Intellectual disability

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'''Intellectual disability''' ('''ID'''), formerly called '''mental retardation''' (often abbreviated '''MR''' in clinical settings that still use the term), refers to various physiological conditions that slow or limit cognitive development.

==The R word==
Since mental retardation generally results in what we could call stupidity, it is used as a derogatory insult against people and concepts considered to be extremely, irredeemably bad.

Using the word "retarded" as an insult is now viewed by people who practice [[civility]] to be offensive to others with mental [[Disability|disabilities]] for 2 reasons:
* It degrades disability.
* It's often insulting by comparison. For example, some people consider the saying, "anti-vaxxers are retarded" as insulting to people with genuine intellectual disabilities, since they might be falsely attributed to belonging to [[anti-vaccine]] groups.

The word is also often associated with [[eugenics]], and explains why [[Elon Musk|Musk]] and [[Donald Trump|Trump]] have been promoting its usage.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/03/r-word-right-wing-rise 'The basis of eugenics': Elon Musk and the menacing return of the R-word: The slur is rooted in the dehumanization of people with intellectual disabilities. Its resurgence threatens the fragile progress we’ve made] by Justin Kirkland (3 Mar 2025 09.00 EST) ''The Guardian''.</ref>

===Spread the word to end the word===
Most prominent is the United States social campaign ''Spread the Word to End the Word'',<ref>[http://r-word.org/Default.aspx Spread the Word to End the Word]</ref> which requests that people refrain from using the word altogether and compares it to racial epithets like [[nigger|the N word]].

The campaign, while well-meaning, has met with a mixed reaction. Pragmatists argue that simply banning a particular word doesn't automatically remove the stigmatization of and discrimination against the social group attached to it. This can be directly observed even with the term "retard" itself, which is a middle word in what's known as a "[[Euphemism#Euphemism treadmill|euphemism treadmill]]" that started with "idiot", "imbecile", or "moron" and has since added "mentally challenged" and "special" as terms that turned derogatory.<ref>[http://englishcowpath.blogspot.com/2011/06/euphemism-treadmill-replacing-r-word.html The Euphemism Treadmill - replacing the "R-Word"]</ref><ref>[http://linguisticmystic.com/2012/11/02/the-r-word-and-the-euphemism-treadmill/ The R Word and the Euphemism Treadmill]</ref> Of course, simply choosing not to say a certain word isn't exactly difficult, and it respects the feelings and dignity of people with disabilities.

Regardless of the campaign's effectiveness, the word is still evocative of childish catch-all name-calling (similar to [[homophobia|"gay" as an insult]]) and if nothing else, should be avoided for that reason. As it is also quite frequently [[ableism|utilized against disabled or mentally ill people]] by certain awful groups, especially often in targeting '[[SJWs]]', use of this word should additionally be avoided for that reason.

==References==
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[[Category:Disability]]
[[Category:Discrimination]]
[[Category:Eugenics]]
[[Category:Euphemisms]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Medicine]]
[[Category:Political correctness]]
[[Category:Psychology]]
[[Category:Disability]]

Categories: Disability, Discrimination, Eugenics, Euphemisms, Language, Medicine, Political correctness, Psychology, Disability