beastie wrote:I think he's also partly paying for not handling the situation very well once it became apparent people found it offensive.
I think you're right, and I think part of the problem is that he's been put into defensive mode by the strong accusations. That's why I felt I had to stick my neck on the chopping block and defend him despite the fact that I know could be misconctrued as me supporting the sentiments of which he is accused. I mean, I don't exactly expect people to appologize when the accusations get blown up so much that you know you are not guilty of everything for which you are accused.
That's General Leo. He could be my friend if he weren't my enemy. eritis sicut dii I support NCMO
I'm sorry Monkeys, I was having too much fun to stop. I apologize if I annoyed you. Bad day and I needed a laugh and so may have gone on a little too long.
Sorry you're having a bad day. I agree that it was a dumb and rather insensitive thing to do, but I've always liked you. You're OK for a deluded cultist.
Runtu wrote:Sorry you're having a bad day. I agree that it was a dumb and rather insensitive thing to do, but I've always liked you. You're OK for a deluded cultist.
Thanks. For a damned heretic you're a good guy too. :)
"Surely he knows that DCP, The Nehor, Lamanite, and other key apologists..." -Scratch clarifying my status in apologetics "I admit it; I'm a petty, petty man." -Some Schmo
Pay careful attention next time. If I'm 'umming' or 'ahhing' just before I say something, there is a good chance that's actually stutter suppression in action...!
in my opinion, the most interesting people are those who have had to overcome some sort of challenge that made them, to a certain extent, social outsiders.
People who are, and have always been, "on the inside" are often quite boring. They haven't been forced to sharpen other skills.
We hate to seem like we don’t trust every nut with a story, but there’s evidence we can point to, and dance while shouting taunting phrases.
I'm sorry Monkeys, I was having too much fun to stop. I apologize if I annoyed you. Bad day and I needed a laugh and so may have gone on a little too long.
Oh! You did not annoy me Nehor! Not at all. I just seriously had a 'good grief' moment and am through with this thread.
Pay careful attention next time. If I'm 'umming' or 'ahhing' just before I say something, there is a good chance that's actually stutter suppression in action...!
in my opinion, the most interesting people are those who have had to overcome some sort of challenge that made them, to a certain extent, social outsiders.
People who are, and have always been, "on the inside" are often quite boring. They haven't been forced to sharpen other skills.
Well I can vouch for Ren as being very interesting. Not boring in the least!
beastie wrote:in my opinion, the most interesting people are those who have had to overcome some sort of challenge that made them, to a certain extent, social outsiders
I honestly do wonder how much of my unwillingness to speak up too much in big groups is solely to do with my stutter.
It's a lot harder to control the bigger the group, and when it happens - it's all the more embarrassing...!
So the point isn't the word, or even who it's directed at, it's the comparison to retards? (I refuse to say people with disabilities, because they AREN'T disabilties)
Retarded litterally means SLOW. There is simply no way you can say that retards aren't slow, at least at some things. Even autistic children are slower at some things than others, thus making the term "retard" fit, regardless of how bright they really are.
So to call someone retarded is to call them slow. I simply cannot see how the joke Nehor presented can come off as a negative slur -- it seems more like an apt comparison.
Of course people are going to use it as an insult, but this is not a slur of any kind -- it's saying that someone is slow. Yeah, it can be insulting, but it's not insulting to all retards, it's just insulting to whoever doesn't want to be slow in that particular area.
Seriously, I'm MORE offended that you take offense, because that gives the offendors their power. THAT is what classifies the "disabled" as a group, and defines them based on their retardation. Your offense hurts much more than the joke.
EDIT:
Now that everyone's on their good sides again, I had to go stir up the sticks. Whee!
I work for my state's department for disabilities services. I deal with mentally-challenged individuals all the time.
Wrongly, perhaps, in my work setting, I tend to--no, have to, really--think very clinically about the issues.
So, I never think "retard." Instead, I think autism, Asperger's, BIF, fragile X, poor adaptive functioning, and, yes, if full-scale IQ scores are below a certain, sometimes arbitrary, cut-off point, mental retardation, etc., etc.
My friend LeeAnne is a very highly-adaptive woman who is mentally challenged (and, yes, does compete in Special Olympics events) comes 'round every week or two. I've never thought of her as a "retard." Even if she were wheelchair bound and unable to control her excretory functions, I still wouldn't think "retard."
But, I have used "retard" (I'm sure) in a joking, derogatory way with people who do not have mental challenges.
naïvely, I guess, I just never made the connection between "retard" and mental retardation. Yeah, that's stupid, I guess.
Educating someone that you find the usage offensive is a productive thing. I've benefited from the conversation here. But, to dismiss altogether one's spirituality based on using an offensive term is off-base, to my mind.
Nehor: Maybe you could just apologize and we could get this thread back on track. The only thing you're guilty of is insensitivity. I think that shoe probably fits all of us, from time to time.
CKS
EDIT: I guess we're all back on track and can now start ripping on MADB again. (J/K)
Last edited by Guest on Mon Oct 22, 2007 11:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
keene wrote:So the point isn't the word, or even who it's directed at, it's the comparison to retards? (I refuse to say people with disabilities, because they AREN'T disabilties)
Retarded litterally means SLOW. There is simply no way you can say that retards aren't slow, at least at some things. Even autistic children are slower at some things than others, thus making the term "retard" fit, regardless of how bright they really are.
So to call someone retarded is to call them slow. I simply cannot see how the joke Nehor presented can come off as a negative slur -- it seems more like an apt comparison.
Of course people are going to use it as an insult, but this is not a slur of any kind -- it's saying that someone is slow. Yeah, it can be insulting, but it's not insulting to all retards, it's just insulting to whoever doesn't want to be slow in that particular area.
Seriously, I'm MORE offended that you take offense, because that gives the offendors their power. THAT is what classifies the "disabled" as a group, and defines them based on their retardation. Your offense hurts much more than the joke.
EDIT: Now that everyone's on their good sides again, I had to go stir up the sticks. Whee!
I'm with Keene, can we stone all the offended now? :)
"Surely he knows that DCP, The Nehor, Lamanite, and other key apologists..." -Scratch clarifying my status in apologetics "I admit it; I'm a petty, petty man." -Some Schmo