As a young man who recently graduated high school, go to any school now and former slurs like ‘retard’ and ‘faggot’ are used ubiquitously among teenage boys. It’s definitely making a comeback of sorts, even Joe Rogan mentioned this about an interaction he had with the teenage boys who go to his daughter’s school.
Then again, teenage boys are known for being defiant and giving the middle finger to social norms so that shouldn’t surprise anyone.
I know Louise is writing about Conservatives use the ‘R-slur’ to describe progressive politics but even some mainstream liberal figures like Destiny use ‘retard’ all the time to describe conservatives and conservative politics so it’s probably not just a uniquely right wing thing anymore.
Most people never used ‘retard’ to actually describe disabled people anyway, so it made so sense to make that a slur, we would use to jokingly insult our friends.
I'm a similar age to Louise and I'm sure that ‘retard’ was used by my peer group, though I went to an all boys’ school so the vibe may have been different. ‘Special’ was definitely used, as well as ‘spastic’ . But if I recall correctly ‘gay’ as a synonym for ‘annoying’ was probably the most used slur.
Likewise I’m also a similar age to Louise and the word ‘retard’ was constantly used in a pejorative sense in my schoolyard (possibly more among the boys than girls)
This brings to mind the movie P.C.U. “Politically Correct University” which is an amazing artifact and commentary on this era of progressive virtue signaling through the language of euphemisms. It came out in 1994 - the year I started college. And I remember it feeling ridiculously exaggerated. Lo and behold what the future would bring. A movie like that would never be allowed now.
Spot on, Louise. Using the term 'retarded' to describe political opponents is a calculated way to provoke and dismiss — intended to trigger the strongest emotional response possible. It stems from frustration with being expected to constantly adopt the latest politically correct language. It is similar to the resistance many felt toward continued mask mandates after it was clear they didn't offer meaningful medical benefit — more a symbol of subservience than health.
George Carlin mocked how euphemisms turn direct language into mush—like “handicapped” becoming “differently abled.”
I wonder if softening language doesn’t just hide reality but lowers the bar for using it. Is that part of why PTSD and neurodivergence labels are everywhere now?
This is a brilliant and thought-provoking piece. Thank you for posting this, Louise. You made a good choice by quoting Orwell and Germaine Greer, as both authors deserve more readers.
So, I never, ever used the word. But I have a friend with an older brother with Downs, and she would ALWAYS refer to him as Downs, and never retarded. He had "special needs". She loved him and ended-up sacrificing an academic career to take care of him. However, she'd frequently use the word "retarded". Amazingly, I could never find a better word for her to use during that situation. "Retarded" fit. If it was a door that was too garish on the front of the house, or a statement some vaunted person said that just sounded like they were trying to be overly clever, and it instantly fell flat. I struggled to redefine her "retarded". I think it meant, "overly self-important and obnoxiously unaware". Excessively confident, and ridiculously lacking the proper balance of the moment. I guess that if you grow up with somebody like Downs, you see the parallels as the overconfident Downs kids think they are in charge, but they're too unaware to notice. I don't know if it was a real concordance that she saw that made her use the word, but it was always hard for me to find a better adjective.
As a young man who recently graduated high school, go to any school now and former slurs like ‘retard’ and ‘faggot’ are used ubiquitously among teenage boys. It’s definitely making a comeback of sorts, even Joe Rogan mentioned this about an interaction he had with the teenage boys who go to his daughter’s school.
Then again, teenage boys are known for being defiant and giving the middle finger to social norms so that shouldn’t surprise anyone.
I know Louise is writing about Conservatives use the ‘R-slur’ to describe progressive politics but even some mainstream liberal figures like Destiny use ‘retard’ all the time to describe conservatives and conservative politics so it’s probably not just a uniquely right wing thing anymore.
Most people never used ‘retard’ to actually describe disabled people anyway, so it made so sense to make that a slur, we would use to jokingly insult our friends.
I'm a similar age to Louise and I'm sure that ‘retard’ was used by my peer group, though I went to an all boys’ school so the vibe may have been different. ‘Special’ was definitely used, as well as ‘spastic’ . But if I recall correctly ‘gay’ as a synonym for ‘annoying’ was probably the most used slur.
Likewise I’m also a similar age to Louise and the word ‘retard’ was constantly used in a pejorative sense in my schoolyard (possibly more among the boys than girls)
I think it’s probably just because they’re immature and trying to get a rise out of people they consider overly sensitive.
This brings to mind the movie P.C.U. “Politically Correct University” which is an amazing artifact and commentary on this era of progressive virtue signaling through the language of euphemisms. It came out in 1994 - the year I started college. And I remember it feeling ridiculously exaggerated. Lo and behold what the future would bring. A movie like that would never be allowed now.
This looks like an interesting film! It looks exactly like what happened in real life...
Spot on, Louise. Using the term 'retarded' to describe political opponents is a calculated way to provoke and dismiss — intended to trigger the strongest emotional response possible. It stems from frustration with being expected to constantly adopt the latest politically correct language. It is similar to the resistance many felt toward continued mask mandates after it was clear they didn't offer meaningful medical benefit — more a symbol of subservience than health.
George Carlin mocked how euphemisms turn direct language into mush—like “handicapped” becoming “differently abled.”
I wonder if softening language doesn’t just hide reality but lowers the bar for using it. Is that part of why PTSD and neurodivergence labels are everywhere now?
i still have no idea what the fudge "neurodivergence" even means
It’s easier to use a slur whose target demographic has been nearly aborted out of existence.
This is a brilliant and thought-provoking piece. Thank you for posting this, Louise. You made a good choice by quoting Orwell and Germaine Greer, as both authors deserve more readers.
Its even part of the meme culture: https://x.com/LibertyCappy/status/1884846972655321395
So, I never, ever used the word. But I have a friend with an older brother with Downs, and she would ALWAYS refer to him as Downs, and never retarded. He had "special needs". She loved him and ended-up sacrificing an academic career to take care of him. However, she'd frequently use the word "retarded". Amazingly, I could never find a better word for her to use during that situation. "Retarded" fit. If it was a door that was too garish on the front of the house, or a statement some vaunted person said that just sounded like they were trying to be overly clever, and it instantly fell flat. I struggled to redefine her "retarded". I think it meant, "overly self-important and obnoxiously unaware". Excessively confident, and ridiculously lacking the proper balance of the moment. I guess that if you grow up with somebody like Downs, you see the parallels as the overconfident Downs kids think they are in charge, but they're too unaware to notice. I don't know if it was a real concordance that she saw that made her use the word, but it was always hard for me to find a better adjective.
faggot, retard and slag are making a comeback
I really hope "faggot" doesn't make a comeback.