infographic by Stephanie Kang
For as long as she can remember, senior Jacie Parker treated the word “retarded,” or the r-word, as any other curse word, avoiding its use whenever possible and asking others to do the same whenever hearing it.
“One of my friends in particular says it a lot,” Parker said. “He might be talking about last night’s game and will call somebody that because they couldn’t complete a pass or [if they break] some kind of rule, he will call it that. I’ll call him on it, though, and explain why it’s offensive.”
Her dislike of the word stems from her childhood when she was taught to avoid the word because of its history in being used to refer to those with disabilities. As a youngster, she simply saw it as another curse word, but she now understands why it can so easily offend people.
“My mom is a speech pathologist, so since she worked with a lot of disabled kids, she knew from the inside how much words could hurt and made sure we knew that,” Parker said. “I think that lesson just transferred over from my childhood.”
It’s this lesson about the word’s negative connotation that Woodhaven, a community living center for adults with disabilities, hoped to teach students with the Retire the R-Word campaign. On March 2, representatives from Woodhaven encouraged RBHS students and faculty to sign a pledge against the use of the r-word, to help kick off Disability Awareness Month and as part of the national Spread the Word to End the Word campaign hosted by organizations including Special Olympics and Best Buddies.
While the campaign’s larger goal was to stop the use of the r-word, Woodhaven Marketing Manager Liz Sensintaffar said the campaign also hoped to teach the importance of treating others with respect and kindness.
“Although we are rallying around the elimination of the r-word, it is only a small piece of what this campaign is really about. Our goal is to educate students on the importance of treating all people with respect and recognizing that their language choices can often color their perception of others,” Sensintaffer said. “Right now, our hope is that students will be willing to take the pledge to end the use of the r-word and think more about what it is they are trying to express when they would typically use that word.”
Parker finds the prospects of such a campaign exciting, and thinks many students could benefit from such a lesson. She said many people simply do not take the time to think about what they’re saying, a problem that the Retire the R-Word campaign could help alleviate.
“I think somewhere along the way, the world has forgotten its original definition. People have become desensitized to its meaning and think it means the same as ‘stupid’ or ‘dumb,’” Parker said. “I hope students understand how much words can hurt, the r-word specifically. You never know what people are going through or what cards they’ve been dealt in life. The word is rude, insensitive and hurtful and it should stop being used.”
Another student who tries to avoid the use of the r-word whenever possible, junior Timofey Kolenikov, said he thinks the campaign has an important message behind it, particularly in its emphasis on the derogatory implication with the word’s usage.
“Using the r-word is degrading. Not only is it offensive, but it is exclusive to those with mental disabilities and those who care for those with mental disabilities,” Kolenikov said. “Using the r-word perpetuates the already negative stereotypes about these people.”
Similar to Parker, Kolenikov said he thinks the word has become so commonplace simply because of a lack of understanding and hopes the campaign’s use of a pledge will help curb its frequency.
“I don’t know why exactly it’s become popular, but I figure it’s because it’s so easy to use, not to mention that it’s already widespread, so many think that it’s acceptable,” Kolenikov said. “I hope that students will realize that using the r-word is offensive and hurtful to others. I think that pledging to stop using it could be effective.”
Students don’t have to participate in the campaign to stop the word’s usage, however, Sensintaffar said ending the use of the r-word is as simple as knowing how the language they use may be perceived.
“To stop using the r-word, be mindful of when you use it and think about why you used it,” Sensintaffar said. “Were you trying to say something was stupid or dumb or that you or someone else had made a mistake? Think about all of the other more accurate words you could have used to express how you were feeling instead.”