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`Fight club' bouts probed at home for the retarded

DeeJayH said:
what a retarded post
are you really going on and on about the use of the word retard while in the same breath/keystroke saying it does not mean much to you :shock::confused:
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I wrote 5 sentences in 2 previous posts. Can you really say that's "going on and on"? Just because I'm writing on an internet forum doesn't mean I'm investing a lot of emotion behind it. I happen to have free time at work today.

If people want to be purposefully offensive about this I don't care. It's just teh internets and I'm not going to change their mind. I mean, it's not like some retarded kid is going to wander into this forum and start crying.

But if people are being accidentally offensive, it's possible a little knowledge might change their outlook about what they say.
 
cascadian said:
But if people are being accidentally offensive, it's possible a little knowledge might change their outlook about what they say.
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How can one be accidentally offensive? It's just a word. Some people might find the word offensive, but what they really find offensive is the derogatory context that it can be used. It's silly to be offended by a word itself.
 
dclxvinoise said:
How can one be accidentally offensive? It's just a word. Some people might find the word offensive, but what they really find offensive is the derogatory context that it can be used. It's silly to be offended by a word itself.
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hmmm... I thought I just explained my view about that. Consider the word: ***hole. There is no proper context for it. It is a pejorative and always has been.

There is a proper context for 'retarded' but not 'retard' (at least none I've ever heard of). So for example a doctor can diagnose a patient as mentally retarded, but there's no medical context to refer to the patient as a retard.
 
cascadian said:
hmmm... I thought I just explained my view about that. Consider the word: ***hole. There is no proper context for it. It is a pejorative and always has been.
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:confused:

"My asshole is sore because I have hemorrhoids."

Seems like in the above sentence I'm not using it as a pejorative.
 
cascadian said:
hmmm... I thought I just explained my view about that. Consider the word: ***hole. There is no proper context for it. It is a pejorative and always has been.
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Sure there is. You just did it yourself. :lol:

There is a proper context for 'retarded' but not 'retard' (at least none I've ever heard of). So for example a doctor can diagnose a patient as mentally retarded, but there's no medical context to refer to the patient as a retard.
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Why doesn't context seem to matter to you? If someone refers to someone as a retard in a non-derogatory way it isn't offensive. They may perceive it to be so, but that doesn't make it offensive. Words aren't inherently negative. They are just words.
 
dclxvinoise said:
Why doesn't context seem to matter to you?
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Context matters a great deal actually. Certainly one could innocently use a pejorative without understanding it's cultural context, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have a cultural context. I'm just explaining the history of the word as I understand it. AFAIK the original context of that word was to belittle someone and I don't know of any other context where your intent would be percieved otherwise. If you'd like to explain another one, I'm listening.
dclxvinoise said:
If someone refers to someone as a retard in a non-derogatory way it isn't offensive. They may perceive it to be so, but that doesn't make it offensive.
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I'm not sure who "they" is in your example. Some bystander I suppose? I'm not going to pretend I can decide for that person what they can be offended by or not. It seems absurd to tell a person that they actually weren't offended when they feel that way.
dclxvinoise said:
Words aren't inherently negative.
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They aren't inherently neutral or positive for that matter either. So what?
 
cascadian said:
The adjective has clinical use, but I'm curious why you're assuming that 'retard' is acceptable and by whom you think it is.
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In this case? Because they are actually mentally retarded individuals in questions. Seriously. Why am I explaining why it's acceptable for somebody who is actually retarded to be called retarded.

There is often process where the descriptors of conditions slowly become less acceptable due to the inherent way that society views those conditions.

This has happened with 'retarded' but AFAIK 'retard' was and has always been pejorative. Doctors might describe someone as mentally retarded, but I don't think there was ever a clinical context to call them a retard.

It's not a huge concern to me if people use the word, but they should know the context.
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So if somebody is mentally retarded they are not a retard? :roll:
 
Hatuey said:
So if somebody is mentally retarded they are not a retard?
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They are a human being. Is it not obvious why someone wouldn't want to be defined by a debilitating condition?

Furthermore, AFAIK, the origins of this word was a slang word created for the purpose of belittling someone, not to classify their medical condition.

from dictionary.com:

re⋅tard⋅ed 
–adjective 1. characterized by retardation: a retarded child.

–noun 2. (used with a plural verb) mentally retarded persons collectively (usually prec. by the): new schools for the retarded.

re⋅tard   
–noun
4. Slang: Disparaging. a. a mentally retarded person.
b. a person who is stupid, obtuse, or ineffective in some way: a hopeless social retard.
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( the other definitions do not apply to people or relate to mental retardation)
 
cascadian said:
>.<

Ok I could have been more specific. Can you think of any contexts to call a person an asshole without it being a pejorative?
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"That asshole is cracks me up!"

I always say **** like this about my friends.

Hell, I call my dad a "Mother****er" all the time and his response? "That I am, son. And you should probably thank me for it."

Context is key.

Calling a normal person a "retard" = pejorative.

Calling a retarded person a retard = accurate description.

Just like every father in the world is accurately described as a "Mother ****er". :mrgreen:
 
Tucker Case said:
"That asshole is cracks me up!"

I always say **** like this about my friends.

Hell, I call my dad a "Mother****er" all the time and his response? "That I am, son. And you should probably thank me for it."
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What happens between friends isn't a guideline for whether or not a word is a pejorative.

Tucker Case said:
Calling a normal person a "retard" = pejorative.

Calling a retarded person a retard = accurate description.
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It's looks like you're in disagreement with etymologysts on this one. Perhaps you should write your own dictionary. The cultural context of that word was not to accurately describe but to belittle.

The fact that you think people shouldn't be offended doesn't mean people won't be.
 
cascadian said:
What happens between friends isn't a guideline for whether or not a word is a pejorative.

It's looks like you're in disagreement with etymologysts on this one. Perhaps you should write your own dictionary. The cultural context of that word was not to accurately describe but to belittle.

The fact that you think people shouldn't be offended doesn't mean people won't be.
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I was trying to write my own dictionary, but it didn't work out because I can't comprehend putting things in alphabetical order.
 
I think we're all missing the point of the article here.

Is ToT okay? Was he hurt? How many rounds did he go before being eliminated?
 
RightinNYC said:
I think we're all missing the point of the article here.

Is ToT okay? Was he hurt? How many rounds did he go before being eliminated?
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took 37 replies for somebody smarter than me to connect the dots :rofl
 
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