Quote:
Originally Posted by fatso
And Gozer, I don't know if it would get rid of the sentiment. I'm not prescient. But that's a pretty unreasonable test to meet no? Surely it would be a step in the right direction both to getting rid of that sentiment and in allowing the mentally challenged some say over how they're represented in the public sphere.
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My point is not that this "R-word" stuff won't fully remove this sentiment, my point is that this effort will be counter-productive. Jackasses like me aren't going to reform because of these ads, I'm just going to redefine the term.
I rarely use the word, but when I do it would be when something was more complicated than it needed to be. A conflicting policy at work or if I put my pasta in water before its boiling. Something that should have been easy becomes difficult.
That seems intuitive (albeit insensitive) to me, the mentally handicapped have to put more effort into some tasks I consider simple. We should be pushing that meaning, extolling the effort some people need to accomplish their goals or help the infirm, not redefining the word imply dehumanization.