Retarded {31 for 21}

Retarded.  Say it out loud.  Some of you might not find it offensive - in fact, some of you might use the word on a regular basis.  "This belt is so retarded."  Or, "I turn into a retard when I don't have my morning coffee."  Not so bad, right?  Now say it out loud in reference to my daughter.  "So, how's the little retard today?"  Feels slightly different, doesn't it?  Heinous, to be exact.

I know what you're thinking - you would NEVER use the word to describe Reese or anyone else with a cognitive delay.  It doesn't matter.  It is a slur.  If you don't believe me, google "retarded" & tell me what you see.  You see faces that resemble Reese.  It is a slur that demeans a group of individuals that would never think to use a slur in retaliation.  It is a slur that demeans someone I love.

My blogging friend Courtney over at Pudge & Biggie says it best in this post.  Here's a clip:

I don't use the word "nigger".  I don't hear it very often.  If I do hear it, I am physically repulsed by the sound of the word and I'm stunned at having been subjected to it at all.

My repulsion isn't because I have children who will find themselves susceptible to that word in the future.  It isn't because I have family members whose color of shin would make them easy victims of the term.

I am disgusted at hearing the word "nigger" because I am horrified at the prospect of living in a society that embraces that word or the people who use it.  I know the principles behind that word and its induction into common slang.  I know that word's intention.

I don't avoid "nigger" because it might hurt my feelings if it's used.

I don't avoid "nigger" because it might hurt someone immediately close to me that I love.

I avoid "nigger" because my world is better than that word and so is every person living in it.  If I allow that word to exist, then I allow the principles BEHIND that word to exist.  And I am so committed to extinguishing those uneducated beliefs and their potential influence on the world around me that I will physically rise up against that word to ensure it is immediately snuffed out.

The same HAS to happen with the word "retard".  Because, at some point, it is very probable that I will be entrusting my children to this world.  And, if there is room for that word in this world, there is no room for them.

You can do your part.  You can take that word out of your daily use.  You can call others out who are still using it, lighthearted or not.  You can demand higher standards from your elected officials, celebrities, teachers and peers.

Ready the world for individuals with differing levels of abilities and you will sweeten the world you live in.  Not only because of the prejudice that is suddenly gone from it...but because of the individuals that are suddenly included in it.

Ann Coulter has recently made headlines with her frequent & flippant use of the word.

“Been busy, but is Obama STILL talking about that video? I had no idea how crucial the retarded vote is in this election.”

"I highly approve of Romney's decision to be kind and gentle to the retard."

Coulter also used the word in a Tweet where she said that if Obama is "'the smartest guy in the room' it must be one retarded room.'"

Another blogging colleague, Dan Niblock over at Down with Oz, wrote an impassioned piece for TODAY Moms in response to the above tweets & demanded an apology from the right wing pundit.

Instead of an apology, she responded with this, "the only people who will be offended are too retarded to understand it."

I realize my "R" post is rather delinquent & should've been published days ago, but it was sitting unfinished in my Drafts folder.  Unfortunately I knew we hadn't heard the last from Ann Coulter but I was waiting, praying, for a member of the opposition to make headlines.  And my prayer was answered in the form of John Franklin Stephens, a Special Olympics athlete & global messenger who also happens to have Down syndrome.  His open letter to Coulter is spreading like wildfire & I couldn't have asked for a more eloquent, more thought-provoking rebuttal to her vile remarks.

Dear Ann Coulter,

Come on Ms. Coulter, you aren't dumb and you aren't shallow. So why are you continually using a word like the R-word as an insult?
I'm a 30 year old man with Down syndrome who has struggled with the public's perception that an intellectual disability means that I am dumb and shallow. I am not either of those things, but I do process information more slowly than the rest of you. In fact it has taken me all day to figure out how to respond to your use of the R-word last night.
I thought first of asking whether you meant to describe the President as someone who was bullied as a child by people like you, but rose above it to find a way to succeed in life as many of my fellow Special Olympians have.
Then I wondered if you meant to describe him as someone who has to struggle to be thoughtful about everything he says, as everyone else races from one snarkey sound bite to the next.
Finally, I wondered if you meant to degrade him as someone who is likely to receive bad health care, live in low grade housing with very little income and still manages to see life as a wonderful gift.
Because, Ms. Coulter, that is who we are - and much, much more.
After I saw your tweet, I realized you just wanted to belittle the President by linking him to people like me. You assumed that people would understand and accept that being linked to someone like me is an insult and you assumed you could get away with it and still appear on TV.
I have to wonder if you considered other hateful words but recoiled from the backlash.
Well, Ms. Coulter, you, and society, need to learn that being compared to people like me should be considered a badge of honor.
No one overcomes more than we do and still loves life so much.
Come join us someday at Special Olympics. See if you can walk away with your heart unchanged.

A friend you haven't made yet,

John Franklin Stephens
Global Messenger
Special Olympics Virginia

Can I get an AMEN??!!??