campaigns like this often lead to laws enforcing the new "social norm" at the point of a gun.

[ThumbedBunny]

I've known gays who use "that's gay" and retards who say "that's retarded".

People who are insulted by this are too insensitive about others. I would hate it if someone came up to me and tried to defend me from a word that doesn't hurt me at all.

[roguecurious]

agree 100% with johnnyonline, most people who say something like lame or retarded are not using it in a derogatory manner and are not using it to make fun of ppl with disabilities. the ones who do will just find another way to hurt ppl, whatever the word they choose.

[Dstroymasons]

so what's next, can i call a white person white or r they missing color.

[dangermous1968]

calling JD female names is poking fun at his masculinity not at women...stop being reta..um I mean silly. next ...If you really have such an inferiority complex that you feel the need to call someone with special needs that .. you have issues.This mesage should be for the parents of all those kids out there that do not teach them to have empathy for those around them. Though that would be tough to do if the parents themselves do not know the meaning of the word or call their own kids that .

[UberNoodleX]

I guess this movement are not that dissimilar to those wanting to remove the 'W' word (winner) and the 'L' word (loser) from schools. How dare society discriminate against people that are slower at running, less talented at studies or memorisation. We should use the word 'participant' instead. Now in terms of the 'R' word, it only has the power that people give it. The Language Cops have spend decade fearfully removing our lexicon of honesty and replacing it with vague, patronising euphamism.

[roedhunt]

I apologise for my stupidity. I meant retarded as an adjective - such as "That music was just retarded." Not a verb.

[roedhunt]

Me personally, I NEVER have called a person retarded...then again I have never called a person stupid, dumb, idiot or moron either. I use those words - including retarded - as a VERB, not a noun. "Well, that was a stupid thing to do."

or

"That's just retarded."

So you all are telling me that a mentally ill/disable will take offense when it's used as a VERB?

By the way, I am bipolar and I know when it's used as an insult and when it's not. Smart people can make that distinction.

[narutonamizake]

dumbass is better than retard(ed)

[AnterosOfTheNyboriag]

I remember, the TV was on in our classroom one day in 7th grade after lunch when a advertisement said we need to change the R word to respect.

I turned to the person behind me and they said, "Your very respected Michael."

:3

[nubzz]

There are actually stupid people in the world, we should also no longer use that term. There are lazy peple too, stop using lazy. There are many ignorant people as well, stop using that term. hey I have an idea, lets all just hold hands and sing kumbaya..oh wait that might offend someone.

[Darkcasanova]

this is a mis-guided cause. few actually use the word "retarded" in a derogatory manner towards the handicapped. the people who do are a-holes and always will be a-holes. a mean spirited person will just find a new word to be hurtful with.

if i say a party is lame, am disrespecting those that walk with a limp? no. it means the party is lame. that's all. language evolves.

what you ARE doing is reconnecting the word "retard" with handicapped people, a disassociation i had made long ago.

[ChildsPrison]

People with down syndrome don't "appear" to be different, they ARE different.

Can we stop living in an ultra liberal, hyper sensitive society where we can never recognize ANY differences between us?

[gjtek2003]

R-olaids

[zrogoszinski]

Trying to get people to stop using the word retarded actually strengthens the word. Words deemed derogatory become more powerful, and are more frequently used in hate speech. People become more sensitive to the word thus making it easier to hurt someone. The solution is to use the word more frequently in more sophisticated contexts, thus eliminating it as a derogatory term and placing it in higher diction.

[motherdadder]

Me and my friends throw the word retard around all the time. We aren't saying people with disabilities are less of people it's just a word we use when one of us messes up. I'd never say it around someone with a handicap or anything of that nature. And of course not around my cousin with down syndrome. Also I have dyslexia and i honestly don't care.

[pepsi1649]

Not trying to be derogatory... but, seriously,... what am I supposed to call " fire retardant" from now on?

[MentulInfestashun]

No one is going to be able to "put a stop" to people using the word retard. This whole campaign is a waste of time and money.

[skjusto]

Are these people serious? hahahaha

[craigelsnewdeal]

repugnant

repulsive

etc

[RarewareLover]

It's interesting how only a couple decades ago the r-word was a euphemism for "moron."

The r-word has indeed been overused and tainted to the point of just being an insult, but we must be sure that a replacement for the r-word does not in turn fall into the same fate.

[boalola]

actually, I have been called retarded many times in my life, and I have a learning disability. You may not be effected by this cause, nor do you care, but I DO. It's discriminating and hurtful. This cause isn't really to wipe the r-word out of the english dictionary, but to get people educated about how hurtful it is.

[ilv1]

@boalola Yea but you should still be able to insult normal people... If someone's an idiot, a douche bag or an annoying prick... Well, he just is and he deserves being called names...

Calling a person with real intellectual disabilities retard is just plain stupid... It IS hurtful, disrespectful and discriminating... But that shouldn't stop us from calling other people retarded... Idk, I just feel the need for this word...

[LeonTheBadDog]

calm ur ass down! we are all supposed to be different , and its great to be different... so stop complainin! ^_^

[undeniability]

@boalola

They don't control how you react to something you can't control. YOU choose to be hurt by a comment that wasn't directed at you. I have a learning disability as well, but I laugh it off when someone calls me slow or retarded.

Maybe if the mentally challenged and their families learned that you can't control what anyone else says, they will understand that it's going to be a part of life. This solves nothing, and teaches kids that shutting people up is the only way to solve things.

[HPJoker]

im adhd.... that's a learning disability... idc if anyone calls me RETARDED

[TheAngryOtaku]

@boalola Im learning disabled too. I got thrown out of class all the fucking time and was called retarded on a regular bases. retard is just a word and only you can give it power.

Ending the word 'retard' will do nothing, people will just find a new word to use. Also, Retarded is a medical term and mongol is a race of people. You people tried this years ago and it didn't work and it wont work now. This cause is Retarded (I am ADD).

[delaina910]

A lot of people think "retard" is just a word meaning slow. Well, the n-word was just a word too and by definition is originally a descendant of the Latin adjective niger, meaning the color "black." HOWEVER, it is NOW used as a hateful word against a race. The word "retard" is used against a group of people in a hateful way as well. Both are derogatory against things that people are born with and cannot help. They should BOTH be treated with contempt for the people that they hurt.

[johnnyonline]

this is a mis-guided cause. few actually use the word "retarded" in a derogatory manner towards the handicapped. the people who do are a-holes and always will be a-holes. a mean spirited person will just find a new word to be hurtful with.

if i say a party is lame, am disrespecting those that walk with a limp? no. it means the party is lame. that's all. language evolves.

what you ARE doing is reconnecting the word "retard" with handicapped people, a disassociation i had made long ago.

[soccerjohn1331]

i completely agree man, words are only bad if people act like they are

[ROYAL1717]

@johnnyonline EXACTLY!

[Onimbus]

well put.

[skjusto]

@johnnyonline I completely agree with this post.

[xxGODofKARMAxx]

yeah man i agree i wish people could just live with stuff and let it go

[ComissarGramsci]

@johnnyonline

No, people just use it as a phrase. Granted it is hateful and wrong but they don't use it to purposefully put down other people.

[IzzyMalmazada]

@johnnyonline@johnnyonline what is your problem?

i have a RETARDED sister, and my friends and people around me always use the retarded to refer to something stupid a person did. thats NOT how u use the word, its only meant for saying a person is mentally retarded. if i called a man whos wearing apink shirt, gay, dont you think gays will get offended?

retard is a DIRECT association with handicapped people, thats what retard refers to.

[nachosNapples]

@johnnyonline their saying if you use it around a person that knows a "retarded" person its very offensive.

[soraman101]

I like how the video says "R" Word then in related videos it has "Special olympics" gg?

[DRWarrior]

Some of the girls on this are really hot.

[narutonamizake]

@DRWarrior lmfao

[scynthuz]

Get hit with a stick, you will be fine the next day.

Get bashed by a group of teens in public, like say highschool, by words... you'll never recover.

[SaltyandHot]

What world do THEY live in? There are people being raped and murdered, and abused all over the world....and THIS is the best they come up with? Sorry, I'm not feeling this.

[MusicDude86]

you got that right

[fleedlefeedle]

you do know this will promote use of the so called "r word"?

[dagooch11201]

Retarded

Adjective

1. Relatively slow in mental or emotional or physical development

[soundgarden22]

well, when i call people retards, i do not make a reference to any similaritys between them, and people with downs syndrom, in fact, i have only good affections for people with downs, well, most of whom i`ve met anyway. so for me retard is a synonym for stupid or dumb mannerisms. which incidentaly is no determining factor for downs syndrom. however, you claiming that retards ARE people with downs, and therfore slow and stupid, is offensive

[Tuomixx]

And after retarded is banned, they will start getting offended by the next word they call them, like "mentally challenged", or "special needs" and so on.

They all mean the same thing, that your slow in the head, and retarded is not a negativ, it's just stating a fact.

[CeroRasengan]

Im friends with many mentally handicapped people, because I used to have them in my p.e class and I can say for sure that they dont really care if someone calls them retarted. Shedding this much light on the matter probably does more harm than anything else.

[KERPALSINGH]

If we didn't want to use the word retarded, we would use a different word. FREE SPEECH FOREVER

[AznSamuraiii]

ppl need to suck it up. damn u RETARDs. stop being such a baby. if u cant handle words, that shows that ur weak.

[ShoesNeverWorn]

Wow your cool.

How about you go up to a black guy, call him the N-word, and see if he's "weak" about it

It's not just about hurting people's feelings or being a dick (which you are)

Using words like this dehumanizes groups of people, the same way Kike or Nigger was used for repression

So how'd you like it if someone called you a chink

[AznSamuraiii]

using those words do not dehumanize anyone. if they just suck it up and act mature, they dont have to worry about being called names. the problem is that people take words too seriously, and even greater conflict occurs. when people call me things, i dont let it get to me. seriously guys, grow up! it doesnt matter if those words hurt. isnt it your own fault for letting these words hurt u?

[TheAbigail1994]

What are you going to do? Tell a girl with down syndrome to just suck it up? Or tell a boy with autism to get over it?

You could not be any more ignorant. We're not asking you to change your lifestyle. We're just asking you not to use ONE word.

Grow up.

[BroseidonKingOfBros]

@TheAbigail1994 ok so people dont use retard. they are still going to use a word synonymous with that. this is ridiculous there are so many other things much more important. a word is just a word. people need to get over being hypersensitive to every little thing

[RandomImaginations]

AZNSAMURAII. If man/woman has a intellectual disability, there problem is that their syndrome, disease, or mental capacity holds back the speed of their mature growth. A mentally ill person generally is more sensitive than you and me. It isn't their fault the words hurt, it's the person who makes fun of them for being called what they can't deny or change fault. Some 35 year olds have permanently been left with the mind capacity of a 8 year old. It is impossible for them to grow up.

[ryan2499]

Here's how I see it -- if someone tells you, "when you say this it hurts me," why do you continue to say it? Why would you not show that same respect to a fellow human being that you would expect in return? This is simply about choosing language that's respectful to other human beings. When a person with an intellectual disability or one of their family members or friends says to you that by using the R-word you make us feel less than human, what is your argument against that?

[TheSergProtector]

the word will never end ever!!! just like the N word

[Fatality0217]

Yeah the one guy is right only ignorant douchebags say that to people it's not very nice :(

[MadPutz]

Why is this an issue for adults? I don't care if some immature prick has the urge to call me a retard, it's my fault to let it get to my head, I am an adult.

However, it is different with children, their minds aren't mature and development and happiness is tied very closely to social rapport.

[ericaleigh777]

Is it bad that I find it hilarious that Obama's "Special Olympics" joke on late night is related to this video? I don't think people should use the word "retard" in a derogatory way but that word is not meant to be used in that way. It means "to make slow; delay the development or progress of (an action, process, etc.); hinder or impede." It is a word just like any other and can be used in many ways not just derogatorily.

[2003rachael]

Have you heard? The F word is out.

It used to be you could call a person ( ), if they were slow, or acted dumb, stupid... or anything else that made them appear different.

But the F word shows lack of sensitivity, or compassion, or understanding.

It HURTS, it's insulting, it's OFFENSIVE!

We need a new F word!

Because FREEDOM is no longer welcome in America, now get over it and say only what we tell you to say.

And never ever mention the first amendment of the constitution.

[benimbel]

This sort of thing has happened before in history...

About 100 yrs ago, the degrees of mental retardation were referred to as 'moron', 'imbecile', and 'idiot', depending on their calculated IQ. These terms were eventually dropped for reasons due to the public. They were never initially, nor intentionally, meant to be derogatory... but eventually everyday folk used the term loosely in a negative way to describe normal people who acted foolishly.

.

Now "retard" has found itself in this position.

[viksula5]

would it really kill people not to say the "R" word I think not mentally challenged or simply handicapped are much better ways anyone who has a problem with it needs to just GET OVER IT

[DoNotTrustThisGuy]

This video is so "respect". On a more serious note, point taken.

[n0time2spare]

stop assuming that the word retard was created for the mentally disabled. We even use it in music (ritard). It is indeed a horrible thing to call the mentally disabled retards but its also ridiculous to completely erase a word from our language. Effing retards on this video.

[MrBloody32]

I thought that this was a joke at first. Are these people serious? A person is deemed to be "retarded" if they are mentally handicapped. If a person is acting as if they are mentally handicapped, they are thus acting "retarded." Hence the phrase, "shut up, you're acting retarded." There's nothing offensive about this.

[KristianDiCamilio]

word.. i really dont get whats bad about the word retarded..

the same with the word "dwarf". now the have to be called "little people".. come on..

[HipHopJun]

yeah whats up with that! people are what they are! Im a spic and proud! lol! i have a gay friend, and i always make fun and call him a fag, but he knows im just kidding, he doesnt care because he knows he's a fag.

People need to know that saying "Stick and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me"

[freechoicebb]

This is the most mis guided video the word retard is not associated with mental illness. Its definition is to delay the development or progress e.g the spark plug in a car can be retarded. Therefore this video has simply made your mission harder because you are now associating the word retard with people with mental illness.

[Zantor135]

I admit I use that word all the time aimed at Healthy people who do dumb things. I never ever used it in reference to a person with downs syndrome or any other developmental disability. I am not justifying it but I admit that it will be a hard word for me to give up. No need to explain to me why I still should not use it. I know why. I'm 41 and things like that are hard to change but I will try to replace it with something like Dumb Ass. I love when red uses it on the 70's show.

[vo7tage]

I don't like how our society associates the word "retarded" with the mentally-handicapped. Retarded is part of the English language, used as a verb. NOT a Noun. The person who created this video is actually WORSENING this "controversy" by making it apparent that the Mentally-Handicap are in fact RETARDS. When has slang become anything more than just another form of expression? I will be sure to use the word Retarded more, because of this video. ThankYou idiots.

[iluvgymnastics663]

This one is my favorite. =)

[taylorange]

Good going but there are other words that we have yet to get rid of such as nigger, bitch, ho or whore, cunt, trailor trash, and the list goes on! The list also gets worse as individuals come up with new words.

[justtim]

Awesome video. I'm taking the pledge!

[Jarrelyn]

It is about time we try to teach people RESPECT! How would you like to be called insulting names!

[ryan2499]

I pledged!

[ktluvbj]

important message...glad that videos like this exist!

[MallRat81]

Totally agree

[reckonerdc]

this is a great video.