billvon 3,132 #26 March 21, 2007 >"Hey, autistic!" to my sons. Potential insults abound in our language/idiom if you look for them. "Boy that shirt is gay." - insulting to gays "What is he, a clown?" - insulting to clowns "He doesn't know jack shit." - insulting to Jack. "She won't calm down; she's completely hysterical." - insulting to women. "That stupid joke is spreading like the plague" - insulting to the millions who have died of the plague. "He's sorta psycho" - insulting to people with mental disorders. "She went postal on him" - insulting to postal workers. >Calling someone by a diagnosis in the first place is stupid; to pervert >it into an insult, such as 'retard', is childish. I don't think most people think about it that much. They use a term that they have heard other people use for the same purpose. I don't think people who say "that's retarded" want to show they have no respect for mentally retarded folks, anymore than people who say "she's hysterical" mean any disrespect for women (even though the root of that word means "having a uterus.") Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkyDekker 1,465 #27 March 22, 2007 QuoteCalling someone by a diagnosis in the first place is stupid; to pervert it into an insult, such as 'retard', is childish. I agree. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
downwardspiral 0 #28 March 22, 2007 I for one do not use the word retarded. Its usage, in my opinion, is only proof that the user does not own a thesaurus.www.FourWheelerHB.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
