[Random_Girl_]

One of my worst pet peeves is people saying "ugh, that's so retarded" and "you retard"

My younger sister (12 years old) uses this all the time. I keep telling her that's it's a serious condition and she turns around and says it again. It makes my blood boil. I can't get it into her ignorant skull that it's offensive and on the occasion that I say that, she doesn't care at all. This ignorance is horrible. Does anyone have a way to tell these people to stop using the word offensively?

Thank you

[Random_Girl_]

Oh and I left something out. I'm not usually an aggressive person but this is the one thing I can excuse myself for hitting someone for (if I've told them what it means)

[Anonymous37919]

Yes. It is impolite.

[Lexi232]

you are right, it is a serious condition. but i think she may be saying it with a different intent than what the text book meanings are
but i can get that aggrevated over someone calling a tantrum, a "meltdown". especially once they hear me say it, they start adapting the word because it makes their tantrums sound excusable, which gives a big stigma to others who dont know the truth about what a meltdown is, and how its not the same as a trantrum. ugh.. so yah, i know how a certain thing such as wording can really irk a person off.

i think "retard" may be something she adapted in school, as through time, "gay" meant happy, then it meant ... well... you know. lol... then there was a time when "thats gay" meant "thats stupid". but gay has also went back to the dictionary definition.
i know that wont help with how it is making you mad, but maybe that could be and opening or an start on where it may be originating from.

theres a chance that she might be trying to interact with you, and thats the one thing guaranteed to get you to interact. (just something i thought of, when she restates it after you tell here that its serious. )

i dont know really, but maybe having a lesson on the stigma of "retard" with her might get her to understand. but shes 12, and her harmones and brain is all at a unstable place most likely, so she may not be receptive to that even if you tried.)

are your parents able to step in to get her to reason about it?

i dont think hitting your sister would help any. it could make things worse. but its really her actions, and even by hitting someone, that could lead to them doing it more just to provoke you.

im not able to do this with my own problems on the wordings that some people use, but if your able to -im almost certain (99%) that if you were to ignore her and act like you are no longer bothered by it, she would stop after a while.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[-jimi-]

The problem isn't the word. It is the attitude. If everyone was fully accepted, no one would use those names in a negative way.

[Lexi232]

yah, that's true

its hard to find a solution that would be helpful tho , because we cant control what others say, do, or think.

:hug;

[Random_Girl_]

Thanks for the comments, I've tried many times to explain it but she never listens. Usually she speaks over me and pushes me away... I hope she grows out of it :O

[AdamLee]

People tend to do that to intentionally get on your nerves. When they do, it's best to not communicate with them. Leave the room, stop talking to them. If they keep addressing you in a negative matter, or in a matter you do not wish to be addressed, stop talking to them until they treat you with respect.

Kids don't really have much tact..it's hard to get them to take things seriously so I don't even try.
It's the fault of society really.

i hate this word too. tell her how hurtful and offensive it is to say that. it is really not okay, no matter how old she is.

[-jimi-]

I hope everyone knows autism and mental retardation is not the same thing.

[Anonymous37919]

There are offensive terms for pretty much everything and there are idiots in this world that like to harass good people. Try not to let them bug you for if they know they bug you, satisfaction is instantly granted. If they did this at work, you could try saying it bothers you, ask the perpetrator politely to stop, or failing that, tell management you are not happy with the verbal abuse you receive and it makes you feel uneasy. The word "retard" is daft anyhow.

[Random_Girl_]

Okay, thanks to everyone who took the time to reply. She's stopped saying it recently so I hope she's forgotten! The only problem with ignoring her is that she never wants to talk to me unless she needs something or wants to insult me. She really couldn't care less if I talked to her or not... I guess I'll just have to try and put up with her *sigh*

[-jimi-]

Just for fun, the word idiot was from the beginning not slander or a bad word. By that time's vocabulary, a moron was slightly retarded, an imbecile moderately retarded and an idiot severely retarded. The original meaning of idiot was layman or unskilled. This word which was rather nice and harmless came in use, and after using it for MR, it turned into the bad word it is today.

Strange aint it?

[rosska]

Originally Posted by -jimi-

Just for fun, the word idiot was from the beginning not slander or a bad word. By that time's vocabulary, a moron was slightly retarded, an imbecile moderately retarded and an idiot severely retarded. The original meaning of idiot was layman or unskilled. This word which was rather nice and harmless came in use, and after using it for MR, it turned into the bad word it is today.

Strange aint it?

Reminds me of the word 'Spastic'. It was used (and still is for some conditions where it has no pejorative implications) to describe people with cerebral palsy. In the UK in 1951 the Spastics Society was founded to aide people with the condition. Then during the 80's and 90's it became more widely used as in insult to imply somebody was stupid or physically impaired in some way and eventually it was dropped by the charity and from common medical use when dealing with the condition. I was in primary school when that change occurred. I remember a lot of the other kids my age used the word regularly at the time.

Sadly, it's not about the words. It's about the narrow-minded society we live in where anything other than the 'ordinary' is deemed as unacceptable and thus something open to ridicule.

[Random_Girl_]

Originally Posted by rosska

Reminds me of the word 'Spastic'. It was used (and still is for some conditions where it has no pejorative implications) to describe people with cerebral palsy. In the UK in 1951 the Spastics Society was founded to aide people with the condition. Then during the 80's and 90's it became more widely used as in insult to imply somebody was stupid or physically impaired in some way and eventually it was dropped by the charity and from common medical use when dealing with the condition. I was in primary school when that change occurred. I remember a lot of the other kids my age used the word regularly at the time.

Sadly, it's not about the words. It's about the narrow-minded society we live in where anything other than the 'ordinary' is deemed as unacceptable and thus something open to ridicule.

This describes what I meant perfectly. I have no words for how perfectly you described it... Thanks!!!/