Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Why the "r-word" hurts; Its personal

Here's an important piece by my friend Diane Grover of IDSC for Life on why the use of the word "retard" as a pejorative hurts a mother who loves her child with Down syndrome. I second her emotion; can you look at this adorable face and call Christina a "retard"? I agree that words have different meanings at different times, but you have to keep up with the times, and take people's feelings into account. If it hurts, the "r word" should not be used by those who care about others. Period.

I went through a time, where I would try to convince myself, that hearing the words “retard” and “retarded” thrown around did not hurt me. Besides, I did not want to be one of those who assault our freedom of speech. I tried to accept it as just a normal part of our society. I tried to forget about it.

Read the entire article at Catholic Exchange.
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