There’s a clear campaign against the mentally ill with the global rise of fascism. Lots of it shows up in anti homeless rhetoric, but you can see it in the MAHA and anti vaccination movements.
There’s no reason to use the word “r-tarded” to describe someone. As someone who’s worked with the intellectually challenged, it’s an insult to them to compare them with people who are willfully ignorant.
Idk if someone was called that as essentially a slur many times growing up, it’s not like they choose to feel bad when someone says it. It’s also used as a replacement for “bad/unpleasant” so it’s kinda hard to reclaim.