retard "Retard" means "slow" in French. When the word came into common English use in the 20th century to describe mentally retarded people, it was offered as a kinder alternative to medieval words like "idiot" and "fool" and images of pitiful, sometimes dangerous, social rejects. Officially, mentally retarded people have low IQs and trouble learning certain skills. "Retard" as an insult is a comment on someone's intelligence--usually sparked by something small, like not getting a joke or saying something corny. The implication is that you are not just "slow" or "behind" at that moment, but in a permanent sort of way. The word "retard" also has a patronizing effect--a common complaint from mentally retarded people is that they're treated like children--and that same inferior feeling also carries over to the insult. Used as a joke, on the other hand, the word "retard" has lost its sting to the point where it can mean the opposite of slow and stupid. The word is making appearances lately on a range ofsuper-sarcastic websites, cartoons and fanzines.

Comments

[gentleshy]

Retard is a word of hate simply put, people who use the word as a joke are seriously immature and certainly not funny.

Burning people because they have (dis) abilities, that's one of the most disgusting things I have ever heard, how can some of you even think that?

You must have a completely evil mind to think like that and I bet YOU are the smelly ugly ones smacks of ignorance and immaturity to me.

Just proves my point there are some sad cases of humanity out there, but what comes around goes around as a general rule.

[rainbow]

To the caveman with the comment below: u and people like u r a waste of space and air. widen up that little mind of urs and have a little empathy. u never know what could happen,u could get hit by a car and be paralyzed ur whole life,then u'll need someone to feed and clean u.Now,when that happens,how would u like it if someone wanted to burn u alive for fuel?

[brian fucking urlacher]

big fucking lols at Retardo the Wonder Dog

however, retards should be burned alive and turned into some sort of automotive fuel. that way they will have finally served a purpose to humanity, rather than being wastes of air and space.

2009 fuel crisis solved : burn retards.

[Keana]

i call my friends a retard sometimes but its just jokin but if someone called my aunt(who basically cant do anything for herself) retarded they would really hear from me. i wouldnt walk up to a mentally retarde person or someone with a mental illness retarded. i call my friends that because i mean they are acting slow and dumb. i use that word to joke around but not to say my friends are acting like a actual mental illed person

[.]

to Retardo the Wonder Dog: that was really uncalled for,i mean how could u sleep at night after what u wrote?! u must be living in a cave! u r the one with the illness here!

[.]

people shouldn't label something with a nasty word just because they don't understand it. plus,mothers shouldn't have abortion just 'cause their child has a mental illness,i mean this child could be a blessing in a way that they can never imagine.

[Megasmiley]

I love how if you are a moment slow on anything a boy in my school will call you a retard. I have a speech disablity that causes me to mess up and mispronounce words and sounds. And I mean seriously when I was six I couldn't say mom or tree it was that bad. I have been called retarded by kids who are dumber than me. I am in all honors class and I'm still seen as a retard at my school. Think before you say that word please.

[Harmony]

I HATE this word so much. My twin brother has Autism, and people call him 'retard' or 'retarded' all the time. HE IS NOT RETARDED!!! He is a human being with all the same rights as someone who doesn't have Autism. Autism is the #1 brain disorder diagnosed in babies these days. As many as one in ten children are diagnosed with it every day. As for the people who make fun of people like my brother and others who are ACTUALLY classified medically as 'retarded',if you end up having a mentally retarded child, it's karma. If that child comes home from school everyday saying "Mommy/Daddy, the kids at school are teasing me and making fun of me," what are you going to say? Kids are stupid? Kids are cruel? You'll be a hypocrite because you were the exact same way.

[Sarah]

Actually the word "retard" means "late" in French, not "slow". Who did the research for this site? :/

[Harriet]

I hate the word retard. People say I am a retard because I have Aserger's syndrome, and it's horrible. It's the same as racism really.

[Rachaelpls]

Ok, I hate people that call mentally challenged people "retards" or "spazzes". Its not funny or clever, and they wouldnt like it if it was them or a friend/relative. The word itself is very hurtful, never mind if youre handicapped or not.

However, it's different if the person you're calling "retard" doesnt mind. i personally wouldnt mind if my friends called me this, cause I know they would be kidding. But if the person you call Retard/spazz does mind, then you should hang your head in shame and apologise immediatley.

I will admit, I've used this term if something is broken, as in "this chair is retarded". Not because I like the term of abuse, but simply as I want people to change how they use this term. like changing it from meaning "a negative term for a disabled person" and into "a broken object."

that seems so much better, dont you think? :].

[sheabbarm]

this spam. If you not wont recive it just remove this post. and i not return.

[Nixy]

I hate all the ppl on this site that say retards are stupid,should burn alive and all of the other horrible things they say.You should spend a day in their world and then tell us what you think.They are ppl just like us,they have feelings.Imagine how they must feel.And being mentally handicapped isnt ALWAYs something you born with,you can wake up tomorrow and be mental,hear voices or have a stroke and never beable to walk or talk again.Would you then like it if some one said all those horrible things.would you like to hear you should be burned alive.I think not.So just think further next time you say something about mentally disabled people.

[Jodie]

To the comment below? Who the fuck do you think you are saying things like that about people with autism/downs syndrome. TO be quite frank with you, my sister has severe autism and I know a number of people with downs syndrome. Most people with downs syndrome do not stink and are actually like what you would call a 'normal' person. Whether people have a disability or not does not relate to whether they smell or not. There are many people I know without disabilities who do stink. Your actually really immature if you think like that because it's not their fault they have a disability. Most of them are actually really lovely people and they are not ugly.

[Retardo the Wonder Dog]

All retards should be killed.... People with Downs Syndrome should be burned alive... they smell, and they are ugly, and they ain't worth shit... The female retards should be allowed to live so they can be fucked like whores.

[rhiannon]

omg i cant stand when people use this word! my brother has aspergers and it makes me so fraking MAD! whenever people say it around him, whether intentianally being mean or not, he starts crying when he heres it.

[Rakia/Queen Nai]

I honestly never uses this word. The only time you will read this word in my comments is when I am replying back saying I am not;etc. I am one of the great people that knows that it is not funny nor should be used by thinking someone is stupid or crazy. I am leaving it at that. Bye!

[Rakia]

Everybody uses the word retarded and retard in the wrong way. People mix stupid with crazy. They are two different things. People call me that simply because I state facts and tell it like it is. I just be like it is alright. They can't hold me down. I have to keep on moving. The ones that says it and be saying it don't seem to have any room to say it based on things that they do. I don't worry about it. I never use that word. It is just mean, and most of time, it used to put somebody down because people can't think of something better anyway.

[Waiting_For_The_World_To_Change...]

i used to say retard all the time. until one day my sister volenterred me to go to a special ed class. when i saw the kids i stopped using that word. it's not polite to say it and if someone calls a a retard, it's cause they are ignorite and inscure and can't come up with better combackd

[Caroline]

Everyone says "I don't see a problem with using it jokingly" but I do. I know that there is no harm intended, but it is harmful to many. Just using it as a synonym for stupid shows a lot of ignorance.

[Mara]

Amber,you arn't a very reasonable person.

[Naomi]

Ive been looking at these and I don't get it. All the stuff they say explaining these supposed bad words show that words' meanings change often, yet we still take these words as bad. Sure they may have a bad meaning now, but the english language is ALWAYS changing. And you must not forget that words only mean what we think they mean and only have power if we give it to them, getting offended at a word like this is what makes it offensive.

[Amber]

I honestly don't see what the big deal is if you're calling a normal it or telling them that they're "retarded" when they're acting moronic. I mean, I'd never call a person with an actual mental retardation that. Plus my little (and absolutely adorable) cousin is autistic, and I'm a HUGE supporter of foundations that help people that are mentally challenged. When I'm like "you're so retarded" to people it's just another way to tell them that they're being stupid.

[Mara]

Laughing at kids who are mentally handicapped is not funny,I don't think it is and my mother findes that it is not funny one bit when others laugh at them. My mom works with kids who have special needs. Some of the kids my mom works with may act slow ,but they just have behaviaral issues. The next time any of you think that being hateful to these people,you need to get a life because I'm pretty sure that you would not like it if you where mentally dissabled.

[Frank]

I would never call someone a retard if they are mentally handicapped in anyway. That's incredibly rude and f'ed up!! I can't express how messed up that is. But I do use it jokingly.