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| Meghan Schrader |
Meghan is an instructor at E4 - University of Texas (Austin) and is a member of the EPC-USA board.
As I’ve said, I think it’s valuable for all euthanasia opponents to keep abreast of various trends in policy and culture that impact people with disabilities, in order to ensure that opposition to euthanasia remains linked to broader efforts to promote the inclusion and dignity of people with disabilities. So, this is a disability issues lesson about the terms “retard” and “retarded.”
Despite my facility with words, my Nonverbal Learning Disorder comes from a mild brain injury that I got while I was being born, and back in 1995, when “retarded” was still a formal medical term, a clinician accurately described my visual-spatial skills as falling into the “moderately retarded” range.
When I was growing up, bullies loved few things more than to band into groups that would follow me around and call me a “retard.” Sometimes random people I had never met would walk up to me at school to tell me that I was “retarded.” Often when bullies used that term, they followed it up by saying things like, “Everyone hates you,” and “I’m going to throw acid on you in science class.” Or, since the bullies knew how often my “retarded” visual-spatial skills caused me to get lost, they would try to disorient me on purpose, so that they could, you know, remind me that I was “retarded.”
Therefore, it hurts me to read that some people have decided to use the r word as what USA Today called “a principled stand against what they call "cultural Marxism" being imposed on the country by progressives.”
If that’s you, please stop. Using the r word reinforces a pattern of people from all ideologies and political perspectives using disabled people to make a political point. This is not a partisan issue; I’ve seen people who identify as political progressives and all other backgrounds engage in harmful behavior. I am quoting the aforesaid USA Today article simply because it recounts more recent uses of the r word by powerful, visible people.
It is not necessary to use the r word to take a political stand; there are plenty of other ways for people bickering over politics to express that they do not like their opponents’ ideologies. Yet, despite decades of disabled people and disability rights advocates asking people not to use the r word, people from across the ideological spectrum can’t seem to get the memo.
As most readers probably know, President Trump used the term “seriously retarded” to refer to Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz and then proudly doubled down on his use of the term. (Waltz then played ableist political rhetoric frisbee by telling President Trump to get an MRI.) Apparently Elon Musk has used the r word repeatedly, and radio host Seth Rogan has stated, “The word ‘r-----ed’ is back and it’s one of the great culture victories.”
No. Using a term connected to disabled people’s personal experiences of hate and abuse is not a “cultural victory.” Irrespective of who a person is or what other political beliefs they hold, it is perfectly reasonable for disabled people to want a culture where the terms “retard” and “retarded” are treated like slurs.
Regardless of anyone’s intent, the r word is intertwined with humanity’s history of undermining the intrinsic human worth of disabled persons. Therefore, I urge all euthanasia opponents to refrain from using the r word as an act of respect.
As I’ve said, I think it’s valuable for all euthanasia opponents to keep abreast of various trends in policy and culture that impact people with disabilities, in order to ensure that opposition to euthanasia remains linked to broader efforts to promote the inclusion and dignity of people with disabilities. So, this is a disability issues lesson about the terms “retard” and “retarded.”
Despite my facility with words, my Nonverbal Learning Disorder comes from a mild brain injury that I got while I was being born, and back in 1995, when “retarded” was still a formal medical term, a clinician accurately described my visual-spatial skills as falling into the “moderately retarded” range.
When I was growing up, bullies loved few things more than to band into groups that would follow me around and call me a “retard.” Sometimes random people I had never met would walk up to me at school to tell me that I was “retarded.” Often when bullies used that term, they followed it up by saying things like, “Everyone hates you,” and “I’m going to throw acid on you in science class.” Or, since the bullies knew how often my “retarded” visual-spatial skills caused me to get lost, they would try to disorient me on purpose, so that they could, you know, remind me that I was “retarded.”
Therefore, it hurts me to read that some people have decided to use the r word as what USA Today called “a principled stand against what they call "cultural Marxism" being imposed on the country by progressives.”
If that’s you, please stop. Using the r word reinforces a pattern of people from all ideologies and political perspectives using disabled people to make a political point. This is not a partisan issue; I’ve seen people who identify as political progressives and all other backgrounds engage in harmful behavior. I am quoting the aforesaid USA Today article simply because it recounts more recent uses of the r word by powerful, visible people.
It is not necessary to use the r word to take a political stand; there are plenty of other ways for people bickering over politics to express that they do not like their opponents’ ideologies. Yet, despite decades of disabled people and disability rights advocates asking people not to use the r word, people from across the ideological spectrum can’t seem to get the memo.
As most readers probably know, President Trump used the term “seriously retarded” to refer to Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz and then proudly doubled down on his use of the term. (Waltz then played ableist political rhetoric frisbee by telling President Trump to get an MRI.) Apparently Elon Musk has used the r word repeatedly, and radio host Seth Rogan has stated, “The word ‘r-----ed’ is back and it’s one of the great culture victories.”
No. Using a term connected to disabled people’s personal experiences of hate and abuse is not a “cultural victory.” Irrespective of who a person is or what other political beliefs they hold, it is perfectly reasonable for disabled people to want a culture where the terms “retard” and “retarded” are treated like slurs.
Regardless of anyone’s intent, the r word is intertwined with humanity’s history of undermining the intrinsic human worth of disabled persons. Therefore, I urge all euthanasia opponents to refrain from using the r word as an act of respect.
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