“How retarded can I be?”
Last month at work a coworker of mine made a mistake and blurted out loudly, “How retarded can I be?” I looked at her and smirked knowing that the mistake she made was, in fact a silly mistake. She then slapped her forehead and said “hit me the next time you hear my say ‘retarded.”’
My co-worker, Stephanie, got my wheels spinning and helped open my eyes to several pejoratives that I use that I have overlooked. ‘Retarded’ is the world I’m most guilty of using incorrectly. This is particularly important to me because it is something that I should be more aware and sensitive of as I used to go to work with my mother in a home for disabled people. During my childhood, my mother worked at a home called AppleRidge, a place for anyone who needs help such as: physically disabled elderly, mentally disabled adults and elderly, and deaf people working through life with additional disabilities. Over five years I spent much time learning all about these individuals’ lives and how they have been oppressed because of their challenges. This learning process, however, is nothing that I became aware of until well after my experiences with these people. At the time, I was having a good time just lending an ear and learning about human nature. Now, I realize how much these people taught me, and I feel that I owe them more respect than to be using terms like ‘retard’ derogatively.
Stephanie and I have been working with each other to catch those slip ups and stop using pejoratives while we are at work. In doing this, we are trying to limit the oppression that is obvious in our society when looking at the way disabled people are treated in society. Words like ‘Sped’ and ‘retard’ are used in a way that is negative. It is when Stephanie or I do something outrageously stupid or realize our obliviousness that we use the word retard. Obviously, this implies that “retards make big, stupid mistakes.” Because this is not our purpose, we need to find alternative things to call ourselves in time of stupidity.
1 comment:
I think everyone uses the phrases "retard" and "sped" the same way. I'm not saying its right its just what a lot of people do. But it is wrong and some people get very upset when they hear those words used. I had a history teacher in high school and his brother had a mental disability and because of this if he heard anyone use the word "retard" it would infuriate him.
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