Tag: "ignorance"

I’ve come a long way baby

So at one of the forums I visit I noticed someone was using the word retarded in that way that ignorant people do - incorrectly and negatively. I didn’t leave and I didn’t lose my temper. I posted asking her why people used the word in that way implying something bad.

She replied back she “don’t know why, it’s a habit and sorry did you want it deleted.”

Which lead me to this reply - “you don’t have to delete it on my account. People do have the right to free speech. But to put it right out there, since you asked, yes it does offend me. I posted the question to you because I notice you’ve written it several times since you joined, and I’d not noticed it much at all before then. I have spent the better part of six years wondering why people say it. I have a son with Down Syndrome and I can’t understand for the life of me why people imply retardation is bad, because that implies my son is. To retard means to slow. It does not mean stupid, bad, ignorant, or the many other things people seem to associate with it. I have evolved in the past couple of years. While hearing it still upsets me, it no longer makes me want to hurt people. Instead hearing it makes me want to educate the people that say it and wipe out their ignorance.”

She replied she was sorry and didn’t know what to say and left the forum.

So I’d say maybe this is the better way to handle it.  -
Educate the ignorant. And if that doesn’t work maybe I’ll embarass them and let the whole world know how ignorant they are.

Dad, this is really different from how I reacted to the bowling alley situation a few years ago. Yes it did bring tears to my eye, but I felt better for staying calm and standing up for something.