Is the word 'Re**rd' acceptable in the USA?

[TheDevilWearsPrimark]

To my shame I'm watching 'Bridezillas' and have heard it used 5 fucking times so far.

I am so angry.

That's interesting Grendel - but the definition I explained came from the Leonard Cheshire Foundation (a disability charity that my exDP used to work for). But why does a handicap mean a physical impediment then?

No.

I was surprised to see "spastically" in one of the Twilight books. Not a word I would use, nor retarded.

it pops up a lot in mean girls.
one of dd's fave films.
the USA is way behind us(and omg this place is crap with disablism) when it comes to stuff like this.
they use spaz, in the totally wrong context.

StewieGriffinsMom trouble is the usa (if I have it right) use spaz as crazy, which couldn't be further form the real meaning of the full word

its all about context thoiugh isnt iit?

theres nothing wrong with the word 'retard'...not untill used in the wrong wat

pillock could be seen as offensive even..

true
dh's medicine is *** retard
it is slow release.
but calling someone a retartd is wrong

An American fb friend of mine who is well educated and visits thr UK a lot used the word 'spazztastic' on her fb status this week to describe the lead singer from the Editors dance moves. I nearly messaged her to tell her it was considered unacceptable in the uk but didn't. I was afraid of being preachy as I know it is not considered rude in the US.

There was an American journal (v high quality) called Mental Retardation, but that has changed its name now to the journals of intellectual and developmental disabilities- which I think reflects an understanding in the US that retarded is not acceptable.

saintlydamemrsturnip lets hope they realise spazz isn't either(won't hold my breathe though)

i hate the word when used to describe someone or an action but the term Retarded means backwards or slow. so to be used in a clinical sense is acceptable. as in 2shoes medication.

It really angers me that it is allowed to be used so freely on tv. they have to bleep out words like tit or bum but retard is fair game.
they couldn't even air a show with teh words paki or nigger in them (rightly of course) so why is it ok to be so highly offensive to the disabled

Slightly different thing, but while we are talking terminology....I followed a van from my local councils 'disablement team' the other day. Surely that is wrong? It conjured up images of them going out and injuring people . Should it not be 'Enablement Team'? Or am I just being ridiculous.

Anyone??

disablement team'
never heard of that, does sound wrong,
reminds me of a young lad describing our house as the "disabled one" I imagined a house in a wheelchair

I know of at least one specialist thatstilluses it in the uk- toquote 'when wetalk about, um you know, retarded,it'snot PC but it is a propermedicaltermretarded so I will use it'.... pulled a cats bum face but as she clearly was aware of the reasons not to use what can you do?

Does seemp opular as an insult in US,and sadly amongst teens here of the manmade fibre tracksuit wearing variant

'I was afraid of being preachy as I know it is not considered rude in the US.
'

Want a loan of the username?

Yeah, I noticed that after I had posted peachy. Shall I give you her name and you can message and preach to her?

would adding her as a friend then putting mys status to 'people who say spazztastic are despicable' do it?'

Or is it too vague?

When I read it, I did a 'sharp intake of breath noise, coupled with a cats bum' face. The thing is, it is MN that has educated me and a few years ago I wouldn't have found it offensive .

Yesterday, I was a soft play with a mum I am getting to know- we seemed very like minded. Someone we both know came in and she said 'look, there's mongy maia'. A conversation started then about this little girl and I kept referring to her special needs and hoped that my PCness might rub off.

LadyThompson - snopes.com has a pretty thorough explanation of the origins of the word handicap - from the game hand-in-cap as Grendel mentioned.

Without regurgitating the whole article, the most simple argument is 'cap-in-hand' would surely become 'capihand' rather than 'handicap'!

This explanation of origin is also in the Oxford English Dictionary: www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/handicap?view=uk

Have not read the whole thread but, having taught in different schools in the US, in different states, I think the word 'retarded' is frequently used in the education system - children are often labelled as mentally retarded if they have a low IQ (and children are tested). It's not used to offend but to describe. However, it always made me rather uncomfortable.

The phrase I hate at the moment is 'Monging out'. I am of an age to remember 'mongol' being used to describe a person with Downs Syndrome.

Does anyone know where 'monging' originates from? I have heard lots of people - including PC friends - use it and it always makes me feel very uncomfortable

'The phrase I hate at the moment is 'Monging out'. I am of an age to remember 'mongol' being used to describe a person with Downs Syndrome.'

Now that's something you won't hear in the US.

That whole 'mong' thing is not an American thing.