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.

  • piecat@lemmy.worldEnglish
    12·
    12 hours ago

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retard_(pejorative)

    For context, until the 1960s, the terms moron, idiot, cretin, and imbecile were all genuine, non-offensive terms used, including by psychiatrists, to refer to people with mental intellectual disabilities and low intelligence. These words were discontinued in that form when concerns arose that they had developed negative meanings, with “retard” and “retarded” replacing them.[6][7] After that, the terms “handicapped” (United States) and “disabled” (United Kingdom) replaced “retard” and “retarded”. Disabled is now considered a more polite term than handicapped in the United States as well.

    • Pyr@lemmy.caEnglish
      13·
      10 hours ago

      And then in a decade or two people will have started to use the word disabled with a derogatory meaning and we can no longer use that word either.

      • lightnsfw@reddthat.comEnglish
        2·
        8 hours ago

        It has already started. It will start immediately with whatever word they come up with to replace it. If someone is being particularly stupid, someone else will find the strongest word they can to insult them. This will never change.

      • burntbacon@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
        1·
        9 hours ago

        Already happening, and already being railed against. You can read a great many arguments from certain communities that decry anyone calling them disabled or handicapped.