I hear people every day say "retarded" like it's a bad thing. Have you ever met an actually retarded person? I think if you had, you would hate yourself for ever saying anything bad about them.
There's a boy at my school who is one of the special-ed kids. He's the sweetest person you could ever meet. Whenever he sees girls walking in the hall, he always stops and says "Good morning ladies" and lets us pass. He also waited to hold a door open for me one time when I was so far behind him, I wouldn't have even held it open for someone if that had been me.
Alan, one of my second or third cousins (I'm not sure which) is, I think, about 40 years old and has the mind of a seven year old. At a family reunion, we were having a watermelon eating contest for all the kids and my mom asked Alan if he wanted to try, but he got shy and said no. Then when we started, he asked my mom, in a shy voice if he could have some watermelon. It was just about the sweetest thing I've ever seen.
I get so close to punching someone right in the face when I'm walking in the halls and everyone tries to avoid getting anywhere close to the special-ed kids. They didn't choose to be like that. They never asked to be different. They never wanted you to find them disgusting, and they aren't disgusting. You are for being so freaking imature.
Sorry for ranting, but I feel like this message really needs to be out there. Your thoughts or stories in comments?
Always,
Abby Noel
6 years ago
3 comments:
Ahh Thats so true!!! :P And that boy that goes to our school really is like the sweetest, he always says nice things and is always positive and says things like "you're really pretty today" or "you're hair is so nice" and things like that. Darn people who say mean stuff like that :'(
so true, it's almost as though it's become embedded into our everyday conversations as a fill in for something being "stupid" or "dumb" but we don't really understand or realize the meaning behind the word and that it's offensive. I know it's wrong to say, but I catch myself saying it from time to time and I know that there's a possibility of hurting someone else who may take what I'm trying to say out of context. The same goes for the word "gay" and saying that's so "gay" and what not.
I'm gay and I myself use the word as an insult and in a negative fashion.
My brother is "retarded" and just so you know, I don't mean to sound like a wanker here, but generally it's considered more insulting to class someone as "retarded" than it is to use the word to describe something. The classification of "retarded" people is "disabled".
Words are the most powerful thing we have as a society but without the power we place upon them they are only words. The point I am trying to make is that you may, in try to defend a person, insult them more and unintentionally make a word into an insult.
Say someone described something as "gay" around me and you in a way of sticking up for me punched that person in the face. I would be more offended in your reaction to the word than I would be at the use of it - not only this but I would not have noted the word as offensive beforehand but your reaction would have opened my mind to the possibility of the word being meant to directly hurt me.
I hope you can see my point.
I love your blog though and I am sorry for my rant, I hope that you don't mind being challenged occasionally. I look forward to more posts about these controversial topics and shall be following with avid fascination.
In the meantime try to only get offended by words meant offensively regardless of what the actual word is - otherwise this world will drag you down.
Kindest regards,
Amy
www.amystocker.blogspot.com
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