Report Blog Entry
tw ableism, slurs
RECLAMATION. noun. the process of claiming something back or of reasserting a right.
USE. verb. take, hold, or deploy (something) as a means of accomplishing a purpose or achieving a result; employ.
where do those definitions cross? let's put them inside a venn diagram. we're going back to 3rd grade for this, since i think some of you need me to dumb it down, unfortunately!
(reclamation. take back, claim as one's own.)(take)(use. take and deploy for or against something or someone.)
i'm not seeing where these two words have anything in common, other than taking. what happens after the taking is where the confusion (ignorance?) seems to rear its ugly head.
mentally disabled people, especially kids, know the pain of being called "retard".
flap your hands and make weird sounds, you're a retard.
try to make a joke and it doesn't land, you're a retard.
be naive and gullible, you're a retard.
can't understand something no matter how hard you try, you're a retard.
smile and you're a retard.
cry and you're a retard.
exist and you're a retard.
it's a gut punch every time. we know we're different. we know we struggle with basic shit that you think is simple. you think we're not aware? you think we float through life with no feelings, no emotions, no dreams, no hopes, no ambitions? we're fucking human. just like you are.
and when that word is spat out of another mentally disabled person's mouth, not as reclamation but as a slur, that's just as hurtful. it is NO LESS HURTFUL when it comes out of the mouth of someone who should understand how fucking painful that slur is. do i have to say it again? JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE MENTALLY DISABLED DOESN'T MEAN YOU GET A FREE PASS TO CALL OTHER PEOPLE RETARDS!
hang on. i don't know if i got through to you.
a slur deployed against someone else is a slur, even if you personally can reclaim it!
need it worded another way?
slur = slur.
get it yet?
let me help.
HOW TO RECLAIM A SLUR:
example 1: "yes, actually, i AM a retard! i AM mentally disabled, and i am not ashamed of that! i am a proud retard!"
example 2: "i am retarded, and i deserve respect."
HOW NOT TO RECLAIM A SLUR (AKA HOW TO USE A SLUR):
example 1: "you are retarded."
example 2: "i don't agree with you, you're a retard."
seems pretty straightforward but apparently it isn't!
and, you know, having to tell kids this is one thing. but grown ass adults? 20, 30, 50 year olds thinking "reclaim" = "use against someone else"?
i reclaimed my car, let me just hit someone with it real quick. i'm allowed because it was stolen from me. like, what?
and you get the losers who make "reclaiming" (using) the word retard their entire personality. see it 3 or 4 times on their profile, they use it in every blog, they comment "you're retarded" any time someone disagrees with them. and then turn around and say "umm i was called a retard as a child so its ok!"
it stinks in here! you smell bad! i think you need to go outside and blow the stink off! i think you need to grow the fuck up! is that hurt child in you really so strong that you think you need to spread the pain? i don't think so! if it truly is, get some fucking help!
a slur is a slur is a slur. that's the long and short of it. you don't get to change the meaning of a word just because you feel like it. if you're going to be hurtful on purpose, just own up to it instead of hiding behind your lame ass "i can reclaim it" excuse. you're not reclaiming. want to be a shitty, insufferable person? go ahead! just do it with your full chest! because you're not fooling anyone!
signed,
a proud retard who doesn't put up with dumbassery!
(edit) ps. an autism diagnosis by itself does not give you the right to reclaim the slur, even if you were/are called a retard. autism by itself is not considered an intellectual disability, which is what the slur retard has historically been used to describe and demean. think people with down syndrome, cerebral palsy, brain damage, fetal alcohol syndrome, chromosomal disorders, etc. autism is a developmental disability, not an intellectual one.
Comments
Displaying 1 of 1 comments ( View all | Add Comment )
🍑gr3at.s4ge🐮
that having been said, it's important to remember that your ability to reclaim any given slur doesnt mean that people have to be comfortable with anyone referring to them with that slur- including when it's been reclaimed!
exactly!
reclaiming slurs is a deeply personal thing. the entire POINT is that the word spits venom, it burns, but you're taking it and letting that venom make you stronger. you know and accept the history of the word. you don't try to twist it into something different, something nicer— it's supposed to REMAIN venomous! but you've made it yours.
me reclaiming retard doesn't mean you (general you) do, and it would be fucked of me to push that onto you just because i personally feel empowered by it when i use it to describe myself!
just because i reclaim it doesn't mean i want anybody else calling me that (without express permission). but if they DID, yeah, i AM a retard! so? your point? does using a slur make you feel bigger, little guy? lol!
by CHAIN; ; Report