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26 Search Results for "retard"
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Here we go again...
- From: ryaneades
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Description:
UPDATE OCTOBER 14:
Wow, so this just doesn't stop. I just saw a preview from the latest issue of Rolling Stone Magazine in which Madonna (she's on the cover) gives an in depth interview on her career and life. One paragraph in which she speaks about musical regrets or predicting a hit. Here is the excerpt, please note the bold is my addition:
But Madonna doesn’t have many musical regrets. She tells Scaggs about writing “Live to Tell” and “Vogue,” returning with a head full of brand-new ideas on Ray of Light and teaming with some of the industry’s biggest hitmakers on Hard Candy. But after all these years, she admits she still can’t sniff out a Number One. “I’ve never been a good judge of what things are going to be huge or not. The songs that I think are the most retarded songs I’ve written, like ‘Cherish’ and ‘Sorry,’ a pretty big hit off my last album, end up being the biggest hits,” she tells RS. ” ‘Into the Groove’ is another song I feel retarded singing, but everybody seems to like it.”
So, what are your thoughts? What do you think about the fact that the media is speaking about Madonna and Guy Ritchie fighting back and forth, but NO ONE is talking about the hurtful language they are using by throwing around the R-word with reckless abandon. Share your thoughts in the comments below along with your thoughts on Guy Ritchie's recent usage as outlined below.
Original Post - October 8
By now you've probably heard about the most recent, or at least most publicly recent, uttering of the R-word (retarded) by yet another celebrity. This time around it was indeed used as an insult from director/producer Guy Ritchie in reference to his former wife Madonna. Said Ritchie in an interview published on October 7 from Esquire Magazine, "I still lover her, but she's retarded too."
Of coursre it was just last October that Madonna referred to Guy Ritchie as "emotionally retarded" while on stage in Boston in front of 20,000 people.
Sigh...
I'm going to let the tabloids dive into the obvious comments about immaturity, lack of originality or overt comparisons to the verbal equivalent of limp wristed slap fights going on between Madonna and Ritchie. That's their business.
What concerns me, actually check that, what annoys the crap out of me, is that a year after Madonna's uttering of the R-word toward Ritchie, we've gone exactly nowhere as a society despite the efforts around the "Tropic Thunder" protests, the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign and so forth. Don't get me wrong, there's been lots of great work and there is lots of great work being done right now to continue the battle for respect and dignity for people with intellectual disabilities by raising society's awareness to the hurtful nature of the R-word. But man is it frustrating sometimes.
So in an effort to work off some of that frustration, I'd like to encourage you to let Guy Ritchie know how you feel about him using the R-word as an insult. Tell him how it makes you feel. Tell him why it hurts. Tell him why he should stop. Tell him about the accomplishments you've made in your life. Tell him that you expect better from him. Invite him to one of your local Special Olympics events and ask him how he feels about using the R-word afterwards.
If you need some inspiration in what message to send to Mr. Ritchie, I've embedded the letter that our Chairman, Tim Shriver, sent to Madonna after last year's incident. There will be a letter of similar nature going to Mr. Ritchie in the immediate future, rest assured.
Other than that, please find various contact information for Guy Ritchie below. Happy writing!
Ritchie's Talent Agency:
Mr. Guy Ritchie
c/o Beth Swofford
Creative Artists Agency
2000 Avenue Of The Stars
Los Angeles, CA 90067
USA
Phone: 424-288-2000
Fax: 424-288-2900
http://www.caa.com/Mr Ritchie's Management Group
Mr. Guy Ritchie
c/o Anonymous Content
32 Hayden Ave
Culver City, CA 90232
USA
Phone: 310-558-6000
Fax: 310-558-4212
http://www.anonymouscontent.com/Special Olympics Letter to MadonnaView more documents from Ryan Eades. - Blog post
- 1 month ago
- Views: 662
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Ad thanking FOX Film
- From: ryaneades
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Description:
This ad from the August 11, 2009 edition of Variety thanks Fox Film for being a fan of respect by removing the word "retard" from the DVD release of the movie "Miss March" and for setting an example for the entertainment industry that people with intellectual disabilities deserve the same respect as everyone else.
- 2 months ago
- Views: 332
- Not yet rated
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I Pledge Poster
- From: hannahkasal
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Description:
" I Pledge ......."
The above is not a phrase that should be taken lightly. The poster you are about to sign is a commitment to do your part to help us stop the use of the word ‘retard’.’ The word retard has been used to describe many things, but regardless of its intended meaning, it hurts people. This commitment is not just for today, this week or for the rest of the school year. It is for a lifetime! We ask that if you choose to sign this poster to help stop the use of the "R-Word," you take this commitment seriously. We thank you for your desire to help us in our mission to make the new r-word "RESPECT."- This is a sign we had hanging above our "I Pledge Poster" We encouraged everyone in our school to pledge. Of around 450 people in our school we had about 350-400 signatures.
- Blog post
- 7 months ago
- Views: 630
- Not yet rated
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Disability Awareness Week
- From: hannahkasal
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Description:
Hello everyone,
March 30th - April 3rd, Sutherlin High School's Partners Club hosted a Disability Awareness Week (DAW). Monday, the first day, we had a school assembly and spoke about why our club was hosting this DAW. We explained what Partners Club and the R-Word Campaign was and also had some athletes speak about themselves and things they enjoy doing in life. After that we showed our school a video that our club had made. Before we ended the assembly we asked our student body and staff to sign the "I Pledge Poster" for those to pledge not to use the "R-Word" anymore. Throughout the week we had the poster hanging for anyone to stop by and sign it. We handed out Special Olympics bracelets to those who signed. Tuesday, was March 31st. National "Spread the Word to End the Word" day. We hung "Spread the Word to End the Word" posters up all over the school. Our Partners Club had t-shirts made that had an "R" with a cross through it on the front and on the back had words written on it that said "When you use words like "Retard" or "Retarded" it hurts people. Please choose your words carefully. USE RESPECT! " Our club wore these shirts on this day. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were just normal days, but throughout the week we had dress up color days that related to the colors in the Olympic Rings. Red, Black, Blue, Yellow, and Green. Monday- Red, Tuesday-Black, Wednesday-Blue, Thursday-Yellow, Friday-Green. During lunch everyday we had board games set up in our schools activity center for anyone who wanted to play a friendly game with an athlete. During the DAW we had a fundraiser called "The Puzzle Fundraiser". We drew a picture on a poster board, painted it, and cut it into 100 puzzle pieces. We sold all 100 pieces each piece for $2, throughout the week and each time a piece was bought it was hung upon the board for people to see what the puzzle was going to be. After all the pieces were sold and the puzzle was completed we had a raffle drawing for all people who purchased a puzzle piece. There were three winners and each person received $33. To equal around about $100. Our club received the rest. This was pretty much a 50/50 Raffle drawing. Other than everything that I have mentioned already, we had an amazing week. Sutherlin High School's Partners Club made a huge impact on our school and it defiantly showed by the DAW that we hosted. If you are looking for a way to help others be aware and to make an impact, maybe it would be beneficial trying to do something similar to what our school did. =D
-Thank you, Hannah.
- Blog post
- 7 months ago
- Views: 594
- Not yet rated
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Why the word 'retard' hurts pe
- From: ryaneades
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Description:
Back in September an athlete named John Franklin Stephens wrote an amazing op-ed on why the R-word hurts him. I've had a few people request a link to this speech and I myself had trouble finding it, so I'm posting it here.
So without further ado...
Using the word "retard" to describe me hurts
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emadden95
- Member
- Points:300
- Views: 266
- Since: 7 months ago
- Not yet rated
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The New R-Word
- From: bridget
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Description:
Students at Leslie Middle School can think of lots of words to call someone with an intellectual disability.... RETARD is NOT one of them!
- 8 months ago
- Views: 1678
- Not yet rated
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The R Word
- From: Crystal
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Description:I wrote this post on my own personal blog today, and wanted to share it with this community. I usually write about topics related to self-improvement and college life, but I thought that this issue was important to address.
Special Olympics Ad
This Special Olympics ad highlights the emotional charge that the “r-word” carries (www.r-word.org). The campaign to eliminate the use of the word retarded rides on the coattails of Obama’s highly publicized derogatory comment about the Special Olympics.
I’m not trying to be morally superior. Today I was at Castro Street getting dinner with a friend, when I made a comment about how “retarded” I was. I quickly realized my mistake, apologized, and replaced it with how “stupid” I was. Everyone is prone to it, it’s been so much a taken for granted part of our casual lexicon, but the point is that once we become aware of our choice of words, we can eliminate and replace harmful words in our vocabulary.
I didn’t realize that language could be so powerful. Like many, I thought that words were just meaningless, and that there could not possibly exist the hyperbolic attitude so vilified by disability advocates. However, while reading the forum I stumbled upon a very insensitive comment on the r-word website that exemplifies the exact kind of attitude that they want to combat. I would like to excerpt a bit here:
..those who fight so hard to have people stop saying [retard] is, well, … retarded..Don’t you think we could use our time and resoucres to attack a larger issue in this country. I mean what about the economy? you talk about intolerance, we just voted in a black president for christ’s sake, what planet are you from to say we need more tolerance for people who are “mentally challenged, or metally reatarded”, use your time and resources to counquer something more productive instead of fighting something that doesn’t exist, you freakin retards… (read the whole thing here)
I’m sorry cptwinks, but your comment exactly brings sympathy for the cause you berate so much for its “vacuity” and “insignificance”. I wasn’t fully a supporter of the r-word campaign until I read your comment, because now I realize what kind of bigotry and insensitivity pervades our society. The first thing I did was to look up the denotation of “retard”:
retard verb |riˈtärd| [ trans. ]
delay or hold back in terms of progress, development, or accomplishment : his progress was retarded by his limp.
noun |ˈrēˌtärd| |ˈritɑrd| |rəˈtɑrd| |riˈtɑrd| |ˈriːtɑːd| offensive
a mentally handicapped person (often used as a general term of abuse).Even my apple dictionary is more sensitive than cptwinks. For a moment, let’s grant the dictionary definition and examine what we usually mean when we say “retarded”.
He’s so retarded: We don’t actually mean that he is mentally handicapped; when’s the last time you heard someone comment about a student with learning disabilities, “This is my student Peter, he’s so retarded”. What we mean is that he is as stupid as someone who is mentally handicapped, and we mean that in the most derogatory sense. The implication is that the only characteristic of mentally handicapped individuals is their stupidity, and we mean that in the most derogatory sense.
I had a neighbor who was born with Down syndrome. He was one of the sweetest guys I ever met. When the phrase, “He’s so retarded” will come to mean “He’s so sweet” is when I will agree with cptwinks in affirming that the word “retarded” is inconsequential.
We do not accept the use of the phrase, “that’s so gay”, so why do we tolerate “retarded”? We respect the feelings of gay people, but not the feelings of the mentally handicapped. What’s even worse is that, our use of the word “gay” is usually deliberate; we are aware of our offensiveness and deploy our labels strategically. When we say “retarded”, we don’t even realize the impact we have. That the mentally handicapped are not even a group of people whom we consider to be worth insulting speaks volumes towards showing how much we actually do care about their feelings. To not even be a recognized group that we include in our sphere of decency; that’s the biggest blow of all.
Finally, although this might be a bit of a tangent, I want to address another false assumption in cptwinks’ comment. To claim that because we elected a black president means that we’ve somehow managed to rid the entire country of prejudice (not even just racial prejudice) is just ridiculous. I’m sure that if Obama knew that him winning the election meant forfeiting the fight against prejudice and declaring it won, he would have given up the presidency. To rubber stamp all battles against intolerance and insensitivity as useless because of one victory is completely counter to the entire progressive ideal. Instead of facilitating progress, victories insert a huge road block. To me, this is just an excuse for laziness and a justification for tolerance of our intolerance.
If you care about this issue, there are a few ways you can help:
- Start catching yourself whenever you say “retarded”, and do it out loud so your friends hear you too.
- Start correcting your friends whenever you hear them say it. They might find you annoying at first, but they will soon start to catch themselves.
- check out www.r-word.org and sign up for their community if you’re interested!
If you're interested in reading the rest of the blog, the url is: www.thetroublewithcrystal.com
- Blog post
- 8 months ago
- Views: 717
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Spread the Word, a Q&A
- From: ryaneades
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Description:
Recently I gave an interview for a high school student (Fan Community member BigOtaku) and I thought that as we approach March 31st and the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign continues to gain momentum, that this might serve as a helpful resource as you find yourselves in conversations with friends and family who want you to explain to them what it is that we are doing.
The Q&A transcript is below. Thanks.
Q: What do think when you hear the phrase, "Spread the Word, to End the Word."?
A: I think of how powerful and inspiring youth activiation can be in today's world. This campaign came about as a collaboration of 120 youth with and without intellectual disabilities who wanted to make a difference. It's inspiring.
Q: Do you feel as though ignorance can cause people to say such hurtful things to others?
A: There will always be hurt in the world, it is human nature. I think that with the R-word in particular, it is a lack of exposure and a lack of education that has gotten us to where we are today. I know I used to say 'retarded' all the time to describe a fun night or something stupid that I did. I never meant any malice towards people with intellectual disabilities. I was lucky enough to then be exposed to athletes of Special Olympics and I immediately came to the understanding of why the R-word is hurtful and I haven't used it since. So yes, the ignorance of the 'why' is a big reason, but the lack of inclusive education or social interaction is even more important. When you are exposed to something early in life, you just accept it as part of life. When things are hidden away in a corner as people with intellectual disabilities were for so long in our society, and you don't get exposed to difference until later in life it is human nature to be nervous or hesitant around difference. The really sad thing is some people act out against difference because they are unwilling to make the effort to say, "I'll learn something new, maybe it'll be good for me!" They'd rather say, "Be more like me or leave me alone and go away."
Q: Some people may think that "Spread the word, to end the word" is nothing more than hyper-sensitivity, what do you feel about this?
A: The hypersensitive or "PC" argument is one we hear a lot, and I understand where it’s coming from, but I think it misses the point. We also hear the freedom of speech argument a lot, which really misses the point. We hear that 'retard' is a medical diagnosis and therefore it should be fine to say. Of course the medical diagnosis 'mental retardation' is just that, a diagnosis. But there is no denying that the words 'retard' and 'retarded' have taken on distinct connotations within the vernacular of our society that are used interchangeably in describing something that was less than ideal, or something that was way out there or different. So while many people know they would not call a disabled person 'retarded' to their face, what they don't understand is when they say their friend is being 'retarded' they are saying their friend is being less than ideal, or acting way out there or different. This makes people with intellectual disabilities and their loved ones feel as though society regards them as less than human. Our country has a history of changing its vernacular out of sensitivity to several groups of our fellow human beings. This change came about because those groups fought for the right to have their humanity respected as much as the next person. People with intellectual disabilities are in general predisposed to give love, to care, not to look for a fight. While there are many people with ID that are articulate and will go toe to toe with you in a debate, they are the exception within the population. Lastly, to this point I'd say this - when a human being tells another human being, "when you say this it hurts me. Could you please stop?" How do you argue with that? Why would you not afford them the same respect you'd want in return?
Q: Are there phrases or words that are worse or more hurtful than others that someone might say to a person with a mental disability?
A: There are many words, phrases and hurtful things to say. Too many to list. Here's the important thing - people with ID are people first. Do not label them. Retard is a label. A disability is not a person, but rather, people have disabilities. Think about it like this - if you break your foot, you are not a 'broken footed person' you are a person with a broken foot. So always remember to see the person first and use that people first language, that's the best way to respect everyone's humanity.
Q: Do you feel as though this cause is supported enough, or could more awareness be much more helpful?
A: More awareness is always helpful. Until people start to recognize the humanity of people with intellectual disabilities as equal to their own, and as worthy of respect as their own, there will always need to be more awareness. Think about the movie "Tropic Thunder." Most people just excused the movie's portrayal of people with ID and the continued use of the word 'retard' as funny and in context. Well, swap out 'nigger' or 'Jew' or 'spic' or 'faggot' for the word 'retard' in that five minute scene where Ben Stiller says 'retard' 17 times. What do you think the reaction would have been? Here's the biggest rub - the makers of that film screened it for African Americans, for Veterans, for just about every group they were 'offending' in the movie. Not one single group who advocates or supports people with ID was invited to screen the movie and offer feedback. It was never a thought in their mind to invite us to the table, never a thought that it MIGHT be a problem. So until the same respect is shown to people with ID, more awareness will always be needed.
Q: Is this cause worth the effort, can something really change?
A: Apathy is the worst kind of existence. Why do anything if nothing can change? I know things can change. For pete's sake, we just elected the first African American President of the United States. What do you think someone interviewing Martin Luther King Jr in 1963 before the March on Washington would have said about that!!! In my own experience I've changed people attitudes by engaging them in conversation and educating them about what it is exactly that they are doing. My own example from the earlier answer from when I used the R-word is proof that change can happen. So what if it's one person at a time? I know I have co-workers, friends and advocates who are all out there doing the same thing with the goal of one person, one attitude at a time. Are you going to wake up tomorrow and never hear the R-word again? Probably not. But maybe our work will allow my daughter, who is due to be born this July, to live in a world where all people are respected.
Q: How do you feel about John C. McGinley’s support of this cause?
A: I'm really excited John C. is involved. With Max, his 11 year old son born with Down Syndrome, he's been a great ambassador for the National Down Syndrome Society for years. The truth is we are a celebrity obsessed culture so it's great to have a celebrity ambassador for this campaign because it’s just another way to get people to pay attention and hear the message. That's the most important thing, to get people to hear the message, because we all believe that as a whole, the person is good and we know what we are doing is right, so it only stands to reason that we believe the more people hear our message the more people will come to understand the importance of respecting people with intellectual disabilities. Plus, I cannot lie; I've been a HUGE 'Scrubs' fan for years, so it's great to have the big guy on board!
Q: Why do you think people make fun of someone who is mentally challenged, or has mental disabilities?
A: That goes back to my earlier point of fearing difference. It takes effort to reach out and learn something new. It's easier to just laugh at difference so you can feel better about yourself for being too much of a coward to make the effort to learn and accept difference. The path of least resistance transcends much more than people with intellectual disabilities though, it's true of how people react to all differences from sexual orientation, to religion, to skin color or heritage. People fear what they do not know. The weak act out through violence, mockery and hate. The strong reach out with a willingness to include and learn, then accept their own inevitable failures during the process, but continue to try again and again.
- Blog post
- 8 months ago
- Views: 863
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Hollywood does it Again
- From: ryaneades
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Description:
UPDATED SEPTEMBER 22
UPDATED MARCH 13
It looks like Hollywood has done it again. I'd like to bring this article from the March 11 edition of the Chicago Tribune to your attention.
The article is a Q&A interview with actor Craig Robinson (Daryl, the warehouse guy in "The Office") who has a supporting role in the upcoming movie "Miss March" which comes out in theatres on Friday March 13.
--
Q - In the script, the word "retard" is used over and over. The comedy "Tropic Thunder" received a great deal of criticism for using the same word. Was there any concern over how this might be received?
A - I've heard nothing. There could very well be something, but I haven't heard anything. We shot it probably the same time as ["Tropic Thunder"]. I wasn't in the editing room. You'll have to talk to the guys who made those decisions.
Q - But, as a comedian, is that just a toxic word now?
A - It does seem to be. You can see it from a parent's point of view. But the way they use it in the movie is funny. It's silly. It's not going out to hurt anybody. It's definitely not coming from an evil place; it's just coming from the way people talk.
---
Please note, I have not seen the movie, but Special Olympics has requested a viewing copy of the movie.
What I do know is that the movie was written and directed by Zach Cregger and Trevor Moore, who both star in the movie. Cregger and Moore were born in 1980 and 1981 so their script is a perfect example of the pervasiveness of the R-word within that generation's vernacular and shows just how high the lack of awareness is to the hurt the R-word causes millions of people.
None of the movie trailers or promotional materials use the R-word. My educated guess is there is a lot of dialogue along the lines of "You're so retarded" or "That's so retarded" and so forth.
The bottom line is, the R-word was used enough in the movie to prompt a reporter from the Chicago Tribune to make 2 of his 11 questions published in his article, about the R-word.
I am encouraging you to do four things:
1) Not spend your money to see the movie.
2) Let the writers and production company and distribution company know how you feel about the R-word being in the movie by calling them, emailing them or writing to them.
3) Go to www.r-word.org and make your pledge to not use the R-word. If you've already pledged, Spread the Word to your friends and family!
4) Don't have the time to write your own letter? Copy the text below and post it as a comment on my blog below and I will send the chain of comments via email myself,
"I will not spend money to watch this movie and I will do everything in my power to convince my family and friends not to spend money to watch this movie. It is time for Hollywood to stop using the word 'retard.'"
MARCH 13 UPDATE:
I came across an article on FilmCritic.com this morning that gives us more details on one way the R-word was used in this movie (I added the bold to the text). It's not pretty:
The best friend is Eugene (Cregger), a high-school student who doubles as an abstinence lecturer. Along with his devout girlfriend Cindi (Raquel Alessi), Eugene recounts how his brother had sex and then had "retard babies" that later went on to burn down his house and kill his mother. The tirade is accompanied by projections of Syphilis infected no-no areas.Please see below for how you can get ahold of the relevant people and let your voices be heard!
Zach Cregger:
Publicist is Jeffrey Chassen of Baker Winokur Ryder Public Relations (BWR)
Mailing Address:
World Wide Tower
825 8th Ave
New York, NY 10019
Phone: 2129013922
Email: jeffrey.chassen@bwr-ny.com
Trevor Moore:
Manager is Kara Walker of Generate
Mailing Address is:
1545 26th St.
Ste. 200
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Phone: 310-255-0460
Email: kara@generatela.com
http://www.generateLA.com/
Distribution Company is Fox Searchlight:
Peter Rice, President
Fox Searchlight Pictures
10201 W. Pico Blvd.
Bldg. 38
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Phone: 310-369-4402
http://www.foxsearchlight.com/
Production Company is Jacobson Productions:
Tom Jacobson
Jacobson Productions
280 S. Beverly Drive
Suite 316
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
Phone: 310-550-9319
SEPTEMBER 22 UPDATE:
First, my apologies for not updating this blog post before now as I should have done about 6 weeks ago, as various circumstances just didn't allow that to happen, but I digress. I'd like to offer a big THANK YOU to everyone who spoke out about this movie and to FOX because as this review of the "Miss March" DVD reports, each instance of the word "retard" was removed from this movie! Success! I encourage you to read the comments below the article I linked to above as they are pretty typical of most conversations about the R-word nowadays. The encouraging part about that is that a year ago during the "Tropic Thunder" protests comments in various articles were about 95 to 98 percent against our efforts. As you can see that ratio in this particular article's comments is much closer to a 60-40 split. I feel like that's significant progress toward shifting a societal paradigm, an incredibly encouraging development.
Additionally, I'd like to share a picture of an ad that our Spread the Word to End the Word Campaign put in the August 11 edition of Variety magazine to thank FOX for their support. Enjoy!
- Blog post
- 8 months ago
- Views: 2388
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Do you Doubt that 'Retard' is
- From: ryaneades
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Description:
It's been a very interesting month of March thus far and we aren't even halfway thru yet. There has been so much buzz going around about Spread the Word to End the Word (STW2ETW) and new pledges have been coming into the R-word site in a steady stream of about 100 a day.
What's been most interesting to me is watching the interactions of youth on our various sites where all the STW2ETW material is being posted. On the Facebook Event page comments are flying back and forth, same thing on the Bill O'Reilly video posted on that event page.
There's a lot of support, but also a lot of typical negativity and ignorance or in some cases just plain apathy.
Take for instance Benjamin Heard of Wisconsin Stout who feels that we should just quit:
"It has become part of our language, your not going to change anything this is an entirely futile effort and kinda sad, you all need to find better things to do with your time"
Or Daniel Ross of Lincoln College Preparatory Academy who says:
"sry but this is really Retarded the word is ment to be an insult and thats why people use it as one u can't control wat people say when u call people retarded its supposed to be an insult even though they were born that way so wat THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE WORD RETARDED!!!"
And an ever popular argument from people like Johnny Dawyot from the Salesianum School who rationalize that,
"hey everyone you're retarded."
Now, trust me, comments like these are not new in the online community realm for anywhere we post videos or media related to Special Olympics and especially material advocating for people to choose to stop using the word "retard."
What is new over the last few weeks and months is that youth are fighting back and standing up for what they believe in in thoughtful and engaging ways.
Youth like Soeren Palumbo from Notre Dame who share,
"This is not an effort to legally ban a word or infringe on any 1st ammendment rights; do not misconstrue it as such. Rather, it is an effort to demonstrate the hurtful and negative effects that this word has even when used casually, effects parallel to any racial slur. It is our hope that when people are shown these effects that they will choose to stop using the word, not because they are forced to, but rather because they want to. We are hoping to end this word by societal consensus, not mandate."
Or Jeanne Griffith who responds,
"I find it interesting, and incredibly disappointing that there are still so many, who are so small minded as to completely MISS the point being made...[sic] This is about recognizing that all people, regardless of ability, intellect, economic status, ethnicity, are entitled to respect. No one is asking for censorship, and it has nothing to do with free speech. We are asking that adults, who care enough to measure their words, consider the impact of *this* word. We all engage in self monitoring, every day. WE choose our words with reason. Sometimes we choose to self censor in order to spare feelings or to show respect. We don't walk into a church and start cussing like a sailor, because we recognize how inappropriate that would be. This is what we are asking - for people to show the same level of forethought when considering this word."
Or my favorite, Chris Murphy from Wilmington, Delaware who simply challenges people to get involved and open themselves to a different perspective,
"And my offer still stands. Any individual who on here who has no/limited exposure to disabled folks and wants to continue to use this term "retard" than please contact me with your city and state and I will set you up with your local Special Olympics, United Cerebral Palsy or your local state funded disabled agency so you can volunteer. 3 hours is all I ask you do, I will make all of the necessary calls and set it up, you just show up, volunteer then come here and talk about how you do not care if using the "r" word effects someone."
Traditionally, family members (especially fiesty moms!), along with a few other advocates have voiced their displeasure at many disagreeable items in the media, or nasty comments by online readers, but this has been few and far between. It's truly inspiring to see the community of youth engaged in this discussion and taking it upon themselves to get involved and make their voices heard.
Make no mistake, this is a big step. Many, many online communities, businesses and schools have dozens of dedicated personnel who scour the Internet offering a counterpoint in the comment sections to dissenting opinions on topics in which they are invested, monetarily or emotionally. This has never been the case for Special Olympics and certainly not for misuse of the R-word -- until now.
As we know, there is always more to do! There are many, many opportunities for this "army of change" or these "warriors of acceptance" (please forgive my poor attempt for a 30-something to come up with a cool name!) to bring the fight outside the realm of Special Olympics initiatives or R-word based event pages.
Here's an idea, if you use "Google Alerts" set one of them for "retard" and "retarded" and see all the interesting things that come in from blogs or articles like:
The Young Turks who ponder:
"Has 'socialist' joined the ranks of words like 'retarded' and 'gay' as an all-purpose expression of something disagreeable? How long before we her kids saying, 'Man, that’s hella socialist.'?"
Or the Phillyist blog who dissect the issues surrounding the Philadelphia Eagles employee who was fired for calling the team "retarded" on his Facebook page.
When you see things like this, get out there on these blogs and in the comments section and speak out! Respond (respectfully, of course) to people's misconceptions and share ideas of where they can go to learn more or educate themselves. Help give a voice to our athletes who as John C. McGinley put it - are equipped to love, not to fight.
Get out there in cyberspace and be the change the world needs.
- Blog post
- 8 months ago
- Views: 1299
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John C. McGinley and R-word
- From: ryaneades
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Description:
Check out actor John C. McGinley's interview on the TV Guide Channel as he talks about the Spread the Word to End the Word Campaign.
- 8 months ago
- Views: 1008
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Spread the Word to End the Wor
- From: ryaneades
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Description:
Actor John C. McGinley was on the Bonnie Hunt Show on March 2, 2009 to talk about "Scrubs" and the 03.31.09 End the R-word Day event as we all "Spread the Word to End the Word." Watch the clip to learn more!
- 8 months ago
- Views: 4490
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Battling ignorance and the R-w
- From: ryaneades
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Description:
Today brought an interesting ebb and flow. For those who don't know, I work in communications at Special Olympics, Inc. and while we all wear many hats I generally work on branding and marketing and this Fan Community site as well as all the other social media presences around the Internet like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc.
Anyhoo, we've been working on putting together an event for the end of March, specifically 3.31.09, End the R-word Day. This event is the brainchild of our highly energetic and inspiring youth that started the SO College initiative last summer. The goal is to raise awareness around college campuses about the word "retard" or "retarded" and to educate college students about the hurtful nature of the word and to ask them to pledge to stop using the r-word.
The idea has picked up tons of grassroots momentum and is really taking off. So today, actor John C. McGinley was on the Bonnie Hunt Show and he was wearing a "Spread the Word to End the Word 3.31.09" t-shirt, provided by the aforementioned SO College youth. You may know John C. McGinley as Dr. Cox on the TV show "Scrubs." Well, he's also the parent of 11-year old Max who was born with Down Syndrome.
While attending our 2009 World Winter Games, Mr. McGinley was blown away by the enthusiasm and passion of our youth that are taking it upon themselves to educate their peers and activate them to create change. He agreed to be the celebrity spokesperson for 3.31.09 End the R-word Day and has been making the rounds on the TV Guide Channel and the Bonnie Hunt Show among others, while wearing the t-shirt promoting the event.
Well today's response was phenomenal. Bonnie Hunt's website was flooded with comments in support of the campaign. Our own R-word website received tons of new pledges to stop using the R-word and overall it was really great to see so much passion and activation throughout the day. It was one of those days where you really get to see the payoff of the hard work we all do in support of the athletes.
Then, near the end of the day, I got one of my 'Google Alerts' that immediately brought back the harsh reality of just how much work we all have to do as we move forward. The Google Alert told me that American Idol contestant Kris Allen said the following in an interview about his recent performance on the show in which he moved on to the final round of 12 contestants:
"I felt like I picked a song with an energy to it that maybe didn't need that guitar or whatever, and so you could dance around and kind of get into it. You know, it was kind of a lot of practicing in the room by yourself and making sure you don't look like a retard or an idiot on stage in front of a million people."
I felt like smacking my computer screen or letting an expletive or two escape. Then I relaxed and realized there are only two ways to go about dealing with people like American Idol's Kris Allen who continute to perpetuate negative stereotypes of people with intellectual disabilities by using the R-word in a hurtful manner -- whether they know it or not.
The first way is to just accept things as they are and that despite any efforts so many of us continue to make, things aren't going to change.
The second way is to pin his comment up on my blog, along with many others like it so any time I feel like taking option 1, I can read this and revert back to the feeling of wanting to smack my computer screen.
So I'm choosing option 2 and using American Idol's Kris Allen's hurtful comment as further motivation to fight on, knowing that what we are doing by advocating for people with intellectual disabilities by calling for an end to the R-word is the right thing.
I hope you'll join me.
- Blog post
- 8 months ago
- Views: 1188
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