Youth Talk

Words have power. It’s an age-old assertion that has long been driven into the minds of all bored English Literature students. And yet there is no denying that we specifically construct our language to suit our own purposes and needs.

Within the English language we have a tendency to express emotion in the most verbose manner possible.

In an attempt to refrain from using the same words to describe feelings we substitute the plain old ‘good’ in exchange for the likes of similes and metaphors. The problem arises when we misuse language: employing a word in a drastically different context to its intended meaning.

One of my biggest pet peeves is the use of ‘retard’ or ‘retarded’ as a slur. Long gone are the days when ‘idiot’ was the biggest insult one could use. Indeed my generation has jumped on the bandwagon of word exploitation, with ‘retard’ being their main weapon of denigration.

Most of my friends and peers use it in casual conversations, with the word frequently invoked to describe another person’s stupidity.

I honestly could rant on for hours about how disgusting and insensitive the use of that word is but given limited column space, I’ll try to keep it to the bare minimum. We all, hopefully, agree that there is absolutely nothing wrong with mental disabilities.

Learning disorders, like Down syndrome, are all a matter of fate and I would like to take this opportunity to laud the fighting spirit of all those affected by such conditions. But by using the medically neutral term ‘retard’ as a form of insult we are essentially dismissing these patients as inferior.

Doing something comically stupid makes you like a ‘retard’ because in the eyes of society, these patients’ behaviours are something to be laughed at. What this response conveniently forgets is the daily struggle patients must endure: something most of us can’t even begin to imagine.

The least we can do is promote a society of inclusion where we all feel wanted, regardless of our mental condition. So, please, the next time you feel inclined to use that particular word as an insult stop and reconsider.

As it is, mental disabilities are treated with suspicion with patients facing marginalisation. Don’t further contribute to this regressive effect through your careless choice of words.

It might seem like an insignificant measure but it’s the little changes that count the most.