Comments on: Am I a jerk?

By: It’s the Thought that Counts » Blog Archive » Think before you speak

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:44:52 +0000

[...] campaign, however, would come from a slightly different angle. You might recall what I wrote about the Spread the Word campaign (against the word “retarded” as an insult), basically explaining that there is a [...]

By: george.w

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:15:23 +0000

Most excellent post, you heartless jerk.

At the heart of anti-word campaigns (whatever the word may be) is the denial of context as the giver of meaning. “Retarded” when applied to someone who really is mentally disabled means something different from what it means when applied to someone who has no such excuse.

If I were to start a campaign, it would be about paying attention to context. (Slogan suggestions welcome.)

By: Cujo359

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 06:11:20 +0000

Many years ago, there was a baseball player named Boog Powell. When he was playing on his home field, the fans would often shout “Boog” when he came up to bat. Sports reporters would occasionally ask him how he knew when they were yelling “boo”. “I can always tell”, he replied.

That’s the problem with getting hung up on words like “retard” or “black” or whatever. I can usually tell when I’m being insulted. So can most people. It’s not the words that clue you in, it’s the tone of voice, the context, or body language. That’s one of the reasons it’s so easy to offend people in this medium.

Good thoughts, Z. Thanks for sharing them.

By: Andre Vienne

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:12:24 +0000

I’ll admit I’ve used the term to deride people, but I use a lot of terms to mock friends; rarely anyone outside of my abrasive circle of jerks.

… Of course, I’ve actually used the cerebral palsy line when a friend dropped a pencil. She actually had cerebral palsy, mind you, so she sent me after it.

I totally deserved it when she asked me, when I couldn’t find it, “What are you, blind?”

Why yes. For the most part, I am. That’s why it’s funny.

Though, I’d have to wonder how many people would be totally screwed if I started getting offended at the mention of the word ‘blind’, as it trivialized the difficulties I had as a kid. That would be a fun little experiment.

By: It’s the Thought that Counts » Blog Archive » Carnival of the Elitist Bastards XI

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 02:45:59 +0000

[...] at It’s the Thought that Counts, I wrote about the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign (against the word “retarded”) and why it’s misguided. Respect for others is [...]

By: badrescher

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 06:04:52 +0000

You nailed the big problem with PCness in your third paragraph – “retarded” replaced some other term, is replaced by “special needs” or “differently-abled”. So, what’s it going to be when those terms become insults? We’ll end up with a very long list of unacceptable terms and no meaningful way to describe “disabled”.

This solution does not address the actual problem. It is a little like fixing a flat tire by painting the car. We should be searching for ways to change attitudes, not language.

By: Marcus

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 02:59:07 +0000

You cannot deny accuracy. Whenever a word is removed from our vocabulary because it CAN be used in a hurtful way, then we have diminished what intrinsically makes us human.
We need to have the tools to express reality in tokens that allow accurate discourse. When tokens are removed for political correctness our reality is less well described, understood and lived.

By: It’s the Thought that Counts » Blog Archive » More on words

It’s the Thought that Counts » Blog Archive » More on words — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:11:32 +0000

[...] Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, and I thought this paragraph was worth quoting after yesterday’s post. If you don’t know the story, it’s about a mentally retarded man who receives [...]