Susan's Blog

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

“Retarded:” It’s Not What You Think…

Below you will find a new PSA campaign to End the Word (raise awareness about how pejorative is the word “retard.”), and it should air tonight around 10pm. Remember, this is not about PC — although to tell you the truth, I am sick of PC-bashing. What the hell is wrong with being mindful of how ones words can be used differently? If I didn’t believe in the power of words, I would not be a writer, after all. This campaign is about getting people to think. You are still free to speak however you choose, but just know that if you use the word around me, you’ll get an earful.

posted at 12:42 pm 3 comments

3 comments

When someone prefaces a remark with “I know this is not PC” it usually means the opinion that follows will be ignorant, racist, or mean.

Love the ad, I’m a gleek. Thanks for posting the link.

— added by Emily on Tuesday, May 24, 2011 at 7:48 pm

My brother-in-law made a joke his son should ride the short bus. It was after my nephew had done something silly. What’s worse? My husband laughed. I was shocked.
I reminded him later that his son takes “the short bus”, and there will come a time he fully understands that somone finds it funny.
Awareness must be constant and sometimes may make others uncomfortable. So be it.

— added by Jacquie on Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 2:03 pm

I saw the PSA on Tuesday night after Glee, and I immediately thought about your blog. I hope that this campaign makes people think before dropping the “r-word”!

— added by Stephanie on Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 1:13 pm