In your day to day life, I'm sure you have heard your peers use the r-word in negative ways. Maybe you have even used it yourself. Unfortunately, it is fairly common in the vocabularies of many people today. However, using the r-word has strong implications that many may not realize.
The word was introduced in 1961 as a medical term to describe people with cognitive disabilities. Sadly, the meaning of the word morphed over the years and became a common form of hate speech that was used to mock and ridicule the many people with disabilities of all kinds. The r-word developed into a slur that represents ableism, discrimination, and hate, and it needs to be removed from our vocabularies.
In 2009, Rosa's Law was enacted by Barack Obama to change the official terminology from "mental retardation" to "intellectual disability." This change helped promote inclusion and respectful language toward people with disabilities, but the damage of the old term still remains prevalent.
Many people who use the r-word do so out of ignorance. In my experience, it is mostly used by friends to make fun of each other. I have talked to many people about the offensiveness of this word and received the response "I'm only using it to talk about my friend. I'm not talking to a person with disabilities so it's not offensive." This is simply incorrect. When the r-word is used as an insult or in place of words like "dumb," the implication is made that people with disabilities are not intelligent or that it is bad to have a disability. This suggestion is extremely hurtful, offensive, and absolutely untrue.
The r-word is cruel and harmful, no matter the context. It carries the weight of years of ableism and discrimination, along with the many battles that people with disabilities continue to face in 2021.
Know the weight of your words.
End the r-word.
