Watch Your Language: Stop Using the R-Word

SAN DIEGO –  Civilized, caring people have stopped using common derogatory terms intended to stereotype, belittle and show disrespect to people due to race, sexual orientation, gender or certain physical attributes.
But there is one common slang term that is equally insulting and offensive, yet people use it without hesitation: the R-word.
The R-word, “retard” or “retarded,” is slang for the term mental retardation. Mental retardation was what doctors, psychologists, and other professionals used to describe people with significant intellectual impairment. The R-word is still commonly used by society as a thoughtless insult for someone or something stupid. You might hear someone say without thinking, “That is so retarded” or “Don’t be such a retard.”