Respect the new r-word

Six years ago I walked into my first class of high school. I took my seat in between two teenage boys: one was a year older than me and the other had Down syndrome. At some point in the class, the boy older than me called a fellow classmate a retard.

The next day of class, the boy with Down syndrome was not in his seat and would not be for the rest of that semester. He voluntarily left the class.

From genocide and forced sterilization to now having living institutions and education in schools, one would agree that humanity has made great strides in the treatment of the people with disabilities.

However, what people are forgetting about is the fact that every time someone's lips utter the word "retard" or "retarded" they are setting humanity back decades.

Whenever I speak up and have asked someone not to use those words they simply reply in a nonchalant manner, "it just means stupid" or "it is just part of my vocabulary". What people do not understand is that when you say the word "retard", you are always referring to people with an intellectual disability.

Having those words come out of your mouth whether you mean it in that context or not is insulting and hurtful for many people around you. If it means stupid or dumb, then say that. Why go through the trouble of insulting an entire population?

It seems easy enough...you would think. Even after the banning of the words "retard" and "retarded" in the governmental world as well as the medical one, I still do not believe people understand exactly what they are saying. The definition of "retard" is to make slow; delay the development or progress of (an action, process, ect.).

Ironically enough, the term "mental retardation" was created as a nicer alternative to the other offensive names that were being used. People need to understand that it may not be the word itself that is offensive but the connotation and meaning that we put behind it behind it. People should always look around them and think about what they are saying before actually uttering the words.

Are you alone? Sitting on a bus, office or in a classroom? If you took one second to look around your environment you would see that you are standing next to a sister on a bus, in a board meeting with a dad and taking a test with friend.

A sister, dad, friend, grandparent, mother, teacher, brother, and someone with an intellectual disability are always surrounding you, no matter where you are. So pledge to ban the r-word, and create a new one: respect.