When I was in high school in the late 1990s, it was common to use the word "retarded" as a generic put-down. "That's r—d." "Don't be r—d." Just about everyone I knew said it. I said it.
I don't say it anymore. Now I understand how it's harmful to conflate a mental disability with exercising bad judgment. It was wrong for me to use that word as a teenager, but I'm glad society doesn't judge me for failing to recognize the wrongness at a time when few people saw that usage for the slur it is.
Is there a parallel with this letter? I'm not sure. I was just a child in the 1980s, so I can't speak authoritatively to social awareness at that time. However, I can say this: As the company seeks an appropriate resolution, they need to look at who was (or was not) hurt at the time of the incident, not who may take offense 40 years later.
Although I never did anything as bad as blackface, I sure am glad there are few digital records of my high school and university days. We deserve the chance to outgrow our pasts.
no subject
I don't say it anymore. Now I understand how it's harmful to conflate a mental disability with exercising bad judgment. It was wrong for me to use that word as a teenager, but I'm glad society doesn't judge me for failing to recognize the wrongness at a time when few people saw that usage for the slur it is.
Is there a parallel with this letter? I'm not sure. I was just a child in the 1980s, so I can't speak authoritatively to social awareness at that time. However, I can say this: As the company seeks an appropriate resolution, they need to look at who was (or was not) hurt at the time of the incident, not who may take offense 40 years later.
Although I never did anything as bad as blackface, I sure am glad there are few digital records of my high school and university days. We deserve the chance to outgrow our pasts.