#that's also why I abbreviated it to P3 because I assume people using P3 will search the tag itself and not the word

[warthogreporter]

Thinking about how of the two easily accessible versions of P3 neither actually contain the combat as originally designed because they ripped out the distinguishing features and replaced them with what every other game has. For me P3 is the peak example of something niche becoming too popular for its own good and having its identity diluted as a result.

[lowewrites-blog]

War of the Word

Derogatory speech has been present within our society since the concept of communication & speech was created. Derogatory, meaning speech directed in a demeaning and negative way, has become a taboo within everyday conversation. Many of these phrases that are used today are watered down in the sense that it isn’t, for a lack of better words, “too wrong”, to use. One derogatory word that has become normalized within daily social conversations is the word “retard”. Most people that use this phrase in daily conversation typically are unaware of the power that word can have on people. Others that know what the word entails may say that it is only a word. However, that is far from the truth. Using the word retard in a derogatory way impacts an entire demographic of those who are affected by mental illness, including those who are family and friends of said people.

To understand why people use the word, one must first know what the word means by definition. The word “retarded” stems from the word ritardando, which is a phrase created during the mid-1800s for classical music in regards to a piece of music becoming gradually slower. To this day, the phrase ritardando is still used on pieces of sheet music, typically abbreviated rit. under measures in which the musicians would begin to slow the music down. The roots of this word were brought back in the early 1900s when the researching of mental disabilities became a more prevalent topic. Patients who appeared in hospitals that were diagnosed as mentally disabled may have been referred to as “retarded” in the sense that their brains & nervous systems reacted slower than other people.  Near the mid-1950s, however, the word began to make its way into general conversation. Mark Peters, a writer from the Boston Globe, found that one of the first noted occurances of the word retard being used in a derogative way can be found in Frank Rooney’s 1954 novel “The Courts of Memory.”. Peters writes that the novel, “... contains an insulting use that should be familiar if not comfortable: “God, you’re simple, Dick. . . . You’ve got an I.Q. about equal to a squirrel’s. You’re retarded, do you hear me?” (Peters, P3) During the following years, the word began to make its way into conversations, being held at the same caliber as other derogatory insults, such as dumbass, idiot, or even moron. Ben Zimmer, a language columnist for The Wall Street Journal, explains that, “...words like ‘moron’ and ‘imbecile,’ while originating in psychological research, quickly fell out of scholarly fashion as they got taken up in popular usage as synonyms for ‘fool.’ ‘Retarded’ took much longer before it was replaced by ‘intellectually disabled’ and so forth. So I think there was more time for ‘retarded’ to lead a double life, in both technical and lay usage, which made it more obviously offensive.” (Peters, P7) Many people were unaware of the origins of the word, only that it was being used as a demeaning insult about something they disliked. In most cases, the word is used as an adjective to describe situations or things that people dislike. Whether that be within referring to something they disliked as retarded, or something that they perceived as dumb or pointless.

With that being said, it can make sense why people choose to use the word. Given how popular the word has become with it’s negative usage, most assume that using the phrase is just one of the other phrases that don’t cause people to react in comparison to inappropriate language. The word being used among other derogative phrases that would be considered household phrases, the impact that the word has on the user is lowered. In John C. McGinley’s article “What Really Happens When You Use The R-Word”, he speaks about the actual impact of the word. McGinley writes that, “...(words that end with the suffix “-tard”)  used are the original population of special needs individuals who served as the catalyst for this kind of disparaging vitriol in the first place. They are those kids who ride on the smaller school bus. The ones who have personal space, proximity issues. And most importantly, many of those with intellectual disabilities are defenseless to this word.” (McGinley, 6). When somebody uses the suffix “-tard” and the end of any phrase, it traces back to the demographic they are insulting, intentionally or not. For example; If someone were to use the phrase, “Libtard”, in an insultive way, the word is not only insulting those who side with Democratic sides of government, but also those who have mental disabilities. Especially in today's society, most derogative phrases that insult specific demographics are frowned upon. Those words, however, are held at a higher caliber than a word like “retard”, which, with that logic, contradicts itself. On top of that, this is a demographic that typically lacks the ability to defend themselves. This is a demographic that also doesn’t just soley involve people that are considered mentally disabled. The word also insults those who are friends & family of those with mental disabilities.

However, there are a few that can speak for the demographic from a personal standpoint. Rick Smith, writer for a Down Syndrome awareness website called Noah’s Dad, talks about how he reacts to people using the word in jest. Smith writes that, “...When I hear people use the word “retarded” like I used to I try to take a moment to help them understand why they shouldn’t. I’m always very gracious about it because I know they don’t mean anything hurtful by it, and they certainly aren’t trying to insult my son or others with intellectual disabilities.” (Smith, P5).  Derogative speech goes farther than just affecting those who the words are put against. Those words can also have an affect on those who have experienced those people secondhand. Many family members and friends that are affected by the word realize that the majority of people that used the word aren’t making blaintant attempts to disrespect an entire community. However, in this sense, ignorance to this doesn’t change the fact that the word still has power to certain people. ABC News writer Andrea Mayes wrote on a campaign earlier this year that spoke about how the word retard affects all whom are affected by it. One of Mayes quotes is from a sibling with down syndrome, in which they say, “...When you use the R word, you're saying that my sister's not very nice, and it's really offensive to someone like her, but it's also offensive to me.” (Mayes, P11). Joseph Franklin Stephens is an athlete with Down Syndrome that involved in the Special Olympics. Stephens wrote an open letter to Ann Coulter in 2012, in regards to her using the word retard in an insultive way. From a quote on the “R-Word: Spread The Word To End The Word” website, Stephens says, “...I can only tell you what it means to me and people like me when we hear it. It means that the rest of you are excluding us from your group. We are something that is not like you and something that none of you would ever want to be. We are something outside the "in" group. We are someone that is not your kind. I want you to know that it hurts to be left out here, alone.” (Stephens, P1) Stephens advocates for the demographics that is being affected by the word by saying how much the word can hurt people that are on the spectrum for mental disabilities. When people use the word retard in a way that associates the word with a negative pretense, they are conceitedly giving that pretense to the demographic the word affects. If someone says something is retarded because they deem it to be useless, or pointless, they are also calling those who are affected by mental disabilities the same. That person may not realize what they are doing is wrong, and that it may just be another word to them, but in reality, everytime they use that word, they are slowly demeaning those with disabilities more and more. Jeremy Waldron, a professor on Political Theory at Oxford University, wrote an article regarding the harms of hate speech. Waldron states that, “...To the extent that they can, the purveyors of this hate will try to make it a visible and permanent feature of our social fabric. And members of the vulnerable groups targeted are expected to live their lives, conduct their business, raise their children, and allay their nightmares in a social atmosphere poisoned by this sort of speech.” (Waldron, P4) Using words like retard to describe situations also creates a society in which people that are members of that demographic are seen in different, if not, lower positions that other people in society. Waldron also writes that, “...the aim of this sort of speech is to defame the members of the vulnerable groups in question – to do whatever they can do to lower their reputation in the eyes of others and to make it as difficult as possible for them to engage in ordinary social interactions.” (Waldron, P4) This means that whenever someone chooses to use hate speech, they are bit by bit, making it hard for people who are associated with words like retarded, to carry on a normal life, something all people are obligated to do.

My twin sister, Katie, was diagnosed with high functioning autism when we were both 4 years old. I remember how much that experience affect my entire family as a whole. My parents; My grandparents; Myself. It completely changed our lives receiving that diagnosis. Growing up, I felt even more affected by it with the way my classmates interacted with kids in my sisters classes, whether it had been the stares they gave them, or the comments they had made jokingly about how they looked or acted. When I heard them use the word retard to express their emotions of negativity and pointlessness, it honestly hurt. Yet, whenever I tried to explain to them that the word was rude and impolite, typically I would just received the response that, “words can’t hurt unless you let them”. Looking back on those kinds of moments, I realize now what they told me was far from true. Even if someone had no idea a word they were saying was wrong, certain words will always carry certain pretenses. Whether that individual realizes this or not, the words that they use have an impact, positive or negative. Whenever my peers used the word retard in a demeaning way, they were, unbeknownst to them, demeaning not only Katie, but everyone that cared about her, including me. Sure, they can say a word that doesn’t concern them doesn’t hurt them, but on the other side of that word, there was people like my sister who most likely don’t know any better. Because deep down, I know that my sister doesn’t really understand what the word retard pertains. However, I know what it does. My family and friends know what it does. The word hurts.

Within our society, the majority of hate speech has made its way out of society, regarding phrases that target specific communities, such as the LGBTQ, POC, and religious communities. With that being said, the word retard, which has the same effect as other targeting, derogative words, should follow suit, and the fact that it hasn’t is backwards. If words that target other communities & demographics aren’t accepted as fair, what makes the word retard different? From that, society needs to realize that when it comes to removing derogative and hateful speech from vocabularies, they cannot pick and choose what words are and aren’t offensive. The word retard has the same effect as any other word that targets groups or individuals, and needs to be held at that caliber. Hate speech, as a whole, shouldn’t be as prevalent as it is today, and the fact that it is shows how negative society today has become. Starting a conversation about removing words like retard from daily vocabulary opens up doors to find better ways to express emotion in daily conversations. On top of that, finding ways to express your emotions of distaste through other outlets besides hate speech also eliminates any possibility of hurting others feelings. If society can agree on removing one bad thing from their daily life, no matter how big or small it may seem to them, a chain reaction could follow that helps to spread positive, uplifting speech, that helps to spread compassion instead of hate. Above all that, if society can choose to eliminate words like retard from conversation, it would make life a much more kinder place for people who may suffer from mental disabilities.