I don't understand the "Not really" part. I said that they word has acceptable and non-offensive uses. You said, "Not really" and then immediately listed one use that I hear regularly in sessions.Bro Shark wrote:Not really. "Retard" is a verb, used in music to connote slowing tempo. It is not used much in modern, every-day language. Its common usage, as a noun, is not an actual word. It is a slang pejorative only, like "nigger."chris harris wrote:But, the words "retard" and "retarded" still have completely acceptable and non-offensive uses. So, I think it's a little insulting to me, as an adult, to be expected to refer to them as "the R word".
I agree with you that "retard" used as a noun, is obviously offensive. That's why I think it's the context, rather than just the word itself, that is offensive.