Tropic Blunder

This is old news, but I love talking about oximorons.

(and check out this logo, some thing just doesn't seem right about it)

It seems that society is looking to ban another word from the English language, I present to you the newest abbreviated word to offend someone.... the "R" word.

Apparently, the use of "retard" offends even though it is considered a clinical term, but only used in the appropriate context. Tropic Thunder does not do so, however I feel the dialogue in the movie is a rather insightful one on the subject of the mentally handicapped, describing the difference between retarded and autistic, and on top of that, ti's funny. You can view the news report right here, and judge it as you may.

Before I go on though I would like to tackle the phrase "mentally handicapped" because to me this phrase is more demeaning than retarded. Retarded simply means slow, to retard something is to slow it down. Mentally handicapped, could we be anymore judgmental, the term wreaks of insensitivity. I would rather be considered slow, than have my mental capacity diminished to nothing more than a handicap or disadvantage.

As a society we have become hyper-sensitive to words. Granted some words carry on a legacy of hatred and should not be propagated, the "N" word for example which is not a term of endearment contrary to popular believe, but is more so a word that simply means hate no matter what race of person speaks it.

The term retard was not created in this fashion. Understandably, persons with mental retardation are offended that they are the butt end of the jokes aimed at the lack of mental affluence. Humor is based on taking the literal and making it figurative and funny, jokes aimed at certain groups of people are not necessarily targeted at evoking feelings of indifference to stigmatized groups, but more so a function of entertainment. I personally as a person that is blind, don't take offense to jokes aimed at myself or the blind community. Bottom line is... I'm blind, I can't see very well. Does that mean I should take offense to blind taste tests, no- I should inform the person conducting the test to simply "never mind the blind fold." I'm not offended every time I go to pull down the blinds, I simply pull the blinds down. I could go on for days naming items and concepts with the word blind in it, but I find my time is better utilized doing other things. Maybe I can rid the world of "A" holes, and mother "Fers" while protesting the "BS."

It all traces itself back to stigma, and society's love affair with grouping like things.

People we need to get over words. Actions hurt far more than vibrations floating on compressed airwaves.