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Originally posted by Penske_Account
Why? You cited the definition. It relates to people who have diagnosable development disorders. Not psychological disorders, which are somewhat subjective, but actual development disorders which are characterised by tangible and/or empirical markers. Notwithstanding any other difference of opinion between us and any other deragatory term you want to use to describe me, I think you know that I don't have the empirical markers which would amount to a categorisation of "mentally retarded". I offered the example of one person, who had a developmentally delayed child who relayed her perception of the word's offensiveness to parents of and children who are afflicted with such reality. My understanding, although not scientfiically tested by me, that this is a common sensitivity amongst parents of developmentally delayed children, educators involved in that field and others who have an interest in being sensitive to others in their community. I said and maintain, that I stopped using the word, in any context (except our conversation here), not because the woman/parent inquestion is sitting on my shoulder monitoring me, but because I realised after she pointed it out to me that perpetuating the common/slang use of the word as a casual pejorative is insulting to those people actually affected by the reality of being developmentally delayed.
Why you want to argue that its still a good word to use or maybe people aren't sensitive I don't know. Maybe someday you wil have a developmentally delayed kid and someone will use the word to that child and you will feel differently. but then again that will be anecotal and not really representative of anything broad based or generally applicable.
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There is a real difference, as I see it, between calling someone who actually has developmental problems, "retarded" and calling you the same. I would not do the former, but it seems like the word (which is descriptive of a condition) when applied to someone who has no such problems is not or should not be offensive. Again, would the person who called you on it be offended if you made a joke of "slow," "mentally handicapped," "differently-abled of the brain," etc? Is it never okay to accuse someone who clearly has no mental problems of having them? If so, I disagree.
And you can have the last word because this a mentally handicapped person's conversation.
Quote:
Originally posted by Penske_Account
If I got tagged with the categorisations irl I might be worried, but I am comfortable that while I may have arseholic thoughts from time to time, I am much beloved. Too much beloved in fact. I need less adoration but I people still flock to me. Like flies to shit.
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If you had any balls and said the type of shit you say through socks or IM, irl, you'd getted treated like fly-covered shit. But we both know you would never unload your tripe irl for fear of being completely shunned.
Quote:
Originally posted by Penske_Account
My sentiment was no different than yours re: the subjectivity of what is worthy to post or not (eg: you don't care if I don't like yoiur sports posts, I don't care if you dont like my k posts). for every dissenter such as yourself, I have a comrade in socks, such as ppnyc.
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Didn't you ask me not to bring her into this since she hasn't weighed in? Either way, you need to recount the dissenters and then rally your socks because you're way behind the "dissenters" right now.
TM
eta: My bad. I see ppnyc has weighed in in the expected manner. That's one.
