Retard (pejorative)

In modern use, retard is a denigrating term either for someone with a mental disability or for someone who is stupid, slow to understand, or ineffective in some way.[1] The adjective retarded is in the same way used for something very foolish or stupid.[2][3]

It was previously used as a genuine term in medical contexts. The verb "to retard" means to delay or hold back, and so "retard" became known as a medical term in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to describe children with retarded mental development.[4] Up until around the 1960s, the terms "moron", "idiot", "cretin" and "imbecile" were all genuine terms to refer to people with mental intellectual disabilities and low intelligence. These words were discontinued in that form when concerns arose that they had developed negative meanings, with "retard" and "retarded" replacing them.[5][6] Since then, the terms "handicapped" (United States) and "disabled" (United Kingdom) have replaced "retard" and "retarded".

Etymology

The word retard dates as far back as 1426. It stems from the Latin verb retardare, meaning to hinder or make slow. The English adopted the word and used it as similar meaning, slow and delayed. The word "to decelerate" would become a more common term than "to retard".

Modern use

"Retard" has transitioned from an impartial term to one that is negatively loaded. For this reason, it is now widely considered degrading even when used in its original context.[7]

Much like today's widely socially acceptable terms idiot and moron, which are also defined as some sort of mental disability, when the term retard is being used in its pejorative form, it is usually not being directed at people with mental disabilities. Instead, people use the term when teasing their friends or as a general insult when in an argument.[8]

Legislation in the United States

As of 2010, despite not typically being used in official context, "mental retardation" was still written in many of the United States' laws and documents, considered by many to be outdated. U.S. President Barack Obama replaced the term with "intellectual disability" with the approval of Rosa's Law—which would require these laws and documents to phase out the terms with the "intellectual disability" term.[9]

On October 5, 2010, Obama signed S. 2781 into law.[10] Known as Rosa's Law, the bill changed references in federal law; the term mental retardation was replaced by mental disability. Additionally, the phrase "mentally retarded individual" was replaced with "an individual with an intellectual disability".[11] Rosa's Law was named after Rosa Marcellino, a nine-year-old girl with Down syndrome. She worked with her parents to have the words "mentally retarded" officially removed from health and education code in Maryland, her home state.[12] With this new law, "mental retardation" and "mentally retarded" no longer exist in federal health or education and labor policy. The rights of individuals with disabilities would remain the same.[10] The goal of this word removal was to remove language that may be considered hurtful from communities.

References

1. "the definition of retard". www.dictionary.com. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
2. "Definition of retarded | Dictionary.com". www.dictionary.com. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
3. "retarded". Oxford English Dictionaries. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
4. Fairman, Christopher M. (February 14, 2010). "The case against banning the word 'retard'". ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
5. "The Uses and Implications of the Term "Retarded" on YouTube". www.academia.edu. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
6. "The Words Moron, Imbecile, and Idiot Mean Different Things". Today I Found Out. March 31, 2010. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
7. ""Retarded" is the new "Gay" – Rough Draft | Food For Thought "Retarded" is the new "Gay" – Rough Draft | Sam Lebold". Sites.psu.edu. March 27, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
8. Siperstein, Gary (April 2010). "Sticks, Stones, and a Stigma: A Study of Students' Use of the Derogatory Term 'Retard'". Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. 48 (2): 126–134. doi:10.1352/1934-9556-48.2.126. PMID 20597746.
9. "Obama Signs Bill Replacing 'Mental Retardation' With 'Intellectual Disability' - Disability Scoop". Disability Scoop. October 5, 2010. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
10. says, Desireah. "Obama Signs Bill Replacing 'Mental Retardation' With 'Intellectual Disability'". Disability Scoop. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
11. "Bill Summary & Status - 111th Congress (2009 - 2010) - S.2781 - THOMAS (Library of Congress)". Thomas.loc.gov. November 17, 2009. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
12. "Remarks by the President at the Signing of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 | The White House". Whitehouse.gov. October 8, 2010. Retrieved June 6, 2014.