The time has come to stop protesting of a certain "R&qu

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Before people start thinking that aspies are just that. Think abou it, if we start protesting the word, other groups of people will think we are.

What, exactly, are you talking about? It's not entirely clear.

Sorry, I meant to say "Aspies should stop protesting a certain "R" word", but my fussy laptop screwed up. And, I'm not trying to be mean, either.

ret*d? Only the ignorant would think something like that.

If by the 'r' word you are referring to ret*d, I'm not entirely convinced that we are not. Would you describe our social skills (including non-verbal communication skills) as normally developed, exceptionally developed or under-developed (aka ret*d)? I think the latter is probably the most accurate.

Is it really the case that people with autistic disorders are not ret*d in one or more areas of development, or is the issue more some kind of aversion resulting from bigotry pertaining to those routinely associated with the word?

I tell people I'm socially ret*d all the time.

The people who get offended by the word "ret*d" probably don't know what it means.

agreed.

ret*d can be added to many different things,including fire [fire retardant],mental [retardation] and social [retardation].
there is nothing dirty or diseased about having some form of retardation.
with mental retardation-it is being slower overall than what is usually expected for age,there is nothing disgusting about taking longer to understand and learn things,everyones got their weakness.

maybe people need to first,stop seeing it as an insult,so when someone uses it as an insult it doesnt have any effect.

'ret*d' means to be 'held back'. Once I learned that meaning I felt free to be really 'ret*d' as I have always been held back from just going out there and living life to the fullest extent. Being called ret*d at school just served to make me more determined than ever to go out here and do stuff nobody else had ever done. For me it was liberating as it meant that I didn't need to 'conform' to any preconceived molds. ret*d people have the key to life but are smart enough to keep it a secret.

I think the people who get offended do understand what it means... that when someone calls someone else ret*d it's not the literal meaning, rather, it's intended as a put down. It's appropriate to be offended by a put down. Though perhaps even better, to be able to recognize it as such but not take it personally and not be bothered by it.

Of course, it can also sometimes be appropriate to turn the insult around... something like "yes I know I'm socially ret*d, but that doesn't make me a bad person", perhaps.

Unfortunately, not many people use the term "ret*d" correctly. I remember giving countless explanations for why I've used the word, because people were actually offended that I used it.

Ass-backwards? Quite.

Edit: By countless, I actually mean two or three times. You get the point though.

ret*d is related to the word retarde to slow or stop, like when the growth of an organism is said to be ret*d, The problem is that the mental context indicates stupidity.

I will admit that I am socially ret*d or sports ret*d, even if I DO show more class socially, and can tell you all about how different things can affect physical development and sports ability. So even when I say ret*d THERE, it implies things that aren't true. Still, I am NOT into sports, and am NOT interested in "pop culture". I also try to be TOO nice, too safe, and am too slow at seeing some hidden meanings, so I have trouble reacting if women are interested.

Not sure about anyone else here, but I'm too damn busy doing intelligent things to worry about protesting the word, "ret*d."

Well that may be, but I am too damn busy doing silly, trivial things to worry about protesting the word, "ret*d."

Well, outside of this board, I DO have some intelligent pursuits. Luckily, I haven't had to worry about this. You also can't really fight the idea. The best thing is to just show them up SO much that, if they claim you are ret*d, they look FAR worse!