The word 'ret*d'.

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I've never heard ret*d used in a polite way before. So to me its rude and mean.

Aren't mentally challenged or those with learning disabilities somehow slow? I don't know but I would assume they will be slower than the norm in few aspects and processes, wouldn't they?


Hmm, I would say because of the known term 'mental retardation' for the mentally challenged, otherwise where would they get the idea?


well, I haven't checked the dictionary to see if the word ret*d is synonymous to Stupid, but I'll check that in a moment.


No more than I would hate idiots who go "ret*d" at things they don't like, just because they don't like them, which becomes meaningless (given that we are in the PPR forum, which is strange given the topic)

I've always thought they should have an institution to put the easily offended in so the rest of us can be free to say what we want.

If you mean us aspies, I can argue quite well that we are disabled, but I will save you the embarassment of a loss at that one. Go look up the definition of disability. I know I am disabled because of mine, I learn to work around it, its just that simple.

ret*d is different than calling someone stupid. If a person puts forward an idea that is ridiculous or makes a bad decision, people call them "stupid." The word usually isn't used to refer to people with a low IQ, but rather people who do or say dumb things. People who make bad decisions should be criticized as "stupid" because this sort of behavior is usually the result of selfishness, dishonesty, or lack of a desire to learn.

"ret*d" is used to refer (pejoratively) to disabled people or the neurologically different. Surely "ret*d" is more pejorative than "stupid." It is a term designed to dehumanize disabled people.

Thanks Padium. Some Aspies are so arrogant, "no I don't have a disability, I'm not successful because everyone is against me!" Surely people need to learn to understand us, but thinking NTs our out to make our lives hell is pretty delusional. Certainly there is prejudice out there, but Aspies must realize their inadequacies, and see them as challenges, in order to move forward.

And in most western countries, simply say you are disabled, and it instantly makes the playing field pretty level, as it gives you legal protection most people don't have. Not to mention, my current employer hired me because I have AS, and it looks like my next employer will be hiring me for that reason alone.

I think the word ret*d is excellent.

Orwell, don't think that just because you are more intelligent than most people on this board that you know better on this issue, because you don't. Clearly you've never had the confidence-shattering experience of being called "ret*d" with malicious intent.

So much of being successful for people with average IQ relies on social skills. A high IQ person with low social skills can be very successful because they are capable of exceptional work. Unfortunately success for those with average IQ depends mostly on being popular and fitting in because there is nothing exceptional about us. If a person has an average IQ but no social skills they really have nothing to offer, and so are considered "ret*d."

Last edited by Master_Shake on 22 May 2009, 8:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Actually, I have. When I was younger I came quite close to being shipped off to a "special" school, and my early years in school weren't exactly pleasant. My peers have called me just about every insult you can think of and then some, and I have even been called ret*d on this board before. I've also had to deal with extreme condescension from certain people at my university. When I said the word ret*d was excellent, I was making a tongue-in-cheek reference to WP's swear filter, which for a time replaced all instances of "ret*d" with "excellent."


A lack of social skills is a major occupational barrier no matter how intelligent you are, and this is why many autistics are badly underemployed. I plan to hide in an Aspie-friendly field like computers or academia in order to minimize that difficulty.

Oh thats pretty dang funny. "That excellent bastard, he can't do anything right."

Also, "ret*d" was changed to "good guy." "Sometimes I feel like such a good guy, like I can't do anything right."

There were some other interesting constructions that were possible. For instance, I objected to the swear filtering by talking about Alexander Fleming's discovery of a substance produced by fungi that excellent the growth of bacteria in one of his petri dishes.

I'm a million miles from being politically correct, but for me there's limits.

If somebody said, "I'm sick of being treated like a n****r just because I have Asperger's," I'd figure that's outside the limits.

When somebody says, "I'm sick of being treated like a ret*d just because I have Asperger's," I figure that's also outside the limits.

It happens a lot. Quite a few people who would never think of ridiculing blind people or people in wheelchairs for some reason think it's perfectly okay to ridicule ret*d people.

Sometimes I wonder about political correctness and how far it will go. I mean look at the silly things in America that people sue eachother for.....

I use words but they don't always mean the same thing given the context in which it's used. Most words are the same but have different meanings......like b***h.

well, the terms for conditions change; otherwise we'd still be calling paranoids 'people with dementia precox (sp?)', septic infections would still be called 'laudatory pus', and on...an on...

moron is from moros, a greek or roman word
fool is from folis (bellows)
idiot, I dunno.

ret*d is outmoded. Over time, it will probably go away...

When I hear 'stupid,' I don't think of mental handicap. I think of low intelligence, a lack of respect for the nature of logical argument, and a tendency to bully or be mean.