The "R" Word

                        What is the "R" word? Rice? Rainbow? Rock? No, the "R" word is "retarded".

Over the years, retarded has become a derogatory slur against those with mental disabilities. But in today's society it is said everyday by people as an insult to those with or without mental disabilities. The term retarded came from "mental retardation" which is what they used to diagnose people that had mental disabilities with.

Retarded is defined as an adjective that means "characterized by retardation" (dictionary.com). I was a little shocked to see that the sample sentence for this word was "the woman walked with her retarded child". It didn't seem so offensive until I actually saw the word in print. 

It's not good that so many people use this term today, most commonly by teens.Teens use this term to make fun of or "joke" with each other.  No matter what context it is said in, it is offensive to someone, somewhere. Often, in today's society, the "R" word is used in various songs, movies, TV show, and books, which is why I believe so many people use the word. When teens see their favorite celebrities using the word, they feel like it is also okay for them to use it. An example of the "R" word used in media today are the movie the Hangover, where one of the most memorable lines was "paging Dr. Retard". Many music artists also use the "R" word in some of their songs. I believe that this is one of the biggest ways that the word has caught fire and spread.

President Obama signing Rosa's Law

Rosa, whom Rosa's Law was named after

In 2010, President Obama pass Rosa's Law. This law prohibits the use of the words "retarded" and "retardation" in federal health, education and labor laws. It also changed the term to " intellectual disability.