Soeren Palumbo's R-word Speech

This is the original speech that Soeren Palumbo gave as a senior at an assembly at Fremd High School in Illinios back in February 2007.

The speech illustrates his personal experience surrounding the word 'retard' and the pain it causes his sister.

It also serves as a mirror for everyone to hold up to themselves and ask whether or not they've been as accepting of others as they could be in their own lives.

Make your pledge to stop using the R-word at http://r-word.org

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• retarded
• olivia
• notre dame
• assembly
• speech
• acceptance
• dignity
• Special Olympics

[1000xoxox]

We are not looking to ban a word... but to make people aware that this word is not benign... that it is offensive and it hurts as much as calling someone the "N" word... and "Sammallory79" A black man with his mental facilities does know when someone calls him the "N" word and that the other person is being hateful, racist and mean.... In most cases an intellectually challenged person is unaware the other person is being hateful and looks through eyes of acceptance and love regardless.

[putzfrau89]

there are no qualifications of what is "objectively" right or wrong about people. i believe what you meant was in YOUR subjective opinion, there is something objectively wrong with people with a mental handicap.

and in my subjective opinion, there is something objectively wrong with you.

this was not a speech about political correctness. using retard in the way he describes is not using it as a medical term, and is nothing but hateful. its used OBJECTIVELY to describe something as bad

[stormbird08]

I cried. Cried so hard, still crying.

[AliveinHim888]

powerful

[putzfrau89]

@Joe55D its not really that unusual to assume that most high school students have used the word "retarded" just like its not unusual to assume most high school students have used the world "faggot". both have equally hateful meanings, yet one is clearly not okay, while the other is generally accepted. it has nothing to do with actually laughing, teasing, or saying mean things directly too someone who is mentally challenged.

[TheOmegaParadigm]

@mea1989 What are you talking about? Homosexuals don't have anything wrong with their ability to reproduce. Homosexuality does not institute sterility. They can be just as fertile as the typical heterosexual, but a chemical/hormonal imbalance within their brains has caused them to perceive the same sex as sexually attractive more than the opposite, as humans are naturally inclined to (for the most part). That being said, hermaphrodites also fall into the league of LGBT and ARE sterile.

[Beatiful750]

I cried and gave my brother a big hug for he too has disabilities and to be honest I have been very mean to him and now I regret it. Now I notice why everyday he comes crying out of his bus I notice he has been called names in school because he can't speek clearly that almoust no one could understand him. I love my brother

[xbigbowlofpuddinx]

@bsartist You aren't seeing the actual point. The point is that when others start to call their friends "retard" as a common joke it downgrades those that actually do have mental disabilites. If we had not twisted the word to have such a negative connotation then there would be no problem with calling those with mental disabilites retarted, since that is what they are. But what we have done is taken this seemingly harmless word and made it into something that is hateful and meant to harm.

[TheOmegaParadigm]

@Joe55D Because he's arrogant. He's obviously an intelligent kid and he's certainly a gifted public speaker, but he's too sure of his words and he's quick to condemn others. He even claims that "retard" is the worst word in the English language. I know of a little group called the NAACP that would debate that claim, and a number of other organizations that would debate them. His argument is widely speculative, and he relies on his own opinion and emotions rather than reason when speaking.

[TheOmegaParadigm]

@mea1989 I don't mean to be rude, but I think you're thinking too much with your heart and not enough with your brain. I can't speak for the person you were responding to, but I can say that I support an egalitarian perspective where all people are people regardless of what differences or disabilities they may have. That aside, I believe it must also be said that those with mental disabilities do have biological defects, and that within itself is "wrong" according to our biology.

[Italygirl125]

this guy is my hero.