Mitt Romney's Tax Plan

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Julius, I appreciate you being personally offended by the term, but I would look in the spirit in which it was uttered. By my reading, while the term "'tard" was used, it wasn't calling out mentally handicapped people any more than calling someone a "bitch" is calling out a female dog or calling someone "gay" is making fun of homosexuals. Anyway, that was my unrequested $0.02.
 
maxiep said:
Julius, I appreciate you being personally offended by the term, but I would look in the spirit in which it was uttered. By my reading, while the term "'tard" was used, it wasn't calling out mentally handicapped people any more than calling someone a "bitch" is calling out a female dog or calling someone "gay" is making fun of homosexuals. Anyway, that was my unrequested $0.02.
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I get what you're saying, and respect that you feel that way. But it's like saying "I didn't MEAN anything bad by calling you ***got"...when someone who is a homosexual sees that as societies acceptance of a derogatory term.

As I doubt there are many of us here who are special needs here (I have no doubt that high functioning 'special needs' adults or teens do post here), it's very easy for us to dismiss the power of that word.

It's why it's not acceptable to say "don't jew me down in price", or make jokes about different cultures, etc.

If you look at the spirit of how something is said, it doesn't take away the true meaning behind the word or the origins of the word.

like the NBA commercial (cheesy as it may be) about the word "gay". We all know what it means to call someone or something 'gay', to act as though it doesn't mean that is disingenuous.
 
julius said:
I get what you're saying, and respect that you feel that way. But it's like saying "I didn't MEAN anything bad by calling you ***got"...when someone who is a homosexual sees that as societies acceptance of a derogatory term.

As I doubt there are many of us here who are special needs here (I have no doubt that high functioning 'special needs' adults or teens do post here), it's very easy for us to dismiss the power of that word.

It's why it's not acceptable to say "don't jew me down in price", or make jokes about different cultures, etc.

If you look at the spirit of how something is said, it doesn't take away the true meaning behind the word or the origins of the word.

like the NBA commercial (cheesy as it may be) about the word "gay". We all know what it means to call someone or something 'gay', to act as though it doesn't mean that is disingenuous.
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Great points. Repped.
 
maxiep said:
Great points. Repped.
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thanks. I also thought about it this way (as you can tell, certain things Im passionate about, and this is one of them).

One of the things that I've tried to teach the people that Ive worked with/for, is the the power of communication/speech. Some of the adults I've worked with can't speak for themselves. They lack the ability to communicate verbally. They can't tell you that what you said hurts their feelings, makes them happy, sad, etc. Of course, if you work with them long enough you learn to read a lot of their body language. But my point is this...

Words have greater power than most of us realize or want to realize. This isn't about being offended, or anything of that sort. This is about power, respect, honesty, love and dignity. To use a term that has historically been used to diminish, or even dehumanize a group of people, should not be acceptable to anyone.

I've worked with adults who aren't verbal, but are intelligent enough to know what it is I'm saying, or others are saying. And I know what it's like to see their face when we're in public and someone says something along the lines of "Man, person is such a 'tard" or "don't be such a retard!" or whatever.

The know what that word means. They've grown up hearing that word in a totally different manner than you or I have. They've been called that, and not in a "ha ha" joking manner. They've been called that because they ARE different, they are "mentally/physically retarded". I've seen the look on their face when they relive the embarrassment or pain of being called that, or hearing people use that term to signify someone doing something stupid, or dumb, or ignorant.

But unlike you or me, they can't say anything about it. They don't have the ability or the power to respond to it. And to see people, who are obviously adults and have cognitive skills that allow them to carry on conversations with other people (and read body language, facial expressions, etc) use those terms, it hurts. It hurts them and it hurts me. And there have been times when I've seen it said around them and I'm in shock that they do it right in front of people who have special needs.

It's not about being politically correct, it's not about being offended or not, it's about being respectful and giving someone else the same dignity you'd expect for yourself.

So maybe I overreacted (I don't think I did, but that's how I feel. Others obviously don't have to feel that way).
 
you should know I attack everyone. even SlyPokerDog.
 
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julius said:
seriously dude? grow the fuck up.
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EL PRES did not use the word in a way intended to cause harm, so perhaps the your response might have been better received if you had simply stated your view on use of derogatory terms.

It's just my observation that lashing out at someone on the Internet does not usually have the desired effect. I'm not saying another approach would have worked, just that it would have a better chance of working.
 
GOD said:
EL PRES did not use the word in a way intended to cause harm, so perhaps the your response might have been better received if you had simply stated your view on use of derogatory terms.

It's just my observation that lashing out at someone on the Internet does not usually have the desired effect. I'm not saying another approach would have worked, just that it would have a better chance of working.
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Julius is normally pretty level headed so for him to react like that clearly El Prez was being an asshole.
 
God good did that joke link raise some serious emotions. I know it the emotions were about the use of "tard", but I think this election is much more tense than the last one.

Last one, as soon as Palin was exposed, the mood was much lighter.
 
not really, we're all basically here because I made dan/hap go apeshit when I started ripping on obama.
 
GOD said:
EL PRES did not use the word in a way intended to cause harm, so perhaps the your response might have been better received if you had simply stated your view on use of derogatory terms.

It's just my observation that lashing out at someone on the Internet does not usually have the desired effect. I'm not saying another approach would have worked, just that it would have a better chance of working.
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stop being such a fatty, and grow up!
 
Internet bullying is so wrong on so many levels. It just is.
 
julius said:
I'm sorry, but if you don't see using the word retard as offensive, and think that I've used terms of a similar note, you are out of your ever loving mind.

As someone who not only has people in my family who has special needs, but has spent the greater part of the last decade working WITH people who are called 'retarded' by adults and kids, and hear people say "Oh, that's retarded" or "you big tard", I take great offense when someone uses the term to be derogative towards someone who they don't agree with, or use it to demean someones different opinion/beliefs/etc.

If you're still in your mid 30's and you refer to another adult as a "lib-tard' or a "tard' or a 'retard' or any sort of derivation of that phrase, you need to grow up and realize you're not 14.

And if your best response is "kettle... etc, etc." you might need to also.
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FWIW....

http://www.kpax.com/news/ann-coulter-s-backward-use-of-the-r-word-/?vm=r
 
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