"I call my nieces retards and they love it. Retard is a term of endearment."
That response to my little campaign against the use of the word "retard" on Twitter haunts me, along with other negative ones it received. The level of insensitivity and ignorance was extreme, and the name-calling was the least of it. People got up in arms—and downright defensive—about being asked to reconsider using a word that is so offensive to parents of kids with special needs, people with disabilities, and people in general who have a heart/brain.
There's no ignoring the new public service announcement, "Not Acceptable," from the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign. It's airing tonight during the Glee finale, but you're getting a first look here.
I am all for the shock treatment when it involves a cause like this; clearly, some people need it. Do you get it now? I'd like to ask naysayers. Do you? It's a nasty word, a slur like other words you'd never use. Would you say "retard" at work now? Would you say it in front of your priest or rabbi now? Would you say it in front of your mother?
I hope this PSA has the effect it's intended to have. Besides Fox, MTV, TNT, CNN and several other networks have committed to featuring it. The more we can get the conversation going about this word, the more awareness will be raised. And the more awareness raised means the more people will think twice about using "retard" or "retarded." Even if you dig in your heels, even if you call your nieces "retards," you will surely have some pause the next time you say it.
What kind of reaction did you have to the video?
That response to my little campaign against the use of the word "retard" on Twitter haunts me, along with other negative ones it received. The level of insensitivity and ignorance was extreme, and the name-calling was the least of it. People got up in arms—and downright defensive—about being asked to reconsider using a word that is so offensive to parents of kids with special needs, people with disabilities, and people in general who have a heart/brain.
There's no ignoring the new public service announcement, "Not Acceptable," from the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign. It's airing tonight during the Glee finale, but you're getting a first look here.
I am all for the shock treatment when it involves a cause like this; clearly, some people need it. Do you get it now? I'd like to ask naysayers. Do you? It's a nasty word, a slur like other words you'd never use. Would you say "retard" at work now? Would you say it in front of your priest or rabbi now? Would you say it in front of your mother?
I hope this PSA has the effect it's intended to have. Besides Fox, MTV, TNT, CNN and several other networks have committed to featuring it. The more we can get the conversation going about this word, the more awareness will be raised. And the more awareness raised means the more people will think twice about using "retard" or "retarded." Even if you dig in your heels, even if you call your nieces "retards," you will surely have some pause the next time you say it.
What kind of reaction did you have to the video?
