That's So Retarded
I never liked that word. In fact, whenever someone says it, it smacks me like a swear word. I can't imagine having a child who may be suffering from a mental disorder and overhearing someone just casually throw out the word - "retarded".
What brings it to mind is because I saw a young kid on a job this morning. He had a stud in his eyebrow, one in his tongue, one in his upper lip and two or three in each ear. He was standing next to an old-time construction guy.
"Did it hurt when you got those rings installed?" I asked the kid.
"He didn't feel a thing," the old-timer butted in, "because he's retarded."
For the first time, hearing the word didn't bother me so much because perhaps the old-timer was on to something.
The kid lisped something about time passing us by and how his generation was into the whole ring thing.
"Come on," I pressed on, "that one in your lip must bug you when you eat."
"No," the kid said. "The only thing that bugs me about them is when old guys ask me if they hurt."
"Looks like you got dressed near a tackle box that blew up," I said.
"I've heard them all," he said. "My father thinks I'm retarded too."
The second mention of the word caused me to cringe.
"You aren't retarded," I said. "You're just a little slow."
Lip rings, nose rings, eye rings and ear rings aside the casual use of such a word must be stopped. It is tossed out there in movies, comedy acts and in every day conversation.
The word is offensive at every turn.
Unless of course you are dressed for every day life as though you were going trick-or-treating.
What brings it to mind is because I saw a young kid on a job this morning. He had a stud in his eyebrow, one in his tongue, one in his upper lip and two or three in each ear. He was standing next to an old-time construction guy.
"Did it hurt when you got those rings installed?" I asked the kid.
"He didn't feel a thing," the old-timer butted in, "because he's retarded."
For the first time, hearing the word didn't bother me so much because perhaps the old-timer was on to something.
The kid lisped something about time passing us by and how his generation was into the whole ring thing.
"Come on," I pressed on, "that one in your lip must bug you when you eat."
"No," the kid said. "The only thing that bugs me about them is when old guys ask me if they hurt."
"Looks like you got dressed near a tackle box that blew up," I said.
"I've heard them all," he said. "My father thinks I'm retarded too."
The second mention of the word caused me to cringe.
"You aren't retarded," I said. "You're just a little slow."
Lip rings, nose rings, eye rings and ear rings aside the casual use of such a word must be stopped. It is tossed out there in movies, comedy acts and in every day conversation.
The word is offensive at every turn.
Unless of course you are dressed for every day life as though you were going trick-or-treating.
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