Use of the r-word has increased, alarming disability rights advocates

In the years that followed, as the movement gained momentum, the word became so unacceptable that when then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer used it to describe a home for children with intellectual disabilities, he was loudly called out in 2021 and a expressed an apology. that was wide covered by the news media.

Now it appears the word is making a comeback, amid a backlash against woke culture and the election of a president who used it as a put-down during his campaign.

As a Reddit user whimpered in a post earlier this year that drew hundreds of comments: “When did everyone decide it was okay to say the r-word again?”

Experts say the vitriol and anonymity of cyberspace are contributing to the rise, where old rules of civility have been eroded. A study by data analytics company Kantar of nearly 50 million posts in the US found that more than two-thirds of posts about people with intellectual disabilities were negative, and almost 29 million contain libel – many use the word ‘retarded’ or ‘retarded’ or other words combined with ‘-tard’.

The word is used in reference to people with disabilities, but also to anyone the author wants to put down.

Craig Thomasthe co-creator of the hit TV series ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and father of a son born with a rare genetic syndrome and lifelong learning disabilities, said the instinct of online commentators is to ‘go for the kill as quickly as possible’ ‘. is possible, and people see the r-word as the ultimate knockout.”

Thomas, who is writing a comedic novel about special needs parenting, said he began to see the word as an almost common “go-to insult” on social media and in comedy specials, and in politics, where the word “libtard” – a mash-up of liberal and the r-word – has almost become detached from its original meaning. “Some people throwing around the word ‘libtard’… may not even remember that (the r-word) is part of this unfortunate little 21st century online portmanteau.”

Special Olympics says it has been inundated with requests to address people who use the r-word online and is increasingly posting comments on social media accounts that misuse the word. There has also been a renewed emphasis in public messaging to discourage use of the word, including in school programs that teach young children about this point.

The word has recently surfaced in many corners of culture, including the murder trial of Karen Read, where testimony revealed that a state agent assigned to investigate Read had derided her as “retarded” in an online group chat.

It also felt the love on

The r-word may sound like just another offensive word to some people, but not to people with intellectual disabilities and their loved ones and advocates.

“I’m absolutely terrified,” said Maura Sullivan, CEO of The Arc of Massachusetts, about the resurgence she’s seeing and the political and cultural climate that rewards insult culture.

The Arc is a nonprofit organization working to improve the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In her role, Sullivan teaches medical students across the state about the importance of using language that values people with disabilities, and she worries that people will forget the danger that comes when people’s lives are devalued.

“Here in the Mass, where less than 100 years ago, and into the 1970s and even later, people were institutionalized and the language to describe these people was words like ‘retarded’, ‘idiot’ and ‘imbecile’. ” she said. “These were diagnostic terms. These individuals were abused and experimented on.”

Recently, she said, a medical student told her that one of her classmates tripped on the stairs on the way to class and another called them a “retard.”

Perhaps no one has expressed the importance of eradicating the use of the word better than Melissa Reilly, 38, a decorated Special Olympian and advocate for people with Down syndrome, including herself.

The word is used to bully, she said, and is often whispered behind children’s backs at school. “I don’t want people with disabilities and my friends to get hurt when they hear it,” said Reilly, who works as an office assistant and disability policy advisor in Sen. Jamie Eldridge’s office.

Reilly has been working on a bill to eliminate outdated and disparaging terms for people with disabilities that still appear in Massachusetts laws. The archaic-language bill passed the House of Representatives in April, but the Senate did not take it up during the formal session (although it could during the informal session) and advocates, including Reilly, are frustrated.

“I just want the R-word to go away,” she said.

Beth Teitell can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @bethteitell.