Current Events > Is r-word as offensive for intellectually disabled as n-word for black people?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Next week at my work, my boss is going to go over some sensitivity training with my team. Apparently, there have been some complaints among the employees about the overuse of the r-word, and it's offending some people. My boss is creating some PowerPoint slides for us to sit through, explaining the impact of the r-word. The argument is that it's as severe/harsh for intellectually disabled people as the n-word is for black people. I can kind of see that point of view, but some of my coworkers are already disagreeing. It's not the hill I want to die on, but some of my coworkers really think this training is a waste of time. They're also the same people who have no problem using the r-word for anything, even inanimate objects. Have times changed, and people are slow to adjust? Should the r-word be banned in professional workplaces?

No but it's still bad.

Its not as bad, but its bad enough to be extremely unprofessional and not used in professional settings.

Since the target of the slur is not as common to be around as the n word, people will bend backwards to claim its not that serious tho. Just fyi.

People also rarely use the r word for people with mental disabilities, ironically. At least in modern usage.

The N word however typically is used for black people.

It's weird to try and rank them when they're both wildly unacceptable in a workplace environment.

Jiek_Fafn posted...

It's weird to try and rank them when they're both wildly unacceptable in a workplace environment.

They're only unacceptable in a workplace environment? The fuck are you smoking

Anyway I sometimes use the r word when I am paranoid psychotic to explain the fact that everyone gets the thing I don't

MedeaLysistrata posted...

They're only unacceptable in a workplace environment? The fuck are you smoking

When did the post claim that?

MedeaLysistrata posted...

They're only unacceptable in a workplace environment? The fuck are you smoking

Is that what he said?

Lol oh boy

cuttin_in_farm posted...

When did the post claim that?

You're being so pedantic it's funny. The post said both are wildly unacceptable in a work environment, the fact anything else was excluded is context enough

MedeaLysistrata posted...

You're being so pedantic it's funny. The post said both are wildly unacceptable in a work environment, the fact anything else was excluded is context enough

What's with you lately?

Both words are offensive enough to be unacceptable in any environment, regardless of which one is technically worse.

Jiek_Fafn posted...

What's with you lately?

Sorry but please don't play that game. It would have been just as easy to say those words are never acceptable. How do you account for that?

MedeaLysistrata posted...

Sorry but please don't play that game. It would have been just as easy to say those words are never acceptable. How do you account for that?

feels like youre purposefully misreading his post to pick a fight tbh

Wow, that's amazing -- a real life example of the meme:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/1/5/AABxOHAADtmf.jpg

MedeaLysistrata posted...

Sorry but please don't play that game. It would have been just as easy to say those words are never acceptable. How do you account for that?

Other people already made my point clear.

You post weird non sequitur responses in most topics. Someone else made an entire topic about it not long ago. You used to post normally and I can't tell if it's a gimmick lately or youre genuinely not okay

MedeaLysistrata posted...

Sorry but please don't play that game. It would have been just as easy to say those words are never acceptable. How do you account for that?

How very AllLivesMatter of you, bro.

Oubliettes posted...

feels like youre purposefully misreading his post to pick a fight tbh

Uh, no, picking a fight would be forcing a response and then going on to respond and etc. Seems like you all want to pick a fight with me because I went out of my way to clarify those words are never acceptable.

lmao

MedeaLysistrata posted...

Uh, no, picking a fight would be forcing a response and then going on to respond and etc. Seems like you all want to pick a fight with me because I went out of my way to clarify those words are never acceptable.

You made a very poor and misguided inference and implied someone was on drugs because of it. You're stupid and you're an asshole.

We're going in circles here.

MedeaLysistrata posted...

They're only unacceptable in a workplace environment? The fuck are you smoking

the post did not say or that they're only unacceptable in a workplace environment

MedeaLysistrata posted...

They're only unacceptable in a workplace environment? The fuck are you smoking

Imagine getting this mad over a thing you misread.

averagejoel posted...

the post did not say or that they're only unacceptable in a workplace environment

Sure. But it also excluded everything else, making it vague at best. Why are you all dying on this hill I find that so weird.

MedeaLysistrata posted...

Sure. But it also excluded everything else, making it vague at best. Why are you all dying on this hill I find that so weird.

literally the first sentence of the topic starts with the phrase "Next week at my work" -- it's clearly a question set in the context of a workplace

I don't see the point in making it a competition. Id personally say no. But I also hear a lot more from the black community than I do the mentally impaired community. So, it would be impossible for me to not understand one more than the other.

averagejoel posted...

literally the first sentence of the topic starts with the phrase "Next week at my work" -- it's clearly a question set in the context of a workplace

I didn't read that post tbh, I see why you all got so upset.

But it looks like the poll makes my point remain relevant

I would say it is even worse

Personally I don't think the r-word is offensive at all, considered it's almost never used to ridicule mentally disabled people, but commonly used to describe something silly, stupid, nonsensical, annoyingly uncooperative etc.
Then again, I personally prefer to focus on the intention and context, rather than the literal word(s) being applied.

Aressar posted...

Personally I don't think the r-word is offensive at all, considered it's almost never used to ridicule mentally disabled people, but commonly used to describe something silly, stupid, nonsensical, annoyingly uncooperative etc.
Then again, I personally prefer to focus on the intention and context, rather than the literal word(s) being applied.

I just don't think you can disentangle "This word was defined to mean group X" and "When I use this term in a derogatory way towards people and inanimate objects I don't mean anything to group X".

Like people use "autistic" in a similar way and that's very clearly used in a derogatory fashion towards people who aren't on the spectrum. I don't think that it should be that hard to see the similarity to using the r-word even if it's against "inanimate objects".

It's not, but still not a word you should ever use.

Like other racial slurs, they are terrible, but they generally don't carry the same history as the N word does.

Aressar posted...

Personally I don't think the r-word is offensive at all, considered it's almost never used to ridicule mentally disabled people, but commonly used to describe something silly, stupid, nonsensical, annoyingly uncooperative etc.
Then again, I personally prefer to focus on the intention and context, rather than the literal word(s) being applied.

The issue is you are saying "being like said disabled person is bad" or "you're being like X disabled group" and is a big part of why the word is as bad as it is. It is dehumanising and using a minority as an insult.

Not sure why it needs to be a competition

One is always used to insult people
one is sometimes used to insult people

both are bad but one is worse

The way someone explained it to ke was that the r word was the official word for the condition at one point, and then they got rid of it as labeling the condition. So it's not the same as using autism because autism still refers to the specific condition.

Not that I agree with that but yeah.

to THEM yes it is literally just as bad and no one should be saying that word anymore.