R-Word?
This couldn't have anything to do with the Obama Special Olympics gaffe could it? R-word.org was launched by Special Olympics just days after his Tonight Show appearance and it encourages people to take this pledge:
I pledge and support the elimination of the derogatory use of the r-word from everyday speech and promote the acceptance and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities.We're all about encouraging sensitivity, but aren't there more important things to worry about, like raising awareness, ensuring proper medical care, and preventative research? As Gawker points out, in a few years "retarded" will likely be the term of choice. It's like obsessing over the juvenile use of the word gay (see thinkb4youspeak.com) instead of trying to overturn gay marriage bans. These campaigns just strike us as being, uh, r-word, g-word, and utterly missing the big picture.
Comments
. . . and also gay.
Posted by: yeats | April 1, 2009 12:08 PM
You guys are retarded.
Posted by: Teen Wolf | April 1, 2009 10:26 AM
To answer the original question...
No, it doesn't have anything to do with Obama. It was an idea put forth at a summit of Special Olympics participants following the use of the word by Dick Morris on the O'Reilly Report. This was well before Obama said it on the Tonight Show. There is YouTube of John McGinley of Scrubs talking about the project on the Bonnie Hunt show. His son has Downs and he was at the summit.
Posted by: Melissa | March 31, 2009 05:00 PM
We all know we shouldn't say that word, or call things "gay," or any of that, but we do because it has been so normalized in our culture. Even Obama, it just slipped out. I use both of those words and wish that I didn't. For people to make an effort in the opposite direction is a good thing.
We should, as a whole culture, be better about that kind of thing. Sure, it's not the worst thing in the world, but we can still make an effort.
Are you really going to defend your use of the word? That's the kind of person you want to be in this world? You're that guy?
And I agree with seemingly everyone else. What happened to this site? Has it gone the way of the neighborhood itself?
Posted by: bd | March 31, 2009 02:23 PM
I'm sad you used one of the few daily posts to criticize this endeavor. When you use words like "gay" and "retarded" you are telling all those kids who are mocked with those words that they should just suck it up.
Posted by: stumpy | March 31, 2009 02:06 PM
what if bush would've had made that same comment??? or if you would've said it out loud in the subway??? do you think obama really cares that you (the white, upper-middle class artist/musician whatever NE liberal art school graduate) are defending him? think again!!! well maybe because you all voted for him. but i am thinking he has no love for you guys. don't cry! stop defending him so much. he's just another politician and a very inexperienced one at that. what ever happened to pulling troops out of iraq??? thanks for al the updates on restaurants. i appreciate them! some of these places have been closed for years.
Posted by: yo momma | March 31, 2009 01:13 PM
"It's like obsessing over the juvenile use of the word gay (see thinkb4youspeak.com) instead of trying to overturn gay marriage bans."
thing is, saying things are 'gay' or 'retarded' immediately affect people who hear you say it, when you say it. eliminating jim crow laws didn't end racism, why would overturning the gay marriage ban end heterosexism? it won't.
it's not just an either we focus on doing this or we focus on doing that situation. you can spend some time trying to help kids understand that hurting other people with words isn't just a sticks and stones situation -and- try to secure medical care and/or basic rights to people -simultaneously-.
Posted by: al oof | March 31, 2009 12:57 PM
sofa king we todd did
Posted by: stuff | March 31, 2009 11:37 AM