[Applefreak01]

Might be funny to some but not to others. All it takes is a car wreck or something else and you'll be just like the person in those pictures.

[gorickey]

I would also refrain from using the word/description "retard" as well...

[MacGorilla]

Ummmm

[velodev]

Actually, my wife works in Special Education and supposedly the term "Mentally Retarded" is becoming acceptable again.

Obviously, in this topic's context - it is not being used as the same phrase.

I agree with Rickey... refrain from using that word as you did.

[Applefreak01]

I agree with not using the word but that's what the word is in the picts if you read them so I thought I would use that one last time to get their attention that it's not right to use that word in that context.

Both my parents work in Special Education and there's nothing to be made fun of about these people. Remember they are PEOPLE too and have feelings also.

[Applefreak01]

Originally posted by velodev:
Actually, my wife works in Special Education and supposedly the term "Mentally Retarded" is becoming acceptable again.

Obviously, in this topic's context - it is not being used as the same phrase.

I agree with Rickey... refrain from using that word as you did.

I would tell her to stick with Mentally/Physical Handicapped.

[Face Ache]

Originally posted by Applefreak01:
I agree with not using the word but that's what the word is in the picts if you read them so I thought I would use that one last time to get their attention that it's not right to use that word in that context.

Both my parents work in Special Education and there's nothing to be made fun of about these people. Remember they are PEOPLE too and have feelings also.

While I agree that the word shouldn't be used in relation to genuinely handicapped people, in the context of MacNN "retard" or "mental retard" is perfectly acceptable usage.

Both my parents, my cousin and a close personal friend work in Special Education and they all agree that MacNN is full of retards.

[Zimphire]

Originally posted by Face Ache:
Both my parents, my cousin and a close personal friend work in Special Education and they all agree that MacNN is full of retards.

Does that count you too?

[OldManMac]

Originally posted by Face Ache:
While I agree that the word shouldn't be used in relation to genuinely handicapped people, in the context of MacNN "retard" or "mental retard" is perfectly acceptable usage.

Both my parents, my cousin and a close personal friend work in Special Education and they all agree that MacNN is full of retards.

It is not acceptable in any usage. Those who try to justify using it in these fora and not using it in the case of genuinely handicapped persons do so out of a sense of rationalization that what they are doing is correct, which is not the case. No one, handicapped or not, needs to be referred to as such, so that someone who knows no proper boundaries can feel superior to others at their expense.

[benb]

Originally posted by KarlG:
It is not acceptable in any usage. Those who try to justify using it in these fora and not using it in the case of genuinely handicapped persons do so out of a sense of rationalization that what they are doing is correct, which is not the case. No one, handicapped or not, needs to be referred to as such, so that someone who knows no proper boundaries can feel superior to others at their expense.

You know what bugs me? When people put on the clothes of political correctness to hide their own shortcomings.

Don't hide behind politically correct terms to be nice, but show true love. Political correctness has nothing to do with kindness, love, gentleness, and peace; only hiding the gross shortcomings of men from each other.

[OldManMac]

Originally posted by benb:
You know what bugs me? When people put on the clothes of political correctness to hide their own shortcomings.

Don't hide behind politically correct terms to be nice, but show true love. Political correctness has nothing to do with kindness, love, gentleness, and peace; only hiding the gross shortcomings of men from each other.

So, you're saying it's okay to make fun of mentally handicapped people? Calling someone a retard is showing true love? Pointing out how they're different by laughing at them is showing gentleness, peace, and kindness?

I think not.

[splatq]

Originally posted by KarlG:
So, you're saying it's okay to make fun of mentally handicapped people? Calling someone a retard is showing true love? Pointing out how they're different by laughing at them is showing gentleness, peace, and kindness?

I think not.

Ugh.

I'm not "short", I'm vertically challenged. Thank you, political correctness.

[OldManMac]

Originally posted by splatq:
Ugh.

I'm not "short", I'm vertically challenged. Thank you, political correctness.

There's a difference between short and being mentally handicapped. I agree that political correctness has gone too far in many instances, but calling someone a retard is a sign of one who tries to boost his own self esteem, at the expense of someone who started out in life with a huge strike against him. There's no need for it. Like I said, some people know no boundaries, and "anything goes", as long as they have "fun."

[MindFad]

Originally posted by splatq:
Ugh.

I'm not "short", I'm vertically challenged. Thank you, political correctness.

Vertically retarded?

[MacGorilla]

"I'm not a cartoon character, I'm demensionally challenged!"--Bloom County.

[Face Ache]

Originally posted by KarlG:
There's a difference between short and being mentally handicapped.

There are a lot of differences between being short and being mentally handicapped my friend. Mentally handicapped people can often reach things in high places that short people cannot. In that respect they are more useful than short people, so we should not generalise.

What have you got against short people anyway?

[Zimphire]

[wataru]

Originally posted by MindFad:
Vertically retarded?

Differently statured.

[L. Ron Hubbard]

Originally posted by Applefreak01:
Might be funny to some but not to others. All it takes is a car wreck or something else and you'll be just like the person in those pictures.

Shut up.

[theolein]

Originally posted by Zimphire:
Does that count you too?

Tsk, tsk. Personal attack, Zimby. Not nice. One could almost say ..... retarded

[xenu]

Originally posted by KarlG:
It is not acceptable in any usage.

I can think of acceptable usage, both of whom work in the White House.

[Captain Obvious]

This thread is retarded, deal with it.

But on a related note: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/M...ItemId=4212971

I saw him concert at a club, fun stuff.

[hyteckit]

Mentally Challenged

NOT RETARDED!

[euchomai]

Originally posted by Applefreak01:
Might be funny to some but not to others. All it takes is a car wreck or something else and you'll be just like the person in those pictures.

I didn't know that a car wreck could give me downs syndrome, wow... learn something new everyday! Thanks man!!

[rjenkinson]

Originally posted by hyteckit:
Mentally Challenged

NOT RETARDED!

no. challenges can be surmounted. retardation cannot be.

-r.

[hyteckit]

Originally posted by rjenkinson:
no. challenges can be surmounted. retardation cannot be.

-r.

Challenged, not challenges

Notice the 'd' at the end.

[Oisín]

Mentally challenged is an idiotic term to use anyway. It does make it sound like it's a challenge, which it's not.

And personally, I think mentally challenged is just as offensive as retard. (Mentally) handicapped is slightly better, but still sucks.

Udviklingsh�mmet is such a good word, too bad it doesn't really seem to exist in English...

[Ghoser777]

I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way.

[IMG=http://www.xs4all.nl/~hwalther/images/opc-roger&jessica.jpg]Jessica Rabbit[/IMG]

1. Why can't I figure out how the IMG tag works... I've tried googling got it and this looks like the right setup
2. Why doesn't Safari let the Image button work?

Matt Fahrenbacher

[Oisín]

Originally posted by Ghoser777:
[IMG=http://www.xs4all.nl/~hwalther/images/opc-roger&jessica.jpg]Jessica Rabbit[/IMG]

1. Why can't I figure out how the IMG tag works... I've tried googling got it and this looks like the right setup
2. Why doesn't Safari let the Image button work?

1. If you remove the Jessica Rabbit[/IMG] part, I think it should be correct. Maybe you need to add quotation marks around the source on this forum, that changes and it's annoying as hell.
2. Doesn't work in FireFox, Opera or Netscape either. I wonder if it's just for looks.

Edit: What am I saying??? Nonsense! Put the URL where you put Jessica Rabbit, and remove it from within the tag, that's how it should be...



Double-edit: But it's easier to get it to work if the image actually exists where it's supposed to...

[hyteckit]

Dictionary.com

Challenged

1. Having a disability or impairment.

Usage Note: People who object to the terms disabled and handicapped as being too negative sometimes propose the substitution of challenged instead, as in referring to persons with physical disabilities as physically challenged. While this particular phrase is quite popular, it is sometimes taken to be condescending, and similar usages such as mentally challenged have failed to win equal acceptance.


Hmm... mentally challenged not widely accepted eh?

[hyteckit]

Okay, from now on, I'm going to call retards "mentally underdeveloped"

[theolein]

Originally posted by Ois�n:
Mentally challenged is an idiotic term to use anyway. It does make it sound like it's a challenge, which it's not.

And personally, I think mentally challenged is just as offensive as retard. (Mentally) handicapped is slightly better, but still sucks.

Udviklingsh�mmet is such a good word, too bad it doesn't really seem to exist in English...

Developmentally Inhibited is what you're looking for.

[Oisín]

Originally posted by theolein:
Developmentally Inhibited is what you're looking for.

My point exactly!

[benb]

Originally posted by KarlG:
So, you're saying it's okay to make fun of mentally handicapped people? Calling someone a retard is showing true love? Pointing out how they're different by laughing at them is showing gentleness, peace, and kindness?

I think not.

Did I say that? No. So why the slanted question to imply that I did?

What I said was the purpose of making oneself "Politically Correct" is to appease a guilty conscience.

[gerbnl]

Originally posted by splatq:
Ugh.

I'm not "short", I'm vertically challenged. Thank you, political correctness.

Uhmm, does that make "horizontally challenged" to mean "fat" or "run_over_by_a_car"?

[Zimphire]

Originally posted by theolein:
Tsk, tsk. Personal attack, Zimby. Not nice. One could almost say ..... retarded

Personal attack? highly subjective.

[Jaey]

Originally posted by gerbnl:
Uhmm, does that make "horizontally challenged" to mean "fat" or "run_over_by_a_car"?

No, that's horizontally gifted.

[d4nth3m4n]

Originally posted by Ghoser777:
I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way.

[IMG=http://www.xs4all.nl/~hwalther/images/opc-roger&jessica.jpg]Jessica Rabbit[/IMG]

1. Why can't I figure out how the IMG tag works... I've tried googling got it and this looks like the right setup
2. Why doesn't Safari let the Image button work?

Matt Fahrenbacher

reply to my post and see how i did it. pretty easy really. not ever going to try and explain it, just look and see.



EDIT: the code still works, so take a look, but i dont think taht vbb likes the "&" in the url.

and as far as this retard talk goes, this is one of my pet peeves... just like "gosh" darn and freaking. THE INTENT IS THE SAME! THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THE WORD TAHT SOUNDS LIKE, AND IMPLIES THE "DIRTY" ONE. *exhales*

[Oisín]

Originally posted by d4nth3m4n:
and as far as this retard talk goes, this is one of my pet peeves... just like "gosh" darn and freaking. THE INTENT IS THE SAME! THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THE WORD TAHT SOUNDS LIKE, AND IMPLIES THE "DIRTY" ONE. *exhales*

There is still a difference. If you say somebody's a retard, you're consciously being derogative and make them feel bad. If you talk about developmentally inhibited people [that is, if you can pronounce that], you're still talking about the same people, but at least you're trying to only draw out their "shortcomings" in order to narrow down the scope of whom you're talking about, not deliberately trying to insult them.

[d4nth3m4n]

Originally posted by Ois�n:
[that is, if you can pronounce that]

am i to assume that this has something to do with phonetics? or should i take this as a personal attack?

[Oisín]

Originally posted by d4nth3m4n:
am i to assume that this has something to do with phonetics? or should i take this as a personal attack?

I was afraid it would be seen like that. No, it wasn't a personal attack at all - it's just that "developmentally inhibited" is ridiculously long and bothersome to use (hence my comment that a good word for "udviklingsh�mmet" really doesn't exist in English)...

[Millennium]

Originally posted by MacGorilla:
"I'm not a cartoon character, I'm demensionally challenged!"--Bloom County.

"I'm not dead; I'm metaphysically challenged!"

[hyteckit]

I'm not broke, I'm financially challenged.

[moonmonkey]

Originally posted by wataru:
Differently statured.

Short for his weight.

[dreilly1]

Hey you guys, a word is just that: a word. It's how you use it that counts.

I think it's kind of silly to get on AppleFreak's case. He's not calling anyone a retard, he's just asking why so many of these lame pictures are proliferating here. I would have said that it's because so many MacNN'ers have never mentally graduated from high school, but I don't want to offend anyone so I won't say that.

Besides, arguing over the Internet is like being in the Special Olympics -- win or lose, you're still... um.... challenged?

[theolein]

The way I see it is that the word "retard" is more of a trend or fad in modern American English usage, especially by the young. Back in the 70's there were words like "groovy", which no one uses anymore except in retro 70's style CD cover designs (along with the rainbows and afro hairstyles). The intention, when one uses the word "retard" today, seems to me to be the same as the intention when one used to use the "idiot", in the past. I think that younger people will look for a more charged word to express some intent or feeling when the older, standard one no longer seems to carry enough expressive weight. It reminds me of the use of the word "fucked" that has become so ubiquitous in moder English. There was a time when one was "exhausted", now one is "fucked". There was a time when something was "damaged", now it's "fucked". I for one am pretty thankful that the abundant use of "like" amongst the American young, like just doesn't work well in text as it does in speech, but that's just me.

I think the idea of PC language use was a stilted attempt at reducing discrimination in the workplace and in public life. There was a time when we had "problems", now we have "issues", but they're still the same fu�king problems.

It's all very udviklingshaemmmet

[Oisín]

Originally posted by theolein:
I for one am pretty thankful that the abundant use of "like" amongst the American young, like just doesn't work well in text as it does in speech, but that's just me.

Not just you.

You could have very interesting conversations with my former flatmate, methinks. Want to make her squeam and start shaking like she's having an epileptic fit, while emitting strange noises of irritation - just turn the topic of conversation towards the usage of the word "like" by American high school girls.

(She very nearly threw heavy things at the computer when we watched "Elephant")

It's all very udviklingshaemmmet

Nah, more just plain �ndssvagt